Cover of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

by Barbara Robinson

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Assigned across 1 curriculum list · 1 state

Grade placement varies by school — the median assigned book spans 4 grade levels (83% span three or more, across 13,258 source-cited assignments).

On reading-award lists:Young Hoosier Book Award

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson is assigned in US schools at grades 4–8. It appears across 1 curriculum reference and 1 state, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.

This page shows where The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.

Grade range
Grades 4–8
Age range
Ages 9–13
Pages
85
Reading time
about 1h 35m (est.)
First published
1972
Genre
Humor
ISBN-13
9780842301374

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade

More formats & details

Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook

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About this book

The six mean Herdman kids lie, steal, smoke cigars (even the girls) and then become involved in the community Christmas pageant.

Similar grade-level books

See all books like The Best Christmas Pageant Ever→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This Humor title, typically at grades 4–8. Written in the 1970s; pairs with curriculum units on brothers and sisters and aunts; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Themes

brothers and sisters · aunts · dysfunctional families · christmas pageants

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is The Best Christmas Pageant Ever?
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 4–8. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
How long does it take to read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever?
It takes about 1h 35m to read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (85 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 95 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign The Best Christmas Pageant Ever?
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever appears on reading lists for Young Hoosier Book Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is The Best Christmas Pageant Ever banned in schools?
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever does not appear in PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. No documented multi-district removals on record, but individual districts may challenge titles locally.
What themes does The Best Christmas Pageant Ever explore?
Central themes in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever include brothers and sisters, aunts, dysfunctional families, christmas pageants. These themes match how the book is discussed in most curriculum guides and AP Literature prompts.

Why this book is on this list

How we classify

Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.

Lexile measure
Not classified — this book has no published Lexile measure.
Grade band
Grades 4–8 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 1 curriculum on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence
Cited in 1 state ELA framework or DOE list (see citations above).
Removal / banning records
No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
Seasonal / contextual tags
Tagged for: book-club.

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