I loved The Best Christmas Pageant Ever when I was a kid, so it was fun to catch up on the adventures of the Herdmans! The author has a wonderful grasp on a mature child's voice and thought processes. Really cute, but not as touching as "Christmas Pageant" of course. ( )

After creating havoc at Christmas, the Herdmans are back. This time, their previous antics lead the town to cancel Halloween since the holiday has devolved into little more than the Herdman family laying in wait to beat up and steal unsuspecting trick-or-treaters candy.

This sequel to "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" is a bit of a one-joke story, spread out over the course of a hundred or so pages. The central conflict is the Herdman's have led the town to cancel Halloween, which makes all the kids upset. Then, the town hatches a plan to have Halloween at the local school so they can control what's going on and in the hopes that the Herdmans won't find out or show up.

The strength of "Christmas Pageant" was while the Herdmans were the antagonists of the story, they had a human side and flashes of being more than just a bunch of surly bullies. And that's not quite the case here, where the entire book is spent talking about how horrible they are. It does lead to a nice little moment at the end involving the Herdmans and years of stolen Halloween candy, but the moments leading up to it are a bit repetitive and difficult to stomach.

Had I not read "Best Christmas Pageant" I might be more inclined to like this novel. Or maybe the big problem is this book is competing with the memory of enjoying "Pageant" in my youth. ( )

The Herdmans are the worst children in town. Everyone is so mad that the Mayor announces there will be no Halloween Trick-or-Treating and no Halloweeen candy for sale! Instead there will be a party at the elementary school with parents and teachers! Will this be the most boring Halloween ever? Find out what changes the Herdmans make to this worst, best Halloween. ( )