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The Best School Year Ever | 
 enlarge | Author: Barbara Robinson
Publisher: HarperTrophy
List Price: $5.99
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Rating:  67 reviews
Sales Rank: 27948
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Pages: 176
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.1 x 0.6
ISBN: 0064404927
EAN: 9780064404921
ASIN: 0064404927
Publication Date: August 30, 1997
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Product Description
The Worst Kids in the History of the World! When anything goes wrong at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, from the hexing of Bus Six to the mysterious disappearance of the kindergarten gerbil, it's sure to have a Herdman behind it. The Herdmans are more than famous -- they're outlaws. They smoke cigars, lie, and set fire to things, and that's only when they bother to come to school! Then a school project forces the students to think of compliments for all their classmates -- including the Herdmans. Is it possible that behind their outrageous pranks there may be something good about this crazy clan after all?
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| Customer Reviews: Read 62 more reviews...
 Unique and Fun Book May 7, 2007
CD (Utah)
My husband has LOVED the Worst/Best Christmas pageant ever! I actually bought this book for him and the Worst/Best Halloween ever! He absolutely loves them! He actually laughed outloud at some of the Antics of this "crew". Unique and Fun!
The further adventures of the Herdman family May 28, 2006
Jeanne Tassotto (Trapped in the Midwest)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This follows THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER, again told by Beth and focusing on the Herdman clan. Beth is now in the 6th grade at Woodrow Wilson Elementary and of course, once again Imogene Herdman is a classmate. There is a Herdman for each grade, 6 in all, and even though they never do assignments or seem to learn anything they are always promoted to the next grade. Beth's father offers a theory that the faculty at Woodrow Wilson have a clause in their contracts assuring that there will be only one Herdman per class.
There Herdmans hold the school and perhaps even the community in terror with their misdeeds. Beth relates their adventures for the year including kidnapping someone's little brother, 'tattoing' his bald head with magic marker, destroying a school assembly, taking over a school bus, and probably causing an epidemic of chicken pox to name but a few. Hanging over Beth's head is the year long assignment given the first day of school - to find a compliment for each classmate and several for one classmate in particular. Beth's special assignment is Imogene. As Beth struggles to find honest nice things to say about Imogene she begins to see new qualities in her classmate and by the end of the year has begun to develop insights far beyond her years.
This book is hysterically funny. Not funny in the sense that it causes the reader to smile or chuckle but rather funny as in laughing out loud to the point of tears. Beth's matter-of-fact descriptions of the Herdman capers are delivered with a delightfully wry sense of humor.
The reading level for this book is listed as 3-6 but the interest level is much greater. A younger child would be able to follow and enjoy being read this short novel and an adult (like this one) would find this hilarious. Buy this to encourage a reluctant read, buy this to become somebody's favorite aunt or uncle, buy this distract a sick child or - well whatever excuse you can come up with buy this book but remember to get it far enough in advance to allow yourself time to read it first.
 Hijinks that will appeal to your grade schooler February 2, 2006
Debra Hamel (TwitterLit.com)
In The Best School Year Ever 6th-grader Beth Bradley tells the story of the Herdman family, whose six children--one enrolled per year--terrorize Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, as well as the small town in which it's set. There's a new story of Herdman-related mischief in each chapter of the book, from the time the Herdman kids kidnapped a baby, drew on his bald head in permanent marker, and sold tickets to the viewing, to Leroy Herdman's various snake-related pranks, to the Herdmans' theft of a tableful of refreshments on talent show night. The Herdmans, in short, cause the sort of chaos that the author's target readers will find appealing. The Herdman stories are bracketed by Beth's discussion of the class project her teacher set on the first day of the year: everyone in the sixth grade was required to think of something nice to say about everyone else in the class--not an easy task if the student you're trying to compliment is a Herdman. Obviously the problem of complimenting a Herdman classmate is addressed and resolved at the book's end, and I like in particular the author's not-too-preachy, just right conclusion.
Robinson's book is written in a charming, folksy style, as this threat from one of the Herdmans illustrates: "You leave that blanket alone and you leave that kid alone or I'll wrap your whole head in chewing gum so tight they'll have to peel it off along with all your hair and your eyebrows and your lip skin and everything!" The problem with this particular patch of prose, though, is that I rather doubt that any sixth grader ever talked like this in real life. There are a number of other problems with credibility in the book as well. It's amusing, for example, (when you get over the real-life scariness of the kidnapping) to imagine the Herdmans displaying a "tattooed" baby for profit (if you also forget that the kid would surely be unhappy and uncomfortable if this were really happening to him)--but it's not the sort of thing that would happen outside of the Our Gang comedies or Ed, Edd n Eddy's cul-de-sac. This credibility gap may not bother a lot of kids, but it will distract at least some of Robinson's readers.
Debra Hamel -- author of Trying Neaira: The True Story of a Courtesan's Scandalous Life in ancient Greece (Yale University Press, 2003)
Ciara December 7, 2005
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a book that I would recommend for everyone to read.It was very exiting from the begining.There's this girl who hates the school she goes to because the HERDMANS go there.The Herdmans are the worst kids in the world.They do everything they can to destroy other people.One time, one of the Herdmans had gotten one of the 6th graders and stuck there head in the bike racket and the poor kid couldn't get his head out.Once you start reading this book you can't STOP!I would really recommend you to read it.
 the best school year ever December 3, 2005
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
The Best School Year Ever written by Barbra Robinson is a wonderful story about a family of children noun as the Heardmans who do what they wont when they wont such as smoke and set firecrackers in the school, ditch class and disrespect adults in authority .Almost all children are scared of the Heardmans because theyre bullies and they steal lunch money from weak little children.The Heardmans are fearless except when a particular bus came to pick them up for a fieldtrip and were scared because they were kicked off it.
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