Booklist Reviews
Gr. 3-6. Except for Imogene, the Herdmans have stayed out of sight, and that's been worrying Beth Bradley and the other kids at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School. It's also worried the mayor, who has canceled trick-or-treating and suspended all candy sales because of previous Herdman Halloween mayhem. The kids aren't looking forward to the alternative celebration--a tame, school-sponsored party, "with a lot of fake witches and spooky music on the PA, and little kid games." But could the Herdmans be planning to sabotage the event? With all the kids in one place, the possibilities are terrifying! Robinson's suspenseful romp will delight fans of previous books featuring the Herdman kids: the buildup to the mischievous collaboration is deliciously tense, the actual pranks are satisfyingly scary, and readers will agree that the Herdmans' interference results in the best Halloween ever. ((Reviewed August 2004)) Copyright 2004 Booklist Reviews.
BookPage Reviews
Monsters, witches and goblins join the Halloween fun
Why is Halloween such a heavenly holiday for children? Here's one answer from Barbara Robinson's The Best Halloween Ever: "It's like you get to have all the candy there is, all at once. You get to look at it, and count it, and separate it into little piles . . . . And trade it . . . and eat it."
Halloween can be terrifying, not to mention cavity-promoting, but The Best Halloween Ever is part of a fresh batch of books that concentrate on good, ghoulish fun. Robinson has legions of fans from previous books featuring the Herdman clan, truly terrorizing children who appear in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and The Best School Year Ever. Just how bad are they? So bad that their school principal has cancelled Halloween, designing a school festival with no candy. He hopes the Herdmans won't show up, but of course, we know they will. This is a genuinely funny family read-aloud for older kids.
Monstrous celebrations
Stay in the groove with Wild Witches' Ball (HarperFestival, $8.99, 24 pages, ISBN 0060529725) by Jack Prelutsky. Prelutsky is definitely a king—if not the king—of children's poetry, and this particular verse is a counting rhyme that will give kids plenty to giggle about ("Four fat bags took healthy bites from parts of three unsightly frights").
Artist Kelly Asbury's witches all look friendly; there's even a Cinderella-like witch wearing a pumpkin gown. While this book is a short read for little ones, it could easily be a lively vocabulary lesson for slightly older kids ("Witches eight with mangy tresses danced with seven sorceresses"). That's the beauty of Prelutsky: he's a poet for kids of all ages.
Old and young alike will frolic the night away with Monsters Party All Night Long, (Chronicle, $15.95, 40 pages, ISBN 0811843041) by Adam J.B. Lane. Poor old Count Dracula is lonely, so "From 'round the world to Castle Drac/The monsters come a-knocking/And with a grin/They're welcomed in/And soon the night is rocking."
Lane calls his illustrations "sculpstrations," because he made and photographed three-dimensional sculptures. Reminiscent of Claymation meets The Nightmare Before Christmas, Lane's artwork is colorful, creative and loads of fun. Little ones won't find the scenes scary, while there are plenty of sophisticated jokes, including a mummy deejay and a cemetery with headstones such as "Ghoulvin Klein" and "Oscar DeComposa."
More Halloween festivities are in store for readers of David Costello's Here They Come! (Farrar, Straus, $15, 32 pages, ISBN 0374330514). A family of little green monsters lives in the woods, eager for their big party of the year. Cheery rhyming verse and illustrations show a parade of whimsical guests, including warlocks, ghosts, hobgoblins and werewolves. These monsters are a cute bunch, so the preschool set is unlikely to flinch. Costello has just the right combination of silliness and delightful jitters.
The skinny on witches
For a final Halloween treat, gather around a cozy fire and read Wee Winnie Witch's Skinny: An Original African American Scare Tale by Virginia Hamilton (Blue Sky, $16.95, 32 pages, ISBN 0590288806). Beware—this is a wonderful story, but a bit scary, so share it only with children ages eight and up.
The late Virginia Hamilton—a great in children's literature—was fascinated by black folklore about witches who hang up their skin and ride other people through the air. In the story she creates, young James Lee describes how a black cat jumped onto his Uncle Big Anthony and wouldn't let go. The cat was actually a "Wee Winnie," a witch. Every night the witch rides Anthony through the sky, and one night the witch captures James Lee and takes him riding high.
Hamilton keeps the story simple and the tension high. Her text is perfectly paired with the work of another master: Barry Moser. His colored wood engravings offer realistic but frightening views and angles—even I cringe at the sight of the Wee Winnie shedding her skin. Yet the terror is perfect, never gratuitous. This is a suburb choice for tweens who still love Halloween but are ready for more chilling fare. Copyright 2004 BookPage Reviews.
Horn Book Guide Reviews
The Herdman kids' misconduct has caused the mayor to cancel Halloween and offer an alternate celebration--a tame evening party at Woodrow Wilson School. Though not as funny (or moving) as [cf2]The Best Christmas Pageant Ever[cf1], this Herdman outing is still breezy and entertaining as the siblings demonstrate that they still have some tricks--and treats--up their sleeves. Copyright 2005 Horn Book Guide Reviews.
Horn Book Magazine Reviews
Every year the six Herdman kids -- Ralph, Imogene, Leroy, Claude, Ollie, and Gladys -- celebrate Halloween by "starting fires and breaking windows and moving street signs and stealing anything that wasn't nailed down." Including everyone else's candy. These past antics, as well as some recent misconduct involving guppy pizzas and a revolving-door pileup, have caused the mayor to cancel Halloween. Narrator Beth, a dryly humorous observer, describes this year's alternate celebration -- a tame evening party at Woodrow Wilson School: "nothing scary, nothing spooky, nothing unexpected, no trick or treat and no candy, and not even Herdmans to watch out for." The first book about the Herdmans, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (rev. 12/72), unleashed these holy terrors on a Nativity program to memorable fish-out-of-water effect; this outing isn't as funny (or moving) but still makes for a breezy, entertaining story as the Herdmans crash the Halloween party and demonstrate that they still have some tricks -- and even some treats -- up their sleeves. Copyright 2004 Horn Book Magazine Reviews.
Library Media Connection
Fans of Robinson's beloved stories about the Herdman family, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (HarperTrophy, 1988) and The Best School Year Ever (HarperTrophy, 1997) may be disappointed because Ralph, Imogene, Leroy, Claude, Ollie, and Gladys are absent from most of this story. Their absence, however, is the point of the story. The mayor, principal, and parents of students at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School unite in a citywide effort to have a "Herdman-free Halloween." In past Halloweens, the Herdman hellions celebrated by breaking windows, starting fires, moving street signs and stealing everyone's candy. These antics lead the mayor to cancel Halloween, banishing candy from stores and trick-or-treating. As an alternative, Principal Crabtree organizes a party at school to be held under the watchful eyes of teachers. Predictably, the Herdman brood still manages to find a way to bring their unique brand of mayhem to the festivities. Not as funny or touching as Robinson's classic Christmas story, but readers will still find this story very enjoyable to read. Recommended. Ed Sullivan, Library Media Specialist, Hardin Valley Elementary School, Knoxville, Tennessee © 2005 Linworth Publishing, Inc.
Publishers Weekly Reviews
Fans of Robinson's previous tales about the Herdman family (The Best Christmas Pageant Ever; The Best School Year Ever) may be disappointed in this latest installment mostly because the six hellions are absent for the majority of the novel. Of course, this is the point: the mayor, the principal and the parents of the students at Woodrow Wilson School unite in a citywide effort for a "Herdman-free Halloween." The mayor banishes candy from the stores and trick-or-treating on the streets, in favor of a school bash on October 31 that, in narrator Beth Bradley's words, more resembles "Back-to-School Night." The six siblings that wreaked havoc on the town and its citizens in books past also supplied the narratives' main source of energy and humor, and without them, Beth, her brother, Charlie, and their classmates seem to be simply waiting for the other shoe to drop. As they (and readers) anticipate the events of the final chapters to see what the Herdmans have in store, the book reads like one big build-up, and the holiday itself is, unfortunately, an anticlimax. Ages 8-up. (Aug.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
School Library Journal Reviews
Gr 3-5-The Herdmans are back and still causing havoc. This large family of ruffians has terrorized the community in the past by turning on the sprinklers and nearly drowning all the turkeys, spray painting kids, stealing cakes, and making kids buy back their own candy. This time, in an effort to avoid the inevitable Herdman-induced chaos of the Halloween activities, Principal Crabtree proposes that the celebration be held at the school, under the watchful eyes of parents and teachers. The kids are bummed because it will be a trick-or-treatless night, and they would rather face the Herdmans on the street than miss the candy. However, the Herdmans manage to turn the event into a disaster for the adults, and the best Halloween ever for the children. The writing is fast paced and funny, and the plot takes some unexpected if not entirely believable twists; for example, a trap door in the teachers' lounge leads to a boiler room filled with holiday candy stolen and stashed by the Herdmans over the years. This book will have a wide readership, particularly with fans of Robinson's The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (1972) and The Best School Year Ever (1994, both HarperCollins).-Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.