The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is told from the first-person perspective of the daughter of the pageant director at the center of the book. In the novel, the unnamed narrator recounts the time the six Herdman children, named Imogene, Ralph, Claude, Leroy, Ollie, and Gladys, decide to volunteer to put on and star in their town's Christmas pageant.
The six children are well-known for being misfits and juvenile delinquents, known for drinking, cussing, smoking, and shoplifting—among many other less-than-desirable behaviors. Because none of the children had a father (he abandoned the children when they were young), their behavior was never corrected, and the children were never disciplined. Still, the Herdman children were great students that earned good grades and passed elementary school with ease.
One day, the children go to Sunday school for the first time because they are told that the church that offers Sunday schools offers free snacks. Hungry, the children eagerly join the church and quickly offer their services to the aforementioned pageant. And because the Herdam children bully the typical pageant cast members to not join the play. Thus, the pageant director has no choice but to cast the Herdman children in her pageant (despite them not knowing anything about the Christmas story, the pageant which they will perform).
Everyone involved think that the pageant will be a disaster. However, the Herdam show a tremendous amount of interest in the pageant and work hard to make it as good as it can be. The play—and the Herdams themselves—force the people of the town to think of the less-than-savory history of Christmas and the Christmas season, like King Herrod's desire to kill baby Jesus and his family.
In the end, the Herdam's performance of the pageant is received positively—much to the shock of everyone in the town. People around the town considered their performances realistic and fascinating, which added to the emotional gravity of the situation. And at the end of the pageant, everyone in the Herdam's town agrees that it was the best Christmas pageant the town had ever put on. The Herdam also taught the townspeople about what Christmas is truly about—gratitude and the people around them.
