The Herdmans were absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world.
-- The narrator (chapter 1)

Importance: This is the opening line of the book and sums up the attitude everyone in town has toward the Herdman kids. Their reputation for creating trouble everywhere they go is well known and everyone pretty much has the same idea about the family. It is an important statement to make at the beginning of the book, because the story is about the transformation that takes place in the children once they become participants in the church's Christmas pageant and the change that comes over the townspeople as their own eyes are opened in new ways.

The Herdmans moved from grade to grade through the Woodrow Wilson School like those South American fish that strip your bones clean in three minutes flat...which was just about what they did to one teacher after another.
-- The narrator (chapter 1)

Importance: The narrator is explaining...