Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this book really is about eating worms. Kids will laugh, but adults are likely to get grossed out. There is a fistfight, and two of the boys cheat to win the bet. This was released in 1973, and some gender roles seem outdated.
Families might want to talk about why gross-out books are so popular. Why do you like them? What would be too much? Also, parents might want to ask kids what the message here is. Think past the gross stuff: Do the characters end up learning anything? Finally, families who see the movie may want to compare and contrast the two. What's different? Which version do you prefer?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Norah Caroline Piehl
There's one thing to be said for How To Eat Fried Worms -- it gets kids to read. Its disgusting premise -- a bet about eating worms -- is so in tune with middle-grade humor that even kids who say they hate books will read it and recommend it to their friends.
Its short chapters and numerous pictures help ease the transition to longer chapter books. The book, which has now spawned a movie, will have less appeal for adults. Grown-ups are likely to get tired of the repetition -- there are only so many ways to cook a worm, after all -- and may feel slightly sick along the way.
Parents are sure to cheer, however, when Billy's parents stop worrying and start supporting him. His mom even cooks up a Whizbang Worm Delight, an original creation.
In the end, this may not be literature, but the humor will genuinely appeal to kids reluctant to leave behind the silly humor of early reader series like The Adventures of Captain Underpants.
From The Book
When I start to eat it, even though it's smothered in ketchup and mustard and grated cheese, I can't stop thinking worm ... gaggles of worms in bait boxes, drowned worms drying up on sidewalks, a worm squirming as the fish hook gores into him ... . I can't stop thinking worm.
Plot Summary:
Billy Forrester's always up for a dare, but this time he's in for a real challenge. His friends, Alan and Joe, bet Billy fifty dollars that he can't eat 15 worms in 15 days. Billy survives the first one, chokes down the second, and practically relishes the third.
When Joe and Alan realize that Billy's going to stick to his goal -- and even enjoy doing it -- they try everything they can to keep Billy from reaching his goal. Billy, with the help of his family and his friend Tom, tries to stay one step ahead of their tricks. They even create new recipes -- from Southern Fried Worm to Whizbang Worm Delight -- to help Billy reach his goal.
Related Books:
Other Silly Books
The Adventures of Captain Underpants: An Epic Novel
Whales on Stilts!
The Day My Butt Went Pyscho
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Sexual ContentA brief, vague mention of teens in the backseat of their car. |
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ViolenceNothing too bad. The boys engage in a fistfight, for example. One boy throws a rock at another, hitting him in the eye. |
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LanguageSome minor stuff like "crap." |
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Social BehaviorMales and females have very traditional roles within the family. For example, the fathers are called in to hand out punishments after a fight, and Joe says picking flowers is his sister's job. Alan and Joe cheat in order to win their bet., but they lose out in the end. |
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CommercialismThe parents promise to take the kids to Friendly's for ice cream. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoOne dad drinks a beer. |
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