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 First edition cover | |
| Author | Thomas Rockwell |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Emily McCully |
| Language | English |
| Series | Children's novel |
| Publisher | Franklin Watts |
| Publication date | 1973 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 115 |
| Followed by | How to Fight a Girl |
How to Eat Fried Worms is a children's book written by Thomas Rockwell, first published in 1973. The novel's plot involves a boy eating worms as part of a bet. It has been the frequent target of censors and appears on the American Library Association's list of most commonly challenged books in the United States of 1990–2000 at number 96. It was later turned into a CBS Storybreak episode in the mid-1980s, and a movie of the same name in 2006.
The story continues in two sequels: How to Fight a Girl and How to Get Fabulously Rich.
Plot summary
Alan bets his friend Billy that he can't eat 15 worms in 15 days. Billy, who needs money to buy a minibike, agrees to the bet only if Alan will pay him US$50 (equivalent to $340 in 2023) for the win. Their friend Tom says he'll assist Billy, while another friend, Joe, sides with Alan. They search for worms near Billy's family farm and come up with a handful of night crawler earthworms the size of large pencils. As Billy nears victory, he faces a flurry of nasty tricks and traps that go wildly out of control. Despite all this, Billy wins the mini-bike and eventually wins the bet. And a consequence is now he is hooked on worms.
References
- "100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2000". ALA. Archived from the original on October 28, 2010. Retrieved February 15, 2011.
