How to Eat Fried Worms

My boys loved this book. It's an easy read, with some big vocabulary here and again, which I like. They liked the "gross" plot line. Made us all want to try worms for dinner lol just kidding!

I recently read the book "How To Eat Fried Worms." It was hilarious, interesting, and gross - all at the same time! I highly recommend it to children (especially boys) who are in second or third grade. The story is about a boy named Billy Forrester who accepted a bet with his friends, Alan Phelps and Joseph O' Hara. The bet was that Billy had to eat fifteen worms in fifteen days or he would have to pay them $50.00. Alan and Joe provided the worms. Billy ate them boiled, raw, and fried. I think the characters and the whole story were very believable. It is very possible for four boys to have a bet about eating fifteen worms in fifteen days. I really loved the way the story ended! I was very relieved. My favorite part was when Billy and Tom fantasized about what they would do if they had a minibike and the opportunity to do crazy and unrealistic tricks with it. Another part I liked was when Tom and his friend made up a rhyme together. Personally, I thought that "How to Eat Fried Worms" was very simple to read. Well, to compare, I am reading "Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix" right now in 3rd grade, and I think that book is easy. I think many readers would enjoy "How to Eat Fried Worms." Also, the author, Thomas Rockwell, is very talented and uses good detail in the right places. If you want to, you can go to your local bookstore or library and get "How to Eat Fried Worms." They also made a movie based on the book, but the story is very different. For instance, one character's name is "Tom" in the book and "Adam" in the movie. Another change is that, in the movie, the bet was very different from the one in the book. He still had to eat worms, but a smaller amount and over a shorter period of time. If I were you, I would get the book. All I am saying is that this is an interesting and fun book and will bring you and your family lots of laughs.

Of all the books I have read in school (required and for pleasure) the one book that I remember reading and consider to be trademark of my youth was How to Eat Fried Worms. Now as a teacher I enjoy sharing this wonderful book with my students! After all the boring stories we have to read, this one always get several laughs and a few ewwws but always a big hit.

To my mind, "How To Eat Fried Worms" is an American children's classic ranking just behind "Harriet the Spy". In school, kids are constantly being forced to read books that, while excellently written, haven't a funny or amusing sentence anywhere to be seen. This is a foolish act on the part of schools. If you want your children to become good readers, you need to soften the meaningful with the flamboyant and silly. I was actually expecting, "How To Eat Fried Worms" to be some kind of mildly amusing but essentially meaningless tale. I certainly didn't expect anyone to actually EAT a worm. Instead, I found that this is a brilliantly plotted war between two factions of friends and a book that can do a lot of good in teaching kids about rising action, climax, and satisfying endings. Plus lots of worms get munched. When four friends, Billy, Tom, Alan, and Joe meet one day to discuss why Tom failed to join the others in a trespassing incident, they learn that he was kept indoors for not eating his dinner. Billy, the group's unofficial leader, pooh-poohs Tom's finicky ways, claiming that he could eat almost anything. This kind of statement leads to a dare. Could Billy eat a worm? How about fifteen worms? How about fifteen worms in fifteen days for fifty dollars? The bet is made, hands are shaken, and the rules are clear. Billy can use any condiment he chooses and may eat the worms broiled, fried, baked, or however he prefers. As the contest continues, Alan and Joe attempt to find ways to win an increasingly desperate war against Billy. They try psychological warfare. They try out-and-out cheating. They try using Billy's parents against him. They try using Billy's greed against him and at the last minute come up with a plan that very nearly finishes their friend for good. This all inevitably leads to fights, panicked late-night worm hunts, and an ending that will have kids gripping the edge of their seats as Billy's little brother Pete comes through at the last minute. At the heart of the tale, however, is the worm eating. It's funny, but as the years have gone by the covers for "How To Eat Fried Worms" have grown more and more explicit. At first they wouldn't even show a worm. In the 1980s the cover displayed two kids presenting two others with a steaming silver plate of ... something. Now, at last, the worm is displayed on the cover in all its magnificent ickyness. Rockwell balances out the gross with the funny with the thoughtful. Some reviewers of this book have shown confusion over such chapter headings as "Admirals Nagumo and Kusaka on the Bridge of the Akaiga, December 6, 1941" or "Guadalcanal". I don't think it takes too much intelligence, however, to determine that these titles show that the boys are in a state of war. It's mind against not-so-queasy stomach and the stomach seems to have the obvious advantage. Reading this book, kids get easily sucked into a slowly escalating battle between two desperate sides.

My 7 year old daughter, husband and I had a GREAT time listening to this. My daughter loved the story and us parents loved how much it reminded us of our summer days as 12 year olds. It was a bit graphic--the boys thoughts about biting into a juicy, fat earthworm--but in the end that made it even better! It gets you in the gut, it gets you in your funny-bone, it gets you in your heart! It's read by a wonderful reader, who gives the boys that little extra personality with his voice. Truly a delight for everyone on a long car trip or lazy afternoon!

This book was a delightful read, even for someone who is 36 years old. It tells the tale of a group of boys who make a bet that one of them is to eat 15 worms in 15 days. Although this book has been banned in schools in some states, I think it is a must read for elementary school children (2nd-4th or 5th grades) because the main point of the book is peer pressure. After I read it, I would like my kids to read it, then discuss peer pressure they may be getting now, as well as what they will face in the future. As a parent, highly recommended!