| How to Eat Fried Worms | |
|---|---|
Cover |
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| Author(s) | Thomas Rockwell |
| 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 the title of a children's book written by Thomas Rockwell, first published in 1973. It was later turned into a CBS Storybreak episode in the mid-1980s, and a movie of the same name in 2006. Because the novel's content--the idea of eating worms as part of a bet--is thought to be disgusting by some, 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.[1]
Particular content in the book has been censored among various editions as well; 1970s editions of the book included a single use of the phrase you're a bastard, which was replaced with you're a fink and you're a jerk in later editions.
The story continues in its sequel How to Fight a Girl, which has also been released under the title How to Get Famously Rich.
10-year-old Billy must eat 15 worms in 15 days[2] to win a bet for $50. His friends help him by preparing the worms in a variety of ways to make them more appetizing, such as using condiments including ketchup, mustard, and horseradish.