How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell

In place of the original story are bits and pieces borrowed from other sources, notably previous Walden releases. Yet Dolman’s version, which relocates the story to contemporary suburbia, jettisons nearly everything about the book except for a few character names and the gross-out subject matter. The story is on the light side, and needed to be fleshed out to make a feature film. With the stakes so high, sportsmanship takes some increasingly hard knocks as the drama progresses, but in the end fair is fair, and everything is worked out. Also, he doesn’t have to eat them all on the same day - a worm a day for fifteen days.

Alan and his friend Joe can supply the worms, but Billy and Tom get to prepare them any way they want - boiled, stewed, fried, fricasseed - and Billy can eat them with as much ketchup, mustard, horseradish or whatever else he wants. Can Billy, who boasts that he wouldn’t quail at a few bites of anything, eat fifteen worms in fifteen days?Ī fair wager between equal parties, there are rules proposed to and agreed upon by both sides. The book, as picturesque an evocation of 1950s rural American boyhood as one would expect from the son of Norman Rockwell, begins with a silly debate that turns into a fifty-dollar bet between big-talking Billy and argumentative Alan. Fried Worms is a melancholy new landmark, their first bad film from a good book. Their last film, Hoot, was a poor adaptation of an admittedly flawed novel by Carl Hiaasen. Billy buys George Cunningham’s minibike and rides it all around.The film marks a new low for once-promising Walden Media, which still professes to be education-oriented and once espoused a commitment to faithful adaptations of quality children’s literature.

MaryellenĦ Summary of the book Billy and Alan make a bet that Billy has to eat 15 worms in 15 days. –Ana My brother found a worm and chased me around the yard with it. They were trying to get Billy to drop out.ĥ Connections we made as we read the book The letter that Alan and Joe was typed on a typewriter. What is the boys’ names? Does Billy really eat worms? Who wins the bet? Is Billy going to drop out of the bet? How many worms does he have to eat?Ĥ Inferences we made while we read the book If Billy wins, Alan has to fork over $50, and back then, it was A LOT of money. Themes Determination Friendship Plot Billy makes a bet with Alan to eat 15 worms in 15 days. Tom- Billy’s witness, has an “eagle eye.” Joe- Alan’s witness, has glasses Setting Billy’s house. Power Point By: Ana Argyros and Maryellen BrownĢ Story Elements Characters Setting Themes Plotīilly- Determined, smart. 1 How To Eat Fried Worms By: Thomas Rockwell

How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell