How To Eat Fried Worms

Why is Billy mad at Tom for refusing to eat a worm? Offer two reasons, and explain how they might affect the outcome of the bet.

Billy at first is afraid that eating worms will harm him, but later he eats them with confidence. What changes his attitude? What do Alan and Joe do to try to rekindle Billy’s fear?

Briefly describe two ways in which Billy’s mother and father help him win the bet. What does their assistance imply about their parenting style?

Billy has a weakness for junk food. How do Alan and Joe try to exploit that weakness? Why does it fail?

Is it cheating for Alan and Joe to try to trick Billy out of winning a bet, or is it Billy’s responsibility to be careful when listening to the other team? Defend your conclusion.

Mr. Phelps punishes Alan when Tom and Billy wake up the neighborhood, and Mr. Forrester punishes Billy when Alan tries to break into the Forrester cistern. Why does the author choose these moments to have adults intervene? What other moments in the novel warrant adult intervention?

Study the letter in Chapter 31. List three things in it that prove it’s a fake, and explain why each instance shows it wasn’t written by a doctor.

After winning the bet, Billy finds he can’t stop eating worms. Suggest two reasons why Billy might now have this habit.