At a glance: - Author: Thomas Rockwell - First Published: 1973 -
Type of Work: Juvenile fiction - Genres: Long fiction,
Children's literature - Subjects: Children, Wit or humor, Boys,
Worms Billy, the protagonist of this story, proves himself equal
to the challenge of eating fifteen worms in fifteen days by
devising a variety of dishes to disguise their taste. Thomas
Rockwell’s graphic descriptions of these dishes is humor of a
type that appeals to middle-graders, but it alarmed some parents
and adult library users. Parents complained of the book’s
violence and vulgarity. For example, a Middletown, New Jersey,
parent tried to have the book banned from a local library in
1988. This attempt failed; however, the book was removed from
the Livelle Elementary School library in La Paz, Indiana, in
1991, after a library patron complained the book used the word
“bastard.” Did this raise a question for you?