Billy, Alan, Joe and Tom have been best mates for years.

Everyone knows Billy will do pretty much anything he is dared to do. So when Alan dares him to eat worms, Billy bites! Especially since $50 is on the table. It’s 1973 and 50 bucks is a LOT of money!

15 Worms over 15 days. Can be smothered in sauce, mustard, relish or anything Billy wants. Can be cooked – boiled, baked or fried.

At the first worm Billy is suddenly not so sure, but he wants to win the bet, and not look like a chicken. If he baulks now, Alan will tell everyone at school he’s all talk and no do.

The 1st worm is down. The next few are harder as Billy cannot stop thinking about what he’s actually doing. After all, the worms Alan is serving up aren’t small worms – they are long, thick night crawlers which surface from the ground at night .

Tom is Billy’s ‘bet buddy’ and does all he can to help Billy get his head around eating the worms. He’s thinking of the cool mini motorbike Billy plans to buy with his winnings.

The more days pass and the more worms Billy eats, the more panicked Alan gets. How is he going to tell his dad he has to pay Alan $50 for a lost bet? He and his bet buddy Joe begin to plot ways to stop Billy winning.

Billy not only has to keep eating these giant worms, but be wary of all the ways they are throwing at him to make him lose.

Deemed an American Modern Classic there is varied reviews on this book. It was even banned for a while because eating worms wasn’t to be suggested and the boy’s bet is glorifying gambling.

I really enjoyed the story myself. It’s 1973 – kids found their own entertainment, and boys daring each other to do dumb stuff is as old as time. As for the gambling, I think all the boys learn something along the way, and their parents know what’s going on.

A bet is a bet, and it must be honoured. A doctor’s advice is sought (at a horrendous time of night) to make sure eating worms isn’t dangerous.

 The rising tension between the boys and their 2nd’s is funny and the attempts to win even funnier.

A great read for all, especially boys.

Author – Thomas Rockwell

Age – 8+

Past covers of this American Classic

(2014, Hachette, Funny, Boys, Friendship, Growing up, Dare, Bet, Worms, Cunning, Family, Tricks, Trickery, Regret, Betting, US classic, Banned Book, Gambling, Historical, 1973, Peer pressure)