76 pages 2 hours read

Thomas Rockwell

How To Eat Fried Worms

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1973

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Chapters 31-41Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 31 Summary: “The Letter”

While Billy prepares the next worm in his kitchen, Emily walks in and announces that he and his mom got a letter. Billy reads a note from Dr. McGrath that says he has learned that common earthworms sometimes secrete a substance that can cause double vision, paralysis, and death.

Chapter 32 Summary: “Croak”

Mr. Forrester comes home, reads the letter, notices the many typos and bad spelling, and notes to his son that it’s a forgery. 

Chapter 33 Summary: “The Fourteenth Worm”

Billy’s father points out that “fulmar” isn’t a body region but a seabird. Tom asks him if Joe and Alan can be arrested for committing mail fraud.