Cover of How to Eat Fried Worms

How to Eat Fried Worms

by Thomas Rockwell

Among the most widely assigned — 6 curriculum lists · 6 states

#68 most-assigned book in America — on school reading lists in 6 states (2026-07-13 study of 13,258 assignments).

On reading-award lists:Iowa Children's Choice Award (ICCA)Nēnē Award (Hawai'i)Mark Twain Readers AwardOklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award+2 more

How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell is assigned in US schools at grades 3–6. It appears across 6 curriculum references and 6 states, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.

This page shows where How to Eat Fried Worms is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.

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Grade range
Grades 3–6
Age range
Ages 8–11
Pages
116
Reading time
about 2h 10m (est.)
First published
1973
Genre
Humor
ISBN-13
9781843622062

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade

More formats & details

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About this book

Thomas Rockwell's 1973 comic favorite turns on a simple bet: Billy wagers fifty dollars that he can eat fifteen worms in fifteen days. As his friends scheme to make him lose and Billy invents ever-more-creative ways to get the worms down, the dare escalates into a battle of wills that has made generations of readers groan and laugh.

Similar grade-level books

See all books like How to Eat Fried Worms→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This Humor title, typically at grades 3–6. Written in the 1970s; pairs with curriculum units on humor and friendship; cited across 6 curriculum frameworks.

Themes

humor · friendship · school · courage

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is How to Eat Fried Worms?
How to Eat Fried Worms is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 3–6. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
How long does it take to read How to Eat Fried Worms?
It takes about 2h 10m to read How to Eat Fried Worms (116 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 130 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign How to Eat Fried Worms?
How to Eat Fried Worms appears on reading lists for Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award, Iowa Children's Choice Award (ICCA), Mark Twain Readers Award, and 3 others. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is How to Eat Fried Worms banned in schools?
How to Eat Fried Worms does not appear in PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. No documented multi-district removals on record, but individual districts may challenge titles locally.
What themes does How to Eat Fried Worms explore?
Central themes in How to Eat Fried Worms include humor, friendship, school, courage. These themes match how the book is discussed in most curriculum guides and AP Literature prompts.

Why this book is on this list

How we classify

Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.

Lexile measure
Not classified — this book has no published Lexile measure.
Grade band
Grades 3–6 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 6 curricula on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence
Cited in 6 states ELA frameworks or DOE list (see citations above).
Removal / banning records
No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
Seasonal / contextual tags
Tagged for: book-club.

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