How to Eat Fried Worms

One of the first "chapter books" we read as a novel study in elementary school was How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell.  It's a book about a kid who must eat 15 worms in 15 days to win a bet for 50 bucks.  I quite enjoyed the book in grade 3 but didn't really think much about it ever again until 2006 when I saw a movie of the book was being made.  I never saw the movie and I don't think it did too well at the box office (I don't know if it's still a common grade 3 novel study) but recently I saw it being advertised to be shown on Family Channel (yes I sometimes watch Family Channel...) and watched it... alone on Friday night... but that's beside the point...

Anyway I have to say, I really enjoyed it.  I know it's a kids' movie, targeted at elementary school boys, but it made me happy.  They changed it quite a bit from the book as far as I can remember (10 worms in one day, made it a bit more about overcoming bullying I think), but I really liked it because it was one of those movies that made me remember how much fun it was to be that age.  No weekend commitments, just running around the neighbourhood with your friends getting into trouble.

It was just a sweet, 100% wholesome and kid-appropriate, feel-good movie that I don't think there are too many of these days.  I like movies like that.  When I was a kid, the actual target age for watching these types of movies, other kids made fun of me for not watching "grownup" movies so I was embarrassed to admit what my favourite movies were.  Funny how 15 or so years later there are less people in my life who would make fun of me for watching kids' movies!