re: #186 HappyWarrior

I was really surprised to see How To Eat Fried Worms was among the most heavily challenged books. I also did not know that the author was Norman Rockwell’s son. I just remember that being a fun book. Real silly IIRC.

When my mother was an elementary school librarian and did book readings to classes she read this book to the 5th graders every year. And at the time that the end of the book was being done she would also bring in worm cake*. Along with an identical cake with no worms. It was optional to take a piece from either cake.

She also offered it up in the teacher’s lounge. The male teachers generally refused to eat it.

* - Prepped nightcrawlers** baked into one of those small Betty Crocker semi-instant banana-walnut cakes. Pretty hard to identify what was worm and what was not.

** - My brother caught and sold nightcrawlers for bait so a supply was on-hand most of the spring and summer. A dozen or so would be moved to a coffee can full of cornmeal. Castings would be removed off the surface every day. After a week the worm is pretty much full of cornmeal instead of dirt. Boiled for a few minutes to strip off the mucus coat, then baked to dry them out. Could them be chopped up and added to the batter. Just a crunchy protein bit at that point.