Friendship

In Thomas Rockwell's “How to Eat Fried Worms,” the friendship between Billy, Alan, Tom, and Joe is severely tested and almost broken over a bet, but ultimately stays intact.

When the novel begins, Billy, Alan, Joe, and Tom are close friends. They do everything they can together, such as trying to steal peaches from Old Man Tator’s orchard. Indeed, Billy and Alan seem especially close as friends, for they appear at Tom’s house together at the start of the novel. It is Alan who first suggests the bet about eating worms after Billy reveals he will eat just about anything. With $50 on the line, and the chance to purchase a minibike, Billy accepts.

Over the next two weeks, the friendship between all four boys takes a backseat to the bet. Alan and Billy are both determined to win the bet no matter what, but...