Go Eat Worms! (Goosebumps #21)

This is quite possibly the worst Goosebumps book.

That's right. It's worse than [b: Why I'm Afraid of Bees|125583|Why I'm Afraid of Bees (Goosebumps, #17)|R.L. Stine|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328866712s/125583.jpg|120948], and even [b: Piano Lessons Can Be Murder|125560|Piano Lessons Can Be Murder (Goosebumps, #13)|R.L. Stine|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328868218s/125560.jpg|1733997] which is a feat in itself. While this book might have been salvageable if it went the Tremors route and played with the evil giant worm they hinted at throughout the text... it didn't. No, it just had vaguely evil worms in it.

I guess this was meant to play on the gross-out factor of worms, but instead it was just downright ridiculous and show more painfully silly. Maybe this book would scare a younger audience, but they'd have to be pretty darn young. show less

This was a short read. I honestly don't mind worms, especially after it rains. However, this book is going to have me avoid the buggers for a while.

Pre-teen Todd is obsessed with worms. He has a worm house in his basement and when it rains he digs for worms along with his only friend Danny. After Todd (who is a jerk) goes around torturing his sister by throwing worms on her and putting them in her food. After a disastrous science fair, Todd starts to think the worms are turning on him after he maliciously cuts one in half and notices the other worms staring at him.

Todd sucked. I actually was pretty happy with the ending, because the kid was dancing near almost a psychopath. I'm still wondering how his parents didn't slap the mess out show more of him. I really felt for his sister Regina who kept having to deal with his "pranks" and him getting away with things. When Todd started to unravel it seemed like he was going to learn his lesson, but not so much.

When Todd tries to solve hr mystery of why worms are appearing all around him you start to feel a bit sorry for him, but of course that gets negated because he is seriously a jerk.

I thought the writing was okay. An easy book for a kid to read (I say age 9 and up) since I didn't think it was that scary. I'm grading this on a kid scale so am not going to jump too hard on Stine for the super quick and random ending. Also the ending reminded me of a book I read as a kid where a collector had the tables turned on him as well.

The flow was meh. Probably because the book focuses on the science fair competition and it made it out to be this big thing and it kind of fizzled in the end. Also once again Todd gets away with something that I'm surprised didn't get him grounded.

The setting of Ohio I recall intrigued me as a kid, because it felt so far away to me. This was around the same time when Eerie, Indiana was on and that show scared the life out of me so Goosebumps and that show were good companions. show less

## Homework was never this gross before!

Go Eat Worms! toes a line somewhere between comedy and horror. Following the science fair fad in '90s kids stories, this is a story about a young student obsessed with science! Todd Barstow is really into worms, and dreams of being an entomologist. His school's putting on a science fair, and Todd's worm-home project is his ticket to winning the grand prize: A brand new PC!

[N.B. This review includes images, and was formatted for my site, dendrobibliography -- located here.]

The conflict in this yarn comes from Todd's sibling rivalry. He and his sister, Regina, play vicious pranks on one another. While sabotaging his sister's project, Todd is starting to think his mistreatment of worms for the show more worm-home project is having consequences: Even without eyes, it's clear these worms are starting to look at him funny -- even angrily. Not only that, but whenever he works on his worm collection, there's an earthquake. A very small earthquake, and no one believes him.

Things are odd in this story, and it's up to Todd and his best friend Danny to figure out if it's all an elaborate prank by Regina, or if the worms really are out for revenge. Todd's obsession with worms seemed off-putting at first, but then, when I was his age I was rabid over frogs and toads. It's a silly story, and the horror elements are muted in contrast to the characterization between these siblings and their classmates. Not a bad Goosebumps yarn, but it's very much a lighter entry.

R.L. Stine's Goosebumps (1992–1997):
#20 The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight | #22 Ghost Beach show less

One of my goals as a reader is to read all of the Goosebumps books. I was obsessed with these books as a kid and read them so many times that I'm surprised I don't have them memorized. I picked this one up at a local used book sale and decided it was time I jump back into my childhood obsession.

This book is more creepy than scary. The last couple pages get scary, but overall I see this more as a thriller than a horror book. Which is totally okay! Not every book in the Goosebumps series will scare you silly!

Go Eat Worms follows some science projects gone wrong with worms and creepy critters, oh my! You'll be frustrated at trying to figure out who's trying our lead insane, but don't worry... It'll only get more annoying and creepier. show more Also, it's key to remember that revenge is a great dish. This book is full of revenge.

Overall, this book was a fun ride! I forgot about this one. It's definitely not my favourite book but it's a solid read. It's one of the weaker Goosebumps though, so maybe don't start with this one.

Two out of five stars. show less

I genuinely enjoyed this book. It was amusing and fun to read. One thing though is that Todd is a little messed up in the head.

I genuinely enjoyed this book. It was amusing and fun to read. One thing though is that Todd is a little messed up in the head.

I genuinely enjoyed this book. It was amusing and fun to read. One thing though is that Todd is a little messed up in the head.