It has been the frequent target of censors and appears on the American Library Association's list of most commonly challenged books in the United States of 1990–2000 at number 96.

Alan bets his friend Billy that he can't eat 15 worms in 15 days.

Billy, who needs money to buy a minibike, agrees to the bet only if Alan will pay him US$50 (equivalent to $340 in 2023) for the win.

They search for worms near Billy's family farm and come up with a handful of night crawler earthworms the size of large pencils.

As Billy nears victory, he faces a flurry of nasty tricks and traps that go wildly out of control.