We're head first into the twenties, one of the more unique eras of the Goosebumps series. And we're starting with a book that can definitely be called unique. That's probably the nicest thing I can say about it. Who knows, maybe I'll find more nice things to say as we cover Go Eat Worms!
GO EAT WORMS!
RELEASE MONTH: JULY 1994
FRONT TAGLINE: Homework was never this gross before!
COVER STORY
This cover is okay. I do like the look of the worms and how they're just crawling around the notebook, some even bursting through it. If you needed reminding that this book is about worms, you got it. Although, it's an odd choice. You'd think for a book called Go Eat Worms, that the cover would be worms in food. Either that was considered too gross at the time, or I'm guessing the title was late in book development. Late even to Tim's completion of the artwork. Regardless, it's an effective enough cover, just not scary in the least.
THEY'RE CREEPY AND THEY'RE CRAWLY - THEY'RE TOTALLY DISGUSTING!
Obsessed with worms? That's putting it mildly. Todd is so fascinated with worms, he keeps a worm farm in his basement. Most of all, Todd loves torturing his sister and her best friend with worms. Dripping them in her hair. Down their backs.
Until one day, after cutting a worm in half, Todd notices something strange. The rest of the worms seem to be staring at him! Suddenly worms show up in the worst places for Todd. In his bed. In his homework. Even in his spaghetti!
What's a worm lover to do when his own worms are starting to gross him out?
STORY
Todd Barstow is our protagonist, for lack of a better term. He's a big fan of worms. Like, obsessed in a manner that should be actually concerning. He studies them, keeps a worm farm inside a giant tank, likes to use them to scare his sister Regina and her friend Beth. And sometimes it's just crap like dropping worms in their hair, and other times it's putting worms in her soup or down her back. So, just in case you were following a likable protagonist, well look elsewhere because Todd kinda sucks.
He's also really focused on winning the science fair where all of his worm obsession will pay off. While picking worms with his friend Danny Fletcher, he feels the ground shake, but doesn't think much of it. Earthquakes aren't his thing, worms are. He's not the only one competing in the science fair either as Regina and Beth have a giant papier-mâché bird named "Christopher Robin". But giant bird models aren't the only cause for concern as Patrick MacKay is also competing in the science fair and also using worms. This makes Todd super angry, for only he can do a science project on worms. He gets Patrick's address from Regina. But when Todd and Danny head to the location, they get chased by a giant dog. When they evade the dog, they look inside the house, but only see a dummy from a Halloween party. Regina led them to the wrong address as revenge for, you know, Todd sucking so much.
Cut to the science fair. Todd has sabotaged Regina and Beth's project as revenge for the wild goose chase. But unfortunately for him, he has to share his table with Patrick. So, what's Todd's big science project, the one in which his worm studies will surely win him a sweet 1994 computer? A worm house. A house where worms live. That's really it. Not that Patrick's is any better, a worm skyscraper. Also, there was another project that involved real acid, so this is one hardcore science fair. Meanwhile, when Regina and Beth open the beak of Christopher Robin, worms fall out. Todd at least wins there because surprise surprise, worm housing isn't exactly science fair winning material, so neither he nor Patrick win, furthering the proof that Todd sucks.
Todd shrugs off his loss and continues his worm obsession, even dissecting a worm in front of Regina. Although, Todd looks at his worm farm and thinks he sees the worms looking at him, like he just committed a cardinal sin. Now, suddenly, he has worms everywhere. He puts on his Oakland Raiders cap (well this book's even more dated now) only for it to be filled with worms. And now we get to the "go eat" part of the book as Todd sees worms in his cereal and his sandwich. No spaghetti though, so the back blurb lies. He thinks that Patrick's involved, but instead Patrick tells him he's more focused on art, and shows a comic of Todd as "Worm Boy", which gets him mocked by the other kids because, you know, Todd sucks.
Todd then blames Regina, but she says she has nothing to do with it. When he goes to sleep, Todd suddenly sees worms in his bed. Then we get the only bright spot of this book honestly and that's the nightmare sequence. Todd takes a bath, but has this weird hallucination that when he turns on the faucet, worms pour out and he gets drowned by worms. Okay, it took a while, but an actual creepy scenario in this really mediocre book. Good work Bob. Everyone's sick of Todd having the worms, particularly his parents who tell him to get rid of them. As he does so, he overhears Regina and Beth confirming his suspicions. They were the ones who were putting worms everywhere as revenge for Todd sucking so damn much.
Todd plans a worm-filled revenge to get back at them. He heads to the schoolgrounds to pick more, when suddenly a giant worm rises from the ground and attacks him. Todd struggles to get free, but is about to be dragged down. Suddenly, Regina and Beth show up with Christopher Robin, which scares the worm off. They never saw the giant worm attacking Todd though, so they just think he's just making up things once again on account that, and I've hammered this down the entire recap but Todd really, really sucks.
TWIST ENDING
This whole affair does get Todd off his worm kick once and for all. But of you think that means he's done bugging bugs, guess again. He's now taken up the hobby of butterfly collecting, pinning them on to boards and whatnot. One night however, a giant butterfly enters Todd's room holding a giant pin. Todd wonders what it's going to do with that pin. So, I guess Ohio is home to gigantic bugs or something, what? Todd sucks, and so does this book.
CONCLUSION
I'll level with you. I rushed this one out. I skimmed through the book again, but didn't spend much time with it. Reason being that in the end, it doesn't really do anything to change my opinion. In fact, I feel it's gotten worse over time. Todd is an unlikable protagonist. Maybe that's the point, but like Eddie from You Can't Scare Me! it doesn't make me want to spend 120+ pages with him. He never has a moment of growth or any moment where he feels redeemable for his actions. He's a bratty kid with an obsession that borders on psychotic. The worm stuff seems endearing at first, but as things go on, you just really end up hating this kid. And while I'm not for kids being picked on, given everything he's done and how he treats others, him being ostracized for all this kind of serves him right. And even when the worm stuff backfires on him, he just continues to be bug obsessed and gets even worse about it when he starts butterfly collecting. There really is never a moment where this kid does not suck.
The pacing for the book is fine, it moves quickly regardless of the lame story within, but that doesn't save it. Scares are almost nonexistent save for the weird bathtub part. The only others being cheap gross out bits like the worms in the food. And the twist is stupid. So stupid that the episode changed it entirely to Todd becoming obsessed with fish and being dragged into the water. Now that's at least entertaining. The more I think about this story, the more I think Stine should have held off on it and saved the idea for when the short stories began. It could have been tolerable as a story from a Tales to Give You Goosebumps book. Stretched out, it doesn't work as well as you'd hope because it means more time spent with a character you can't like.
And I think Stine knows that too. He's mentioned in interviews that this is one of his least favorites. I can see why with just how nothing about it seems to have that gusto that comes when he actually tries. So what we have is a book that has that feel of a deadline book, one that is written just to make sure we have our one a month. I think it's not a total disaster, but it definitely could have worked if given time to build. Make Todd interested in worms, but not a total brat of a kid. Maybe have him be interested, but he goes too far by dissecting a worm. Not by his own choice, but as a school project. Then have the issue being that he thinks the worms have turned on him, literally. The issue could be more Todd's guilt over killing the worm which makes him think they're infiltrating everything. You could still have Regina be the culprit in the end, and even have the whole giant worm ending, but at least it wouldn't make Todd suck that much. In the end, this book is pretty weak. Far from the worst I've read, but one I don't feel the need to come back to ever again. And I don't think this book can worm it's way out of it.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.