Why is Thomas Rockwell's children's book "How to Eat Fried Worms" one of the 100 most frequently banned books in school libraries?

First published in 1973, 'How to Eat Fried Worms' is about a 10 year old boy facing the most revolting bet of his life. Billy must eat 15 worms in 15 days, the reward being $50 for a new minibike. Billy's friends cook up the worms in a variety of ways, drenched in ketchup and mustard, fried in butter and cornmeal, and the pièce de résistance, a Whizband Worm Delight, an ice-cream worm cake.

The novel was banned for two primary reasons, each of which raised a great deal of concern in front of many school boards in the 1990s.

First, the book encouraged children to partake in socially unacceptable activities. In this book, the activity is eating worms, which is perceived as being disgusting and not socially acceptable. Thus, concerned parents argued that this book encourages such disgusting antisocial behavior.

Second, the book encouraged children to bet on things, or in essence gamble. Since gambling is perceived as an activity of low morals and also presents the risk for great economic loss, it was felt that impressionable children could begin to fall down the slippery slope of gambling because of this book.