The Mealworm Diaries

By Anna Kerz

Mealworms are small creatures that live in dark secret places. Jeremy is a bit like that when he leaves his home in rural Nova Scotia and moves to Toronto with his mother. Lots of things keep him from enjoying his new life, but the worst is his science partner, Aaron, who is more annoying than sand in a bathing suit. Jeremy is also burdened by the secret he carries about the motorcycle accident that injured him and killed his father. Although Jeremy is haunted by his past, he starts to feel at home in Toronto when he realizes he has some skills he can share with his classmates. And when his mealworm project yields some surprising results, Jeremy is finally able to talk about his part in the fatal accident.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
• Release date: Apr 1, 2009
• ISBN: 9781554695072

Anna Kerz

Anna Kerz's first book, The Mealworm Diaries, was shortlisted for many awards, including a Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award. In her spare time, she tells stories to audiences of all ages and teaches students how to tell stories of their own. She lives in Scarborough, Ontario, with her husband, Frank, and their dog, Bailey.

Book preview

THE

MEALWORM

DIARIES

ANNA KERZ

ORCA BOOK PUBLISHERS

Copyright © 2009 Anna Kerz

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Kerz, Anna, 1947-

The mealworm diaries / written by Anna Kerz.

ISBN 978-1-55143-982-2

I. Title.

PS8621.E79M43 2009     jC813'.6     C2008-907305-3

Summary: Loss, grief and an annoying classmate

make Jeremy’s adjustment to life in a new city

particularly difficult.

First published in the United States, 2009

Library of Congress Control Number: 2008940977

Orca Book Publishers gratefully acknowledges the support for its publishing programs provided by the following agencies: the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program and the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.

Design by Teresa Bubela

Drawings and hand lettering by Bruce Collins

Cover photography by Dreamstime

Typeset by Bruce Collins

Author photo by Frank Kerz

Orca Book Publishers

PO Box 5626, Stn. B

Victoria, BC Canada

V8R 6S4

Orca Book Publishers

PO Box 468

Custer, WA USA

98240-0468

www.orcabook.com

Printed and bound in Canada.

Printed on 100% PCW recycled paper.

12 11 10 09 • 4 3 2 1

To my students,

for making the workweek feel too short,

and to my family and all my friends

who kept saying Yes, you can.

Contents

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

SEVENTEEN

EIGHTEEN

NINETEEN

TWENTY

TWENTY – ONE

TWENTY – TWO

TWENTY – THREE

TWENTY – FOUR

TWENTY – FIVE

TWENTY – SIX

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ONE

Jeremy gasped, his throat tight with the need to scream, as blood splattered his face and icy water washed over his body. His arms and legs thrashed as he struggled to escape. Then, gasping for air, he bolted into a sitting position. The room was dark, his bed soaked with sweat and…He groaned. No. Not again.

He knew he had to get up, change his pajamas and pull off the wet sheets before they got cold. He knew, but he wanted so much to slip back to the happy moment, the one that came before the bad part of the dream. He closed his eyes, reaching for it. There had been sunshine and wind from the sea, the smell of gas and leather, the sound of an engine roaring…and something… something else.

The hallway light sliced across his face, cutting off the dream images.

Are you wet? His mother’s voice: soft, tired.

He squinted. Yeah, he said.

He heard her cross the room and open a drawer. Something landed on his bed. Clean pajamas.

Wash up and change. I’ll take care of the sheets. She was already pulling off the quilt.

Jeremy slid out of bed and duck-walked to the bathroom, his flannel hockey pajamas dangling wet and heavy between his legs. When he came back, the sheets lay bundled by the door. He dropped his pajamas on top, walked over and climbed into bed.

Same dream? she asked, settling down beside him.

He nodded. Was I screaming?

Just groaning a little. Do you want to tell me about it? He heard the worry in her voice.

I don’t even remember, he said as he crossed his arms on his chest and tucked his hands into his armpits.

Something happen today? More of that worry. It was hiding behind the softness of her voice.

He shook his head, but when he looked up, he saw bracket lines form around her mouth. He couldn’t fool her. He sighed and dropped his hands into his lap.

Is it the new school? One of the kids? The teacher?

School’s okay. He began making accordion folds with the edge of his blanket.

She waited.

There’s this guy in our class, he finally offered. His name’s Aaron. The kids call him Aaron Cantwait.

What’s his real name?

I dunno. He talks a lot. You know. Can’t wait for his turn. He has to sit by himself at the front of the room.

Anybody else?

I kinda made friends with the guy beside me. His name’s Horace.

Horse?

Jeremy grimaced. Not horse. Hor-ace.

That’s not a name you hear a lot.

I guess. He’s Chinese. There’s kids from everywhere in this class.

Big cities are like that. Anybody else?

He shrugged. There was the girl who sat across from him. Karima, the nametag on her desk said. He had checked. And there was another boy, Tufan, who sat beside Karima in the fourth desk in their group. Tufan didn’t talk much in class, but he talked plenty in the schoolyard.

Left field, Shrimp, he had called to Jeremy when the boys set up teams at recess. Tufan was bigger than most of the kids in class, and he had that look that said he could be mean if he wanted to be.

Jeremy decided his mother didn’t need to know about Tufan or Karima yet. It was only the first day.

She nodded and he hoped she was done, but she went on. What about the teacher? Mr. Collins?

"He’s okay. He’s into science, big time. The whole room is filled with aquariums and things he calls vivariums. He has fish and turtles and a snake and a couple of frogs."

He looked young, his mother said. She reached out to push a strand of hair off his forehead.

He rides a bike—a bicycle, he hurried to clarify. Horace and I saw him when he was locking it to the rack in front of the school. And he has this cool helmet. All black with flames on the sides. Horace said he’s a dirt-bike racer.

His mother yawned, and that made Jeremy yawn too.

Are you sorry you came? she asked. ’Cause you know Nana and Grampa would take you in a flash.

I’m not sorry, he said quickly. I want to stay with you. He grabbed for her hand.

All right. She smiled. I hear you. Lie down now.

Jeremy stretched to give her a quick peck on the cheek before he slid under the quilt. His mother bent and kissed his forehead.

Mom? I’m sorry I woke you. I’m okay. Really.

She stroked his cheek, then his hair, and he closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of her fingers. Then she left, and he was alone, searching the dark behind his eyes, trying to find the filmy strands that might lead back to the happy part of his dream.

TWO

We’re going to start a new unit today, Mr. Collins said as he picked up a blue plastic dishpan. It’ll give you a chance to do some scientific investigations.

Is it gonna be a dishwashing unit? Is it a dishwashing unit? Aaron was bouncing up and down in his chair.

Mr. Collins ignored him and went on. As scientists, you will observe and record what you see in words and pictures.

You mean like with a camera? Can we use a camera? Same kid.

Not with a camera, Aaron, Mr. Collins said. Use your eyes and draw your own pictures.

What’re we gonna investigate? Aaron again.

"You might want to investigate the art of listening, Mr. Collins said. The rest of the class will study mealworms."

There were snickers. If Aaron heard, he didn’t seem to care; he kept moving. His legs jiggled. He tapped his pencil on his desk. He hummed. His head bopped from side to side as if he was hearing music.

Weird kid, Jeremy thought.

Karima raised her hand. Mr. Collins? What are mealworms?

Good question, Karima. Don’t let the name fool you. They’re worms, but they’re not long or wet or slimy like garden worms. These are tiny, cute, little fellows.

Karima’s nose wrinkled but she smiled, and Jeremy found himself studying the dimples that appeared in her cheeks.

They’re sold in pet shops as food for different kinds of reptiles, Mr. Collins went on. You’ll like them. He winked and Karima giggled. Then she turned to Jeremy, and he looked away, embarrassed to have been caught staring.

I’m going to come around and introduce each of you to your own mealworm, Mr. Collins said. Think of today as a ‘get to know you’ session. Choose a name for your mealworm, and while you’re at it, think about any investigations you might use to find out as much as you can about them. He raised his voice a little as he added, "Keep in mind

Reviews for The Mealworm Diaries

[yummyfishmeister · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I got this book from the Early Reviewers program and I'm glad I did! While not something I would have picked up on my own, I enjoyed The Mealworm Diaries much more than I expected to based on the synopsis and cover. I expected to read a boring, juvenile, and trite story written for third graders, but instead I found an insightful, interesting book that, while readable for third graders, still held my attention for the two hours or so it took to read it. While not my favorite book I've ever read, as it still retained a bit of that cutesy feel, I definitely enjoyed The Mealworm Diaries and I will probably recommend it to the younger people in my life.

[librarybrandy · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

After the death of his father, Jeremy and his mom move away from their home in rural Nova Scotia to live with an aunt in Toronto. Jeremy's adjusting to the move just fine--making friends, doing okay in school--but the memories (and guilt) about the accident that killed his father haunt him, particularly in his dreams. School is mostly okay, though--until he gets paired up with the most annoying boy in the class for the mealworm project. Aaron is such a pain and so hard to deal with that Jeremy almost can't help being mean to him, and that goes double when he finds out that Aaron considers Jeremy his best friend.

There's a lot of boy-appeal here, despite its tendency toward the sentimental. Themes of grief and loss, friendship, identity, and acceptance are all present and balanced against each other; no particular theme is superimposed too obviously over the others. While the author never talks down to children, her word choices are occasionally a little elderly. Still, a worthwhile book even just for not treating Jeremy's nightmare-induced bedwetting as shameful.

(Upper-elementary, maybe grades 4-6?)

[4sarad_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was really quick and easy to read, but just didn't wow me. I realize it's written for younger readers, but there was no excitement there. Even when you find out the big secret the main character was hiding, it just kind of came out. There wasn't a big lead up to it, there was this huge heart-wrenching scene... it just happened. It was a cute story and had good meaning behind it, but it just didn't do anything for me.

[thelittlebookworm · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Jeremy has a secret. When he and his mom moved to a new town so his mother can finish school, he carries his secret around with him, trying not to let it affect him except in his dreams, where he has no control. In science class, each student is assigned a meal worm to study and Jeremy ends up with not only a meal worm of his own, but with Aaron's too, the most hyperactive kid in the class. Through studying the meal worm and interacting with Aaron, Jeremy learns how to treat people when they are different and how to let go of his secret.This is one of the sweetest books I've read in a while. Jeremy is a typical boy, wanting to be cool and kind at the same time. I got a little teary at the end when Jeremy admits the secret he'd been carrying around about his father's death and was gratified by the ending. This is a good quick read with a lot of heart and very realistic characters.

[moonsoar_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I got a copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewer’s program. I’m really happy I did, because it might not have been something that would have immediately caught my eye in the bookstore with all the other childrens and YA books I have on my TBR list.The Mealworm Diaries is about Jeremy, a young boy who moves with his mother from Nova Scotia to Toronto after a horrible accident that kills Jeremy’s father. Starting any school is hard, but it’s especially hard for Jeremy who still hasn’t completely recovered from his father’s death. He was also involved in the accident – his leg isn’t completely healed from it, and he’s now suffering from nightmares. Things at school aren’t as bad as they could have been – Jeremy’s made a couple of friends, and there’s a cute girl he likes, but he’s been partnered with Aaron to study mealworms. And Jeremy thinks Aaron is one annoying kid – he is constantly bouncing around, has no attention span, and very few social skills. But soon Jeremy realizes that there is a lot more that he can learn from Aaron than he expected.I sat down with this book to dinner last night. I didn’t move from the table until two hours later when I finished the last page. I devoured this book, and enjoyed every second of it.It deals with some heavy issues, but does so in a way that is very relatable. It doesn’t make a big deal out of these issues, just treats them like everyday, normal things. Which is awesome. For example, Aaron – his mother had cancer, and was given radiation treatment before doctors realized she was pregnant with Aaron. The radiation DID have a huge effect on Aaron, and he has some disabilities as a result. While this is evident, it’s not something that is outright spoken about. It goes into kids picking on other kids with disabilities because they don’t know what’s going on, and does it in a way that lets the reader know that it’s not a cool thing to do without sounding preachy. Other tough subjects it mentions include bed wetting and the recent death of a parent. But, as I said, it was done in an awesome way that kids will be able to understand and relate to, even if they didn’t go through those situations themselves.But it wasn’t just a book that talked about serious stuff – I actually care for the characters as well, and what they were going through, and was impressed that (even though these heavier topics were covered) it was such a light, easy and entertaining read.Does anyone know, has Anna Kerz written other books? Her bio in the back of the book just mentions that this was her first book with Orca Book Publishers, and I can’t find any info of her online. If she has written more stuff, I want to read it… if she hasn’t, then I’ll definitely be keeping my eye out for her in the future.I definitely recommend this book. It was thoroughly enjoyable and it will be something I will, no doubt, return to.

[curioussquared · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I got this book from the Early Reviewers program and I'm glad I did! While not something I would have picked up on my own, I enjoyed The Mealworm Diaries much more than I expected to based on the synopsis and cover. I expected to read a boring, juvenile, and trite story written for third graders, but instead I found an insightful, interesting book that, while readable for third graders, still held my attention for the two hours or so it took to read it. While not my favorite book I've ever read, as it still retained a bit of that cutesy feel, I definitely enjoyed The Mealworm Diaries and I will probably recommend it to the younger people in my life.

[mrsbond_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Jeremy's life is in massive upheaval: father dies in a terrible motorcycle accident, Jeremy is hurt in that same accident, dog is missing, he and his mother move from the farm to the city, and new teacher pairs him with the most annoying kid in school (who has ADD?). Through this drama Jeremy adjusts, growing to love his new home and even like that annoying kid. The story is interesting but not exciting, the mood and tempo were consistent on each page.

[sunnysd_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A move from rural Nova Scotia to the big city of Toronto puts Jeremy in a new classroom, but it can't stop the nightmares that wake him wet and terrified most nights. He likes the new school well enough, but the secret he's hiding weighs on him. He isn't happy to be partnered with the hyperactive Aaron for a science class project on mealworms. Aaron can't even take responsibility for his own mealworm - how is he supposed to make a good partner?A realistic story about grieving, guilt, the nature of friendship and second chances, it's well written and short enough to make it appeal to reluctant readers. Strong and readable, with no objectionable subject matter.