Editorial Content for Finding the Worm

Julian Twerski figures something has gone horribly wrong when the entire 34^th avenue gang --- Lonni, Eric, Beverly, Howard, Shlomo and himself --- are called down to the school counselor’s office in the middle of morning. Miss Medina informs them that their friend Quentin --- who has been in and out of the hospital for the past month --- has a cancerous brain tumor and that they need to support him during this difficult time. This wasn’t exactly the news Julian wanted to hear. He has his bar mitzvah in the next couple of months, is in the fast track at school and just wants Quentin to be fine so things can remain as normal as possible.

Except, what is “normal” anyway?  Would normal be Julian being accused of defacing artwork and being forced to accept blame and write the principal an essay as punishment? Would normal be the girl you kind of like constantly asking to race against you in front of all your friends? If there is one thing Julian does know, however, normal certainly wouldn’t be his friend Quentin possibly dying from a brain tumor. Julian is convinced Quentin will pull through despite the fact that his new “normal” is fraught with uncertainty.

FINDING THE WORM gets at the heart of true happiness.  

What unfolds is coming-of-age story from author Mark Goldblatt, the author of TWERP, inspired by his own childhood. Julian constantly finds himself in situations where he needs to appease other people to keep his life on track, such as in the aforementioned ruined painting scenario and Beverly’s constant desire to race him. Will Julian ever make the principal happy and manage to stay ahead in school?  Should Julian actually run like normal and show how much faster he is than her, or should he just let her win?

Most importantly, what should Julian do about Quentin? Julian can’t act like the rest of his friends and just pretend that everything is normal and that Quentin will make a full recovery. And seeking help from Rabbi Salzberg isn’t exactly the best idea, since the two of them usually argue about heaven, religion and how to best respond to difficult news. When you’re young, life is supposed to be carefree and easy. Except, as Julian is discovering each day, life is actually full of impossible situations and it’s not always easy to  make the best of everything life throws at you.

FINDING THE WORM serves as a companion novel to TWERP, but it’s not necessary to read TWERP to get swept up in this emotional story of friendship, making sense of difficulty and, ultimately, loss. While it’s sometimes easier to read stories that have happy endings, I find that the most powerful stories are the ones that are the most real. I also believe that the truest form of happiness is the kind you get amid, and because of, difficulties, and FINDING THE WORM gets at the heart of true happiness.