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Chocolate-Covered Ants
When Max's little brother, Adam, gets an ant colony for his birthday, suddenly he is a big authority on ants, and Max is determined to bring Adam down a few pegs. Reprint.
103 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
5 people are currently reading
87 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Manes
34 books24 followersStephen Manes (born 1949) wrote the "Digital Tools" column that appeared in every issue of Forbes until recently when he took a break. He is expected to return in the future. He is also co-host and co-executive editor of the public television series "PC World's Digital Duo," a program he helped create.
Manes was previously the Personal Computers columnist for the Science Times section of The New York Times and a regular columnist for InformationWeek. He has been on the technology beat since 1982 as a columnist and contributing editor for PC Magazine, PC/Computing, PC Sources, PCjr, and Netguide. The now defunct Marketing Computers named him one of the four most influential writers about the computer industry and called him "a strong critical voice."
From April 1995 to December 2008, he also wrote the "Full Disclosure" column, anchoring the back page of PC World.
Manes is coauthor of the best-selling and definitive biography Gates: How Microsoft's Mogul Reinvented an Industry--and Made Himself the Richest Man in America. He also wrote The Complete MCI Mail Handbook and programmed much of the Starfixer and UnderGround WordStar software packages.
Manes is also the author of more than 30 books for children and young adults, including the Publishers Weekly bestseller Make Four Million Dollars by Next Thursday! and the award-winning Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days!, which was adapted for the public television series Wonderworks. His books include the cult favorites Chicken Trek and The Obnoxious Jerks and have won a commendation from the National Science Foundation, International Reading Association Children's Choice awards, and kid-voted awards in five states. His writing credits also include television programs produced by ABC Television and KCET/Los Angeles and the 70s classic 20th Century-Fox movie Mother, Jugs & Speed.
Manes is currently serving his fourth term as an elected member of the National Council of the Authors Guild, the country's oldest organization of book authors. Born and raised in the hills of Pittsburgh, he now lives in hillier Seattle.
Manes was previously the Personal Computers columnist for the Science Times section of The New York Times and a regular columnist for InformationWeek. He has been on the technology beat since 1982 as a columnist and contributing editor for PC Magazine, PC/Computing, PC Sources, PCjr, and Netguide. The now defunct Marketing Computers named him one of the four most influential writers about the computer industry and called him "a strong critical voice."
From April 1995 to December 2008, he also wrote the "Full Disclosure" column, anchoring the back page of PC World.
Manes is coauthor of the best-selling and definitive biography Gates: How Microsoft's Mogul Reinvented an Industry--and Made Himself the Richest Man in America. He also wrote The Complete MCI Mail Handbook and programmed much of the Starfixer and UnderGround WordStar software packages.
Manes is also the author of more than 30 books for children and young adults, including the Publishers Weekly bestseller Make Four Million Dollars by Next Thursday! and the award-winning Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days!, which was adapted for the public television series Wonderworks. His books include the cult favorites Chicken Trek and The Obnoxious Jerks and have won a commendation from the National Science Foundation, International Reading Association Children's Choice awards, and kid-voted awards in five states. His writing credits also include television programs produced by ABC Television and KCET/Los Angeles and the 70s classic 20th Century-Fox movie Mother, Jugs & Speed.
Manes is currently serving his fourth term as an elected member of the National Council of the Authors Guild, the country's oldest organization of book authors. Born and raised in the hills of Pittsburgh, he now lives in hillier Seattle.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 20, 2021
Full disclosure: My daughter brought this home from her classroom library because it matched her reading level. (Teachers, please weed your classroom libraries. Books from 1990 need to go). I read the book with her each night before bed. Written in the era of Judy Blume and troublesome brothers, Chocolate-Covered Ants is the story of a bet gone bad. It’s an innocent story with lots of pranks, bugs, and puns, and although there was not much to the plot, we enjoyed a peek back at pre-teen life in the ‘90s.
September 10, 2021
Read it in 5th grade back in 1993ish 😅
My brother was in 4th grade and got it as a prize in our local library Reading Project (we lived in the U S. at the time).
I was disgusted by the name, hoped it was a joke and actual chocolate...
It was written good, I liked most of it but that small part there was too much for me in many ways...
I do think books from the past should be read by todays children. I read as a child books from 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and even 100 years before my time (and in 2 languages!) and loved them, so why shouldn't kids these days like it?
My brother was in 4th grade and got it as a prize in our local library Reading Project (we lived in the U S. at the time).
I was disgusted by the name, hoped it was a joke and actual chocolate...
It was written good, I liked most of it but that small part there was too much for me in many ways...
I do think books from the past should be read by todays children. I read as a child books from 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and even 100 years before my time (and in 2 languages!) and loved them, so why shouldn't kids these days like it?
June 19, 2020
My 9yr old boys liked this book. They could relate to the brothers and found the story so intriguing that they didn't want me to stop reading it. Both of them wanted it to end differently but they still gave it 4 stars.
September 4, 2021
My third grade son can’t stop talking about this book. I’m really glad it has captured his fancy. Yes, this is an old book. But I find that both of my kids like a mix of new and old books. We bring all sorts into our home library. We also have kids who read for pleasure daily.
June 25, 2017
I liked this book because I liked the part when max ate the ants. I also liked this book because I like mini homes.
Want to read
September 27, 2021I just wanna read the book, it was fun.
January 5, 2011
Imagine you’re opening a present for your birthday and you suddenly realize you got a bunch of ants for your present. According to Stephen Manes, this could happen.
The story begins when Adam got a craziest birthday gift, a bunch of ants! Adam decides to become an expert on insects. Adam’s older brother, Max, is determined to get the best of Adam and tell him that people really do eat chocolate covered-ants. But Adam still doesn’t believe Max, that’s how the two brothers start this horrible bet! What could the bet be? Would you believe that Max really made “chocolate covered-ants” and really ate them? To be honest, it’s true, but that wasn’t all the terrible troubles that happened!
When Max invented the “chocolate covered-ants”, he accidentally made a huge mistake. The milky chocolate bar and the dead ants in the bag came out from the plastic bag and made their mom’s oven a BIG mess!! That’s the funniest part!! Because he keep wanted Adam to win, he accidentally gets into a bigger trouble!
You’ll meet a lot of people just like these two brothers. This book can help you don’t be too pushy when you want to beat other people.Also, the author doesn’t want you to do something like this after you read this book. The two brothers have a lesson for you too. Sometimes when you want to win too much, you go too far. If you do, you’re going to lose everything and get into bigger trouble!!
I think this is really an awesome children book, I think it should be required reading for all people in the whole world. Especially the people who always want to be better than someone else. Believed me, as soon as you read it, you’ll start meeting people like the two brothers in your life. Let’s just hope you are not one of the brothers!
The story begins when Adam got a craziest birthday gift, a bunch of ants! Adam decides to become an expert on insects. Adam’s older brother, Max, is determined to get the best of Adam and tell him that people really do eat chocolate covered-ants. But Adam still doesn’t believe Max, that’s how the two brothers start this horrible bet! What could the bet be? Would you believe that Max really made “chocolate covered-ants” and really ate them? To be honest, it’s true, but that wasn’t all the terrible troubles that happened!
When Max invented the “chocolate covered-ants”, he accidentally made a huge mistake. The milky chocolate bar and the dead ants in the bag came out from the plastic bag and made their mom’s oven a BIG mess!! That’s the funniest part!! Because he keep wanted Adam to win, he accidentally gets into a bigger trouble!
You’ll meet a lot of people just like these two brothers. This book can help you don’t be too pushy when you want to beat other people.Also, the author doesn’t want you to do something like this after you read this book. The two brothers have a lesson for you too. Sometimes when you want to win too much, you go too far. If you do, you’re going to lose everything and get into bigger trouble!!
I think this is really an awesome children book, I think it should be required reading for all people in the whole world. Especially the people who always want to be better than someone else. Believed me, as soon as you read it, you’ll start meeting people like the two brothers in your life. Let’s just hope you are not one of the brothers!
Read
May 21, 2012There was this kid named Adam. He was turning 8 and from his aunt he got an ant farm. So, he sends in the form for the ants. When they come in (this is where it gets interesting), his brother, Max (the whole story is from his perspective.) says that people in the world eat chocolate covered ants. So they bet thirteen dollars on it. Whoever told mom it would lose. So Max made chocolate covered ants and he ate them. He ate them in front of Adam, and Max said he won. Then he reminded him that more than one person had to eat them (because that he knew that his brother was stupid to eat them). So he was showing them during class, and he got caught. When he did, him and his friend, Larry, had to eat some in the front of the class. When he gets, home, his brother crushes the rest of the ants, and then desert time rolls around. Max makes desert for the two of them, and puts another half scoop of ice cream in a bowl and also in the same bowl scraps of the chocolate ants! Adam eats them, but by that time, the bet was off.
This was a good book because it had a lot of fast action in it and that is what I like in books, fast paced action and/or adventure. That is in any type of book I read. A also liked this book because it was very humorous to me with the chocolate ants and I think that is pretty cool. I can not see myself eating a single chocolate covered ant in my whole life (except for a bet that is at least ten dollars), even though they do it a lot in this fictional story.
This was a good book because it had a lot of fast action in it and that is what I like in books, fast paced action and/or adventure. That is in any type of book I read. A also liked this book because it was very humorous to me with the chocolate ants and I think that is pretty cool. I can not see myself eating a single chocolate covered ant in my whole life (except for a bet that is at least ten dollars), even though they do it a lot in this fictional story.
May 30, 2024
Max's little brother, Adam, receives an ant farm for his birthday and becomes a self-proclaimed expert on them.
Max becomes increasingly frustrated by his brother's ant-ics (oof), so he teases Adam that there are people that actually eat chocolate-covered ants. Adam is skeptical, so Max makes a bet with him that he can prove it within a week.
Max calls his friend Larry, asking if he can borrow the joke can of chocolate ants that he saw at his house, but Larry tells him his parents no longer have it.
Max decides to make his own from ants in the backyard and eats it in front of Adam. However, this still doesn't settle their bet because Max said he could prove that OTHER people eat chocolate ants.
So Max takes it to school and brings it out in class to show Larry, which they get in trouble for, and they are both forced to eat it in front of the class as punishment. This makes them big men on campus, but since Adam didn't witness it, Max needs to bring someone home with him to show Adam, but can't afford the high price that Larry is charging to go through with it.
Max comes up with the idea to crush up some of the ants into Adam's ice cream to look like sprinkles. The bet was already off, but both brothers were able to get revenge on each other.
For a middle-grade book, this was a fun read. But I definitely think this kind of gross idea would entertain the boys more than the girls.
Max becomes increasingly frustrated by his brother's ant-ics (oof), so he teases Adam that there are people that actually eat chocolate-covered ants. Adam is skeptical, so Max makes a bet with him that he can prove it within a week.
Max calls his friend Larry, asking if he can borrow the joke can of chocolate ants that he saw at his house, but Larry tells him his parents no longer have it.
Max decides to make his own from ants in the backyard and eats it in front of Adam. However, this still doesn't settle their bet because Max said he could prove that OTHER people eat chocolate ants.
So Max takes it to school and brings it out in class to show Larry, which they get in trouble for, and they are both forced to eat it in front of the class as punishment. This makes them big men on campus, but since Adam didn't witness it, Max needs to bring someone home with him to show Adam, but can't afford the high price that Larry is charging to go through with it.
Max comes up with the idea to crush up some of the ants into Adam's ice cream to look like sprinkles. The bet was already off, but both brothers were able to get revenge on each other.
For a middle-grade book, this was a fun read. But I definitely think this kind of gross idea would entertain the boys more than the girls.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2012
1) I like this book because I also like to bet with my siblings and cousins. On page 8 it says that Max tells his brother Adam that there was something called chocolate ants. Max said that there is something called chocolate ant and I bet you! Also another connection is when I bet and the thing isn’t real I have to find a way for it to be real; like Max had to do on page 9/10 etc.
2) I would also like recommend this book to my cousin Mory because he always wants to bet with someone. For example, just last week he wanted to bet on a show. And he always wants to bet when he doesn’t have money.
3) One of my challenges in this book was the way they talked. I thought it was easy and read too fast and got jumbled up in my read. Then I knew that I had to re-read to understand the book. After having that encounter I now know to read at a good rate and to read carefully.
4) The character I would like to describe is Max (the main character).Max is like the “I’ve got to be right” kind of guy. I say that because he knew that there was no one to eat chocolate covered ant and nowhere to get it. So instead he put chocolate on the floor to attract ants. And when he did he put it in the microwave, and ate it.
2) I would also like recommend this book to my cousin Mory because he always wants to bet with someone. For example, just last week he wanted to bet on a show. And he always wants to bet when he doesn’t have money.
3) One of my challenges in this book was the way they talked. I thought it was easy and read too fast and got jumbled up in my read. Then I knew that I had to re-read to understand the book. After having that encounter I now know to read at a good rate and to read carefully.
4) The character I would like to describe is Max (the main character).Max is like the “I’ve got to be right” kind of guy. I say that because he knew that there was no one to eat chocolate covered ant and nowhere to get it. So instead he put chocolate on the floor to attract ants. And when he did he put it in the microwave, and ate it.
April 28, 2015
When Max’s little brother Adam gets an ant colony from their Aunt Fran for his birthday, he is ecstatic; so much so that in Max’s eyes its an obsession. When Max starts teasing Adam that ants are delicious eaten, Max soon finds himself making a $13.00 bet with his little brother that people do indeed eat ants (not just Max himself, but also other people). Max is determined to win the bet as he eats ants microwaved in chocolate, and tries to get his friends to do the same in front of Adam. The all-out war that ensues is hilarious, all the way to end. A very fast read, this would make a nice, creepy-crawly booktalk companion to How to Eat Fried Worms, for 4th-5th grade (especially reluctant readers).
In this second installment of the Tillerman saga (following Homecoming), Dicey, her sister Maybeth, and her brothers James and Sammy find a new home with their grandmother. They deal with the struggle of adjusting to a new life in Chesapeke Bay, as well as the death of their mother, who had abandoned the children the previous summer. This is a heartwarming, moving story that can be read aloud, or booktalked to 5th grade and up.
In this second installment of the Tillerman saga (following Homecoming), Dicey, her sister Maybeth, and her brothers James and Sammy find a new home with their grandmother. They deal with the struggle of adjusting to a new life in Chesapeke Bay, as well as the death of their mother, who had abandoned the children the previous summer. This is a heartwarming, moving story that can be read aloud, or booktalked to 5th grade and up.
Read
September 27, 2007Manes, Stephen PB
March 12, 2016
Chocolate-Covered Ants
Manes, Stephen
sibling rivalry at its highest
Manes, Stephen
sibling rivalry at its highest
November 4, 2013
Chocolate Covered Ants is a very easy read, as we read it as a read aloud in 5th grade. It is pretty good, but the book is pretty slow, which is not my style.
October 19, 2014
this is a disgusting, funny, friendship and learning how to be nice to each other story.
March 26, 2015
Big surprise, I remember liking it better when I was younger. The sibling relationship is still pretty dead on though.
April 22, 2016
It was a good book a little gross but still good
Read
June 24, 2016This was a good book. It got boring towards the end to me.
November 9, 2018
I kinda liked this book I put kinda, because I don't really like chocolate, but I would recommended this book if you do like gorse things but I will rate it maybe as a four and a half.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews