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* VileVillainSaccharineShow: The subplot focusing on Archibald Mack is much darker and more intense than the rest of the story, focusing on themes like child slavery and animal torture.
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* PersonOfMassDestruction: Fip, and by extension anyone who controls him. It's shown that Fip himself has little idea of what he's doing and can sense from Lerner's reaction that something happens when he eats a word, but he's not sure why she's so intent on making him eat.
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* LeftHanging: Early on, Fip eats the date September 1 from next year's calendar. The book ends without resolving what effect this will have on the world, though a psychic predicts that something big is going to happen on that day.
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* ActuallyPrettyFunny: When Bobby's aborted attempt to erase Mr. Droan results in his suit disappearing, Lerner calls it "funny but not okay."
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* DesignatedHero: Lampshaded in-universe, as Lerner makes a list of all the ways she's used Fip's magic and concludes that only one of them (making Bobby's father nicer) can be considered good.
* GrayAndGreyMorality: When it comes to Lerner and Bobby's rivalry, neither really has the high ground as they both treat each other badly, which they ultimately admit to.
* GrayAndGreyMorality: When it comes to Lerner and Bobby's rivalry, neither really has the high ground as they both treat each other badly, which they ultimately admit to.
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* PerfectlyCromulentWord: Lerner feeds Fip the word "Gurkengabel" assuming that it's harmless because nothing could actually be called that. [[spoiler: She's wrong]].
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* SadistTeacher: Mr. Droan, who doesn't care about his students and treats them like dirt. He later becomes a prison guard, stating that teachers who don't enjoy teaching should do the same.
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* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Lerner at first doesn't realize the effects of Fip eating words. She later tries to find nonsense words for him to eat, only to learn that there improbably ''is'' something by that name.
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''The Word Eater'' is a children's book by Mary Amato. It focuses on a middle-school girl named Lerner Chance, who comes across an earthworm named Fip. She discovers Fip has magical powers, as he eats words instead of dirt, and whenever he eats a word, that thing will vanish from the world. Lerner tries to decide how best to use Fip's powers, while one of her classmates, Bobby Nitz, suspects she's behind the disappearances and starts to investigate.
to:
''The Word Eater'' is a 2000 children's book by Mary Amato. It focuses on a middle-school girl named Lerner Chance, who comes across an earthworm named Fip. She discovers Fip has magical powers, as he eats words instead of dirt, and whenever he eats a word, that thing will vanish from the world. Lerner tries to decide how best to use Fip's powers, while one of her classmates, Bobby Nitz, suspects she's behind the disappearances and starts to investigate.
* CharacterDevelopment: Bobby is mean to Lerner at first (granted, she did try to get him in trouble as a dare) but becomes nicer as he gets to know her better.
* HeroAntagonist: Bobby Nitz isn't a nice person at first, but is rightly concerned about all the disappearances and wants to solve the mystery, and rightly suspects Lerner is behind it.
* KidDetective: Bobby becomes obsessed with solving the mystery, putting his Internet research skills to good use, and is soon able to zero in on Lerner.
* KidDetective: Bobby becomes obsessed with solving the mystery, putting his Internet research skills to good use, and is soon able to zero in on Lerner.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Would you want an Attackaterrier for a pet?
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* SnoopingLittleKid: Bobby becomes obsessed with solving the mystery, putting his Internet research skills to good use, and is soon able to zero in on Lerner.
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* SnoopingLittleKid: Bobby becomes obsessed with solving curious about what's going on after his prank on his teacher goes wrong due to the mystery, putting his Internet research skills to good use, thumbtacks disappearing, and is soon able decides to zero in on Lerner.investigate.
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''The Word Eater'' is a children's book by Mary Amato. It focuses on a middle-school girl named Lerner Chance, who comes across an earthworm named Fip. She discovers Fip has magical powers, as he eats words instead of dirt, and whenever he eats a word, that thing will vanish from the world. Lerner tries to decide how best to use Fip's powers, while one of her classmates, Bobby Nitz, suspects she's behind the disappearances and starts to investigate.
!!Contains examples of the following tropes:
* AbusiveParents: Bobby's father is bad-tempered and blames him for anything that goes wrong. He becomes nicer due to Fip's influence.
* AlphaBitch: Reba, who heads the elitist MPOOE student organization and bullies outcast students whenever she can.
* BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil: The Attackaterriers are only vicious because they've been tortured since they were puppies and aren't used to being treated kindly.
* BewareOfViciousDog: The Attackaterriers, due to being tortured from birth to make them grow up mean. However, Lerner uses Fip to erase the effects of their torture, which causes them to become friendly [[spoiler: and saves Lucia's life]].
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Archibald Mack, who employs child slaves and tortures puppies to make them into Attackaterriers.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Lerner's reaction after she [[spoiler: erases Bobby's dog Ripper]].
* RetGone: Anything eaten by Fip becomes this, even living things.
* SnoopingLittleKid: Bobby becomes obsessed with solving the mystery, putting his Internet research skills to good use, and is soon able to zero in on Lerner.
* WouldHurtAChild: Mack has no qualms about murdering Lucia to keep her quiet.
!!Contains examples of the following tropes:
* AbusiveParents: Bobby's father is bad-tempered and blames him for anything that goes wrong. He becomes nicer due to Fip's influence.
* AlphaBitch: Reba, who heads the elitist MPOOE student organization and bullies outcast students whenever she can.
* BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil: The Attackaterriers are only vicious because they've been tortured since they were puppies and aren't used to being treated kindly.
* BewareOfViciousDog: The Attackaterriers, due to being tortured from birth to make them grow up mean. However, Lerner uses Fip to erase the effects of their torture, which causes them to become friendly [[spoiler: and saves Lucia's life]].
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Archibald Mack, who employs child slaves and tortures puppies to make them into Attackaterriers.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Lerner's reaction after she [[spoiler: erases Bobby's dog Ripper]].
* RetGone: Anything eaten by Fip becomes this, even living things.
* SnoopingLittleKid: Bobby becomes obsessed with solving the mystery, putting his Internet research skills to good use, and is soon able to zero in on Lerner.
* WouldHurtAChild: Mack has no qualms about murdering Lucia to keep her quiet.
