The Word Eater — Mary Amato

Life is miserable for sixth grader Lerner Chanse at her new school. It looks like Lerner is destined to be a SLUG (Sorry Losers Under Ground) until she finds a magical worm that eats printed words instead of dirt. If Fip eats a word, that item simply disappears from the world -- forever.

Now that Lerner knows about Fip's magic, she has some big decisions to make. Should she eliminate crime? Or will destroying anything cause effects that she can't imagine or predict? Lerner discovers that extraordinary power brings extraordinary responsibility...but will she learn her lesson too late?