As Brave as You: Chapters 11–15

by Jason Reynolds
When brothers Genie and Ernie leave the city to spend the summer in Virginia with their grandparents, they learn about what it means to be truly brave.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–2, Chapters 3–6, Chapters 7–10, Chapters 11–15, Chapters 16–21

Here are links to our lists for other books by Jason Reynolds: When I Was the Greatest, The Boy in the Black Suit, All American Boys, Long Way Down, Ghost, Patina, Sunny, Lu
35 words 130 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. earnest
    characterized by a firm, sincere belief in one's opinions
    Genie sized Ernie up just to make sure this wasn’t Ernie looking for another excuse to go visit Tess. But Ernie looked, yeah, earnest.
  2. formality
    a requirement of etiquette or custom
    “What’s wrong with him?” she asked Ernie through the screen, skipping the formalities.
  3. retort
    answer back
    “Do I seem like a snitch to you?” Tess retorted.
  4. devise
    come up with after a mental effort
    That night Genie and Ernie devised a plan, because that was what detectives and criminals did, Genie figured—devised plans—and since Genie and his brother were going to attempt to replace a dead bird with a stolen one, they were technically, sort of, kind of, criminals.
  5. execute
    put in effect
    When it comes to devising plans, well, that’s for detectives and criminals. But when it comes to executing plans, well, that’s for ninjas.
  6. bemused
    perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements
    Ernie turned one hand to the left, the other to the right, a bemused expression on his face.
  7. trek
    make a long and difficult journey
    As they trekked through the brush, Ernie swatted limbs to the side.
  8. rustle
    a light noise, like the noise of leaves blowing in the wind
    Genie looked out for snakes, and every time he heard a rustle, he tried to figure out where it was coming from.
  9. strut
    walk in a proud, confident way
    Some looked like pigeons and others were big and black, strutting around like tough dudes, pecking at the dead bodies of other birds, which was the nastiest thing ever.
  10. stealthily
    in a manner marked by quiet and caution and secrecy
    They moved across the room stealthily and saw that it wasn’t entirely void of humanness.
  11. void
    clear of occupants or empty or clear of something
    They moved across the room stealthily and saw that it wasn’t entirely void of humanness.
  12. caw
    utter a cry, characteristic of crows, rooks, or ravens
    The crescent of weather-beaten bird cages, the rusted chairs left on the back porch, the sound of birds cawing and flapping around—it was all kinda freaking Genie out.
  13. scheming
    concealing crafty designs for advancing your own interest
    Ernie had a scheming look on his face.
  14. flimsy
    lacking solidity or strength
    Genie pressed his hand over his eye, but he kept pumping—two calls—hurdling over the fallen trees, the bottom of his feet pulsing in his flimsy Converses.
  15. welt
    a raised mark on the skin
    Ernie pulled Genie’s hand down and examined the skin at the corner of his eye. “It’s just a welt. You okay?”
  16. wince
    draw back, as with fear or pain
    “Yeah.” But Genie winced when Ernie touched the sore part. “One of those branches snapped back on me.”
  17. paranoid
    suffering from delusions of persecution or grandeur
    He was so paranoid that he’d lock himself in his bedroom for hours—sometimes days at a time—while Grandpop’s mother, your great-grandma, Millie, would have to take care of the house and everything else.
  18. obsessive
    characterized by an unhealthy and compulsive preoccupation
    And when he wasn’t hanging out at the scene of the crime, Genie was down at Tess’s, using her Internet, obsessively looking up other ways to capture birds.
  19. grim
    filled with melancholy and despondency
    “Yeah, but I only saw one swallow,” Genie said grimly, staring at the computer screen.
  20. entice
    provoke someone to do something through persuasion
    There weren’t as many as Crab brought to Grandpop, but definitely enough to entice a swallow.
  21. cackle
    emit a loud, unpleasant kind of laughing
    Crab cackled like a bad guy in a cartoon.
  22. terse
    brief and to the point
    “Your minute is up,” Grandpop said tersely.
  23. dud
    an explosion that fails to occur
    She must have thought it might be a dud, because she took a step toward it to stomp it out, but as soon as she did, BANG!
  24. grudge
    a resentment strong enough to justify retaliation
    “Well, I’m too old to hold grudges. So...okay,” Grandpop said, all nonchalantly, to Genie’s surprise.
  25. nonchalantly
    in a composed and unconcerned manner
    “Well, I’m too old to hold grudges. So...okay,” Grandpop said, all nonchalantly, to Genie’s surprise.
  26. deliberately
    with intention; in an intentional manner
    “What if somethin’ happens to you, Brooke? You haven’t been out there, like that, since, well, actually, I know the last time you were out there, and you do too! You’ve got the scar to show for it.” Grandpop answered very deliberately. “That won’t happen this time.”
  27. huffy
    roused to anger
    “You’on’t know that,” Grandma said, all huffy.
  28. ricochet
    spring back; spring away from an impact
    “I’on’t want him shooting at trees. Bullet might ricochet or something,” Grandpop was saying.
  29. estimation
    a judgment of the qualities of something or somebody
    Crab lifted his rifle in both hands, like he was about to demonstrate how to shoot an arrow from a bow, which would’ve been just as cool, in Genie’s estimation.
  30. concede
    admit or acknowledge, often reluctantly
    “Okay, old man,” Crab conceded. “You got it.”
  31. wistful
    showing pensive sadness
    His face was a strange mix of proud and wistful.
  32. bawl
    cry loudly
    Ernie was bawling now.
  33. bellow
    make a loud noise, as of an animal
    Grandpop bellowed, dropping to his knees as well.
  34. prod
    push against gently
    Grandpop inched closer and started gently prodding Ernie’s face, feeling, Genie suspected, for any changes, like swelling or broken bones.
  35. bombard
    address continuously, as if with a barrage
    So Grandpop began bombarding Crab with what Genie decided were definitely better questions.
Created on Thu Dec 20 20:42:22 EST 2018 (updated Thu Jan 03 11:55:50 EST 2019)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.