Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key: Chapters 6–10

by Jack Gantos
Joey struggles with impulse control and hyperactivity. After he makes a number of poor decisions—with disastrous consequences—he is suspended from school. Will a special education program help Joey turn his life around?

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–10, Chapters 11–15

Here are links to our lists for other works by Jack Gantos: Dead End in Norvelt, Hole in My Life
30 words 172 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. tradition
    a specific practice of long standing
    The Amish have been in Lancaster County since the seventeen hundreds. We are a people who keep alive the traditions of the past.
  2. surge
    a sudden forceful flow
    I shouted, and my fists balled up and I could feel that surge of energy run through me like nothing in the world was going to keep me from doing what I wanted.
  3. ooze
    pass gradually or leak or as if through small openings
    Just eating the pie and tasting the warm sugar melt all over my tongue and ooze down into my belly like a slippery sugary snake
  4. static
    crackling or hissing noise caused by electrical interference
    I had a funny sound in my head, kind of a hissing like when the TV station goes off the air at night and there is nothing but static, but really loud static and no words at all and getting louder like tires speeding down a wet road and coming right at me.
  5. jolt
    a sudden jarring impact
    I didn’t feel the jolt when I tripped forward and slammed into the cornstalks and clods of dirt with my chest and bounced right up and kept going.
  6. timber
    the wood of trees prepared for use as building material
    I was just climbing before I knew it and I was up way high on the big timbers playing a crazy kind of snakes and ladders, sliding down the tilted beams and climbing others like a monkey on a coconut tree.
  7. cocoon
    silky envelope spun by the larvae of many insects
    I had gone in there before because when the huge velvet stage curtain was pulled open I loved to hide between the folds on one end, and I could stand there forever wrapped up in the soft blue velvet like a caterpillar in a cocoon.
  8. slogan
    a favorite saying of a sect or political group
    Before long Mrs. Jarzab introduced a woman named Mrs. Cole who had written a book on “character counts,” which was one of Mrs. Jarzab’s favorite slogans.
  9. benefit
    something that aids or promotes well-being
    So I really listened to everything she had to say, and I liked what I heard, that because we were the special kids we had to make sure we put our energy and talent to work for the benefit of the whole world.
  10. devote
    give entirely to a specific person, activity, or cause
    Like Mother Teresa, you might devote yourself to helping people who have no one else to help them.
  11. accomplish
    achieve with effort
    “So I want each of you today to accomplish something special that is an example to your peers that character counts."
  12. hobble
    walk unevenly due to pain, injury, or weakness
    After the assembly I didn’t want to go back to class so I hobbled down to the nurse to have her check on my ankle.
  13. behavior
    manner of acting or controlling yourself
    “I bet it’s the kid who’s going to have the best behavior all afternoon,” she said.
  14. collide
    crash together with violent impact
    my hand collided with the side of her face and I went tumbling down the aisle.
  15. wrestle
    to move in a twisting or contorted motion,
    Then I tried to wrestle the scissors from Mrs. Maxy who had taken them from me because I wanted to cut my whole nose off to show just how sorry I was and give it to Maria, but Mrs. Maxy wouldn’t let me have the scissors and she kept shouting, “Time out! Time out! Go to your corner.”
  16. wince
    draw back, as with fear or pain
    She winced, then turned her eyes toward the class and said, “Now I want everyone to settle down.
  17. circumstance
    the set of facts that surround a situation or event
    “There are special circumstances in this case,” Mrs. Jarzab insisted, and tapped the top of my file.
  18. cite
    refer to for illustration or proof
    “Let me cite what all happened this school year alone ...”
  19. intensive
    characterized by a heightened level or degree
    we would have to consider intensive counseling at the special-ed center downtown, where he would receive the attention he needs.
  20. realize
    be fully aware or cognizant of
    I suddenly realized they had been talking for a while and I had no idea what they’d been saying.
  21. furiously
    in a manner marked by extreme or violent energy
    When I finished Mom was looking into her lap, and Mrs. Jarzab was writing furiously on a pad.
  22. mandatory
    required by rule
    Because he has injured another student he has to be suspended for six weeks and receive mandatory counseling.
  23. damaged
    harmed or injured or spoiled
    “Or they call me Retard. So really, messed up is nicer than Retard, or Brain-damaged, or Zippy the Pinhead.”
  24. advice
    a proposal for an appropriate course of action
    “My first present,” she said very seriously, “is good advice. I want you to remember something that has always helped me. Whenever you think of something bad, you have to quick think of something good. And you can never, never think of three things bad in a row or else you will just feel awful.”
  25. tease
    mock or make fun of playfully
    She was the only thing I had and it wasn’t funny to have someone tease me that I was a foster kid.
  26. rigid
    fixed and unmoving
    And while I was thinking about all this and standing as rigid as a locked door on the porch he looked down at the clipboard again and flipped over some more pages.
  27. lurch
    move abruptly
    Still, when the bus lurched forward I fell against his hand and felt his tiny sharp finger-nails scratching at my shirt.
  28. miniature
    being on a very small scale
    “See you later,” Charlie said, and used his foot to lift up his book bag so he could reach it with his miniature hand.
  29. blurt
    utter impulsively
    “The bus driver thought I was a foster kid,” I blurted out.
  30. binge
    any act of immoderate indulgence
    “We’ve talked about this calling binge, Joey. Now give it a rest before you call again.”
Created on Tue Sep 30 20:22:34 EDT 2014 (updated Thu Aug 16 15:21:35 EDT 2018)

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