Crash: Chapters 12–22

by Jerry Spinelli
John Coogan, better known as Crash, is a bully — but new experiences and unexpected friendships challenge to Crash to reevaluate the ways he interacts with others.

John Coogan, better known as Crash, is known as a bully — but new friendships help Crash to empathize with others and to better understand himself.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–11, Chapters 12–22, Chapters 23–49
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. perky
    characterized by liveliness and lightheartedness
    My mother grunted. “Hey, you’re not three anymore. When are you going to stop being so perky?”
  2. proceeds
    the income or profit arising from a transaction
    She spoke to Abby: “They are not rags. They’re clothes that are still good that people donate to be sold. The proceeds go to the hospital.”
  3. torment
    make suffer emotionally or mentally
    All last year we tormented Webb. Mostly little stuff, like messing with his locker or his clothes or his books.
  4. forfeit
    the act of losing or surrendering something as a penalty
    “’Least I don’t smell like you,” I said. “Other teams get a whiff of you, they’ll all faint and we’ll win by forfeit.”
  5. snooty
    overly conceited or arrogant
    She looked at me all snooty. “I do not devour anything that has a face.”
  6. poacher
    someone who hunts or fishes illegally
    “No,” said Mike, “they’re not ranch animals. They’re wild. You go hunting for them in the woods.”
    I jumped in, “But only during pepperoni hunting season.”
    “Right — or else you’re a pepperoni poacher!”
  7. backup
    someone who takes the place of another
    As I was leaning into the huddle, I felt a tap. I turned. It was my backup. “I’m in for you,” he said.
  8. ovation
    enthusiastic recognition
    The kids in the stands jumped up and gave me a standing ovation.
  9. scrumptious
    extremely pleasing to the sense of taste
    The eight-arm stew didn’t look too good, but taste was something else. “This is scrumptious,” my mother said with her mouth full. “What’s in it?”
  10. bulkhead
    a partition that divides a ship or plane into compartments
    It’s Navy talk. A bulkhead is a wall, a door is a hatch, the kitchen is the galley, the dining room is the mess, a stairway is a ladder.
  11. infest
    occupy in large numbers or live on a host
    And I mean to tell you, when he says he’s in the jungle on a moonless night or in the back alleys of old Hong Kong or in a salt swamp infested with sea crocs — well, you are there with him.
  12. swoon
    pass out from weakness or physical or emotional distress
    Scooter pretended to swoon.
Created on Fri Aug 23 19:49:52 EDT 2019 (updated Wed Jul 30 13:22:43 EDT 2025)

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