The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman: Chapters 11–20

by Gennifer Choldenko
Eleven-year-old Hank and his toddler sister, Boo, are abandoned at home by their mom, and he must use his wits to survive, take care of his sister, and find a new place to live. Over the next few months, they learn a lot about family, love and forgiveness, and second chances.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–10, Chapters 11–20, Chapters 21–36, Chapters 37–61
15 words 45 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. drone
    talk in a monotonous voice
    The teacher drones on about upcoming school events practically the whole twenty minutes.
  2. iridescent
    having a play of lustrous rainbow colors
    A big girl with hair as purple as troll-doll hair, iridescent green leggings, and three earrings in each ear comes in. “You’re in the wrong room,” she announces.
  3. chime in
    break into a conversation
    Lola gives me a once-over. “He’s cute,” she announces.
    “He’s got potential,” Luisa chimes in. “But the hair…”
    “Come on, be nice,” Carmen says.
  4. ottoman
    a low seat or a stool to rest the feet of a seated person
    Ray is out now on his patio, kicked back on a chair, his big legs sprawled onto the ottoman.
  5. mangle
    destroy or injure severely
    “I was just wondering if you were able to get any information off my mom’s phone,” I ask.
    “Not as much as I’d hoped. It’s pretty mangled, but I’ll print out what I got,” he says, petting CPU.
  6. easygoing
    not burdensome or demanding
    Geri, Bridget is a delight. She reminds me of Hank when he was a baby, easygoing and eager to please.
  7. imply
    express or state indirectly
    When Lou Ann and Boo come out of the bathroom, I tell Lou Ann that Ray got information off Mom’s old phone and said I should follow up. Ray didn’t exactly say this, but he gave me the printout, which implied it, right?
  8. appropriate
    suitable for a particular person, place, or situation
    “Well, that was very nice of Ray.” Lou Ann heads for the kitchen. “But I don’t think it’s appropriate for you to contact strangers. No telling who your mother has been associating with. CPS will help us find her.”
  9. memoir
    an account of the author's personal experiences
    We’re studying memoirs, which is a fancy word for a story you write about yourself. We’re supposed to write about some event that made us happy or sad or scared or angry.
  10. resilient
    recovering readily from adversity, depression, or the like
    “I see you as a resilient young man. And that’s a trait that will serve you well in this situation and in the rest of your life.”
  11. congenital
    present at birth but not necessarily hereditary
    “She passed away eight years ago now. Congenital heart defect.”
  12. rant
    a long tirade or complaint expressed with strong emotion
    Being stuck inside with Lou Ann all day will not be fun. She’ll go on a rant about teenagers. Or lecture me about the mistakes I’ve made with Boo.
  13. emphatically
    in a forceful manner; with emphasis
    She shakes her head so emphatically that her wispy hair flies against her face.
  14. solemnly
    in a serious and dignified manner
    She nods solemnly and closes the door again.
  15. distract
    draw someone's attention away from something
    She plops down. “Where is Mommeee?” she whispers.
    “I don’t know,” I say, lifting her on my back and galloping around the room.
    “Gidup, gidup,” she cries. Nothing like a horsey ride to distract her.
Created on Sun Jun 15 21:15:59 EDT 2025 (updated Wed Oct 01 12:03:29 EDT 2025)

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