The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman: Chapters 21–36

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 25 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. pathetic
    inspiring mixed contempt and pity
    Downstairs, I race through breakfast to get to school extra early. I’m even looking forward to homeroom…how pathetic is that? But it’s gym I can’t wait for. When third period finally arrives, I change my clothes and bolt out of the locker room to the field, where Coach P. is starting drills.
  2. morgue
    a building or room where dead bodies are kept before burial
    “Any news?”
    “She double-checked the morgue and the hospitals around here. She’s not there, so that’s good.”
    “She’s not dead,” I spit back.
  3. tentatively
    in a hesitant manner
    Abuelita smiles at Boo, extending her arms. Boo glances back at Ray, tentatively. Ray nods and Boo steps forward to accept Abuelita’s hug.
  4. distinctive
    of a feature that helps to identify a person or thing
    Penguins are easy to draw because they have short legs and distinctive black and white feathers.
  5. sludge
    any thick, viscous matter
    At twelve-thirty, I begin watching for Ana’s mom’s car, just in case they come early. The minutes tick by slow as sludge.
  6. skulk
    move stealthily
    “Let’s go upstairs,” Ana whispers.
    But when Mrs. Lopez sees us skulking up the stairs, she dives for her keys. “Time to take Hank home, Ana.”
  7. tolerance
    the act of putting up with something
    This is so awkward....Ana has a greater tolerance for awkward than I do.
    She doesn’t seem to mind that nobody in the car says one word for almost the whole ride.
  8. static
    not in physical motion
    He takes photos of the drawings, then shows me how to upload and drop them into the program. When the first one comes to life, I’m amazed. The motion gives Tadeo a personality that the static drawing didn’t have.
  9. preoccupied
    deeply absorbed in thought
    I’m extra nice to Lou Ann, but she doesn’t notice. She is preoccupied with a project she wants to do with the tadpoles today.
  10. valid
    well grounded in logic or truth or having legal force
    “He doesn’t care about Boo! He was supposed to give my mom child support and he never did. I don’t think Boo’s ever even met him!” I yell into the phone.
    Este sighs. “A valid point, but I’m not sure it will hold up in court.”
  11. douse
    wet thoroughly
    I douse the shelves with water.
  12. syndrome
    a pattern of symptoms indicative of some disease
    They don’t want Boo. They think her crying was a sign of something seriously wrong. Fetal alcohol syndrome, because our mom drinks.
  13. rafter
    one of several parallel sloping beams that support a roof
    The garage door is open, and Ray is up on the ladder inspecting the dark ceiling rafters with a super-bright flashlight.
  14. spigot
    a regulator for controlling the flow of a liquid
    I turn the spigot and Ray sprays the garage door and the corner of the garage roof hard for several minutes.
  15. circumstance
    the set of facts that surround a situation or event
    “...And there’s another problem here. Your mother left you and Boo. Even if she comes back, CPS might not let you live with her.”
    “What? If she had a car wreck, she couldn’t come back,” I shout.
    “Right. The circumstances matter.”
Created on Sun Jun 15 21:31:06 EDT 2025 (updated Wed Oct 01 13:23:29 EDT 2025)

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.