Bud, Not Buddy: Chapters 6–10

by Christopher Paul Curtis
During the Great Depression, a ten-year-old boy hits the road in search of the father he has never known.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–10, Chapters 11–15, Chapters 16–19

Here are links to our lists for other works by Christopher Paul Curtis: The Watsons Go to Birmingham, Elijah of Buxton, The Journey of Little Charlie
15 words 12039 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. privilege
    a special advantage or benefit not enjoyed by all
    You think you got some kind of special privilege just ’cause you’re skinny and raggedy?
  2. considerate
    showing concern for the rights and feelings of others
    One said, PLEASE DO NOT SMOKE, another said, PLEASE EAT AS QUICKLY AND QUIETLY AS POSSIBLE, another one said, PLEASE BE CONSIDERATE AND PATIENT—CLEAN UP.
  3. pout
    be in a huff and display one's displeasure
    They pouted and gave me a couple of dirty looks.
  4. retrieve
    get or find back; recover the use of
    "Would you like to retrieve your suitcase?”
  5. stricken
    affected by something overwhelming
    The librarian said, “There’s no need for you to look so stricken."
  6. matrimonial
    of or relating to the state of marriage
    She laughed a quiet, librarian-type laugh and said, “Really, it’s not bad news. Unless you had matrimonial plans concerning Miss Hill.”
  7. radiate
    send out real or metaphoric rays
    The librarian said, “Oh, yes, and I must tell you, she was radiating happiness.”
    In this example sentence, the rays are metaphoric and make the happy person seem like a shining sun.
  8. gait
    the rate of moving, especially walking or running
    She thumbed through the book until she said, “Aha, it says here that the average male human gait is five miles an hour."
  9. kin
    group of people related by blood or marriage
    She said, “Don’t you have no other kin here in Flint?”
  10. fidget
    move restlessly
    The one who was doing all the talking saw them fidgeting and said, “Hold steady, men.”
  11. alias
    a name that has been assumed temporarily
    It said a good criminal chooses an alias that’s kind of close to their own name.
  12. gory
    accompanied by bloodshed
    I didn’t want to tell her that I wasn’t really interested in history, it was just that the best gory pictures in the world came from the Civil War.
  13. ventriloquist
    a performer who projects the voice into a wooden dummy
    I turned my head and talked sideways out of my mouth like one of those ventriloquists.
  14. jolt
    a sudden jarring impact
    Then another jolt of red pop must’ve pumped through my heart because my brain came up with a perfect lie.
  15. urgent
    compelling immediate action
    On the side of the box some big red letters said as clear as anything, URGENT: CONTAINS HUMAN BLOOD!!!
Created on Sat Dec 14 12:21:45 EST 2013 (updated Wed Jun 18 13:10:24 EDT 2025)

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