The World According to Humphrey: Chapters 5–9

by Betty G. Birney
This first book in the series introduces a hamster named Humphrey, who comes up with plans to solve the problems facing him and the humans of Longfellow School's Room 26.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–9, Chapters 10–15
35 words 15 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. lure
    provoke someone to do something through persuasion
    “I’m pretty sure he’s still in the room. Our job is to lure him back into his cage,” Mr. Morales whispered.
  2. scramble
    move hurriedly
    I waited a few more seconds, then scrambled out of the corner and grabbed the closest seed.
  3. scurry
    move about or proceed hurriedly
    I scurried toward the second seed.
  4. meander
    move or cause to move in a winding or curving course
    After everyone had left, while there was still light coming in the window, I meandered outside the cage to help myself to any mealworms that Heidi might have left behind when she fed me earlier in the day.
  5. galore
    existing in abundance
    My, there were so many stores. Not just Pet-O-Rama but Shoes-O-Rama and Food-O-Rama and Books Galore and Wide World of Tools!
  6. anxious
    eagerly desirous
    That evening, I was more anxious than usual for Aldo to arrive. When he turned on the lights, I squeaked, “Hello,” right away.
  7. amble
    walk leisurely
    He ambled over to my cage and leaned down to look in.
  8. queasy
    feeling nausea
    I grabbed hold of the leg and slid down, as I’ve done before. It makes me feel a little queasy in my tummy.
  9. practically
    almost; nearly
    I was practically home free, but I still had to get up to the lit part.
  10. soundly
    deeply
    But I have to admit, my journey had been so tiring that—nocturnal or not—I slept soundly the rest of the night.
  11. perch
    sit, as on a branch
    She held up a postcard with a picture of colorful parrots perched in lush green trees.
  12. lush
    produced or growing in extreme abundance
    She held up a postcard with a picture of colorful parrots perched in lush green trees.
  13. admit
    declare to be true or accept the reality of
    “You will all stay in during recess. Unless the person making those noises wants to step forward and admit it.”
  14. commotion
    the act of making a noisy disturbance
    All this commotion had made me a little hungry, and for some reason, I hadn’t been fed yet.
  15. ponder
    reflect deeply on a subject
    I was still pondering Garth’s behavior when my classmates returned to Room 26.
  16. toddle
    walk unsteadily
    Sayeh’s little brother, Darek, toddled toward the door to greet me.
  17. fixture
    an object firmly secured in place, especially in a household
    Hanging from the light fixtures were black crepe-paper bats.
  18. eerie
    inspiring a feeling of fear; strange and frightening
    Hallow-Een. Or Hollowin’. Or Howloween. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I was pretty sure I didn’t like it.
    Especially on Monday night, after Mrs. Brisbane turned out the lights. That’s when those skeletons on the wall took on an eerie glow.
  19. ghastly
    shockingly repellent; inspiring horror
    And the smile on that ghastly orange pumpkin face looked more like a wicked smirk.
  20. consult
    have a conference in order to talk something over
    “Mrs. Hopper and Mrs. Patel and I have consulted with one another. We have decided to give the prize for Best Trick to Sayeh Nasiri.”
  21. tattered
    worn to shreds; or wearing torn or ragged clothing
    There I was, all alone in Room 26 with a bunch of half-torn bats and tattered skeletons hanging around me.
  22. bulbous
    rounded and bulging
    But on his face he wore huge glasses with a bulbous nose attached.
  23. vein
    a blood vessel that carries blood toward the heart
    The center of the glasses had giant eyeballs painted on with circles of red veins.
  24. condition
    a state at a particular time
    And it was weird how the projector was left on. Mrs. Brisbane always leaves her room in shipshape condition.
  25. bound
    move forward by leaping
    Suddenly, Clem bounded into the room, a big mass of yellow fur poking his huge nose right up against my cage.
  26. slight
    small in quantity or degree
    Then I heard it, the slight turning of the doorknob as Clem flung himself at the door repeatedly.
  27. hypnotize
    induce a state that resembles sleep in
    I thought the spinning wheel might even hypnotize him, like in an old movie I’d seen with Ms. Mac.
  28. stroke
    touch lightly and repeatedly, as with brushing motions
    She set me on her desk and stroked me gently with one finger.
  29. beeline
    the most direct route
    Anyway, I really enjoyed my time on the desk, until I heard Clem barking. Then I made a beeline for home.
  30. encounter
    a hostile disagreement face-to-face
    Clem hadn’t made a peep for hours, so I took a chance and quietly opened the lock-that-doesn’t-lock and dashed across the desktop to pick my weapon, just in case of another encounter with Clem.
  31. satisfied
    filled with contentment
    Miranda seemed satisfied with the arrangement, but I wasn’t.
  32. foul
    offensively malodorous
    “Woof!” he barked, sending a foul cloud of doggy breath my way.
  33. flinch
    draw back, as with fear or pain
    I didn’t even flinch.
    He barked a few more times and then began poking his big nose against the cage door.
  34. grave
    causing fear or anxiety by threatening great harm
    I was in grave danger and I had no choice. I would only have one chance at Clem because I only had one weapon: a rubber band.
  35. cower
    show submission or fear
    Of course, Miranda and her mom were really puzzled when they came home and found both bedrooms unlocked and Clem cowering under the living-room sofa.
Created on Fri May 03 10:41:47 EDT 2024 (updated Fri May 03 16:11:06 EDT 2024)

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