As Brave as You: Chapters 3–6

by Jason Reynolds
When brothers Genie and Ernie leave the city to spend the summer in Virginia with their grandparents, they learn about what it means to be truly brave.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–2, Chapters 3–6, Chapters 7–10, Chapters 11–15, Chapters 16–21

Here are links to our lists for other books by Jason Reynolds: When I Was the Greatest, The Boy in the Black Suit, All American Boys, Long Way Down, Ghost, Patina, Sunny, Lu
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. bluff
    pretense that your position is stronger than it really is
    And sure, he was told Grandpop was blind, but he wanted to play it safe—the whole blind thing might’ve been a bluff, a theory that seemed a lot less silly after what happened next.
  2. mode
    how something is done or how it happens
    Genie was back in staring mode as Grandpop lifted the jug higher and higher, a waterfall of tea all landing in the quickly filling jar.
  3. expectant
    marked by eager anticipation
    Grandpop was looking at Genie—toward him—expectantly.
  4. stall
    deliberately delay an event or action
    Genie stalled for time, lifting the jar and taking another sip, trying not to make a face even though he was pretty sure that Grandpop couldn’t see his face.
  5. prompt
    urge, encourage, or motivate someone to act
    Genie smiled and took another sip of tea. “So what else you got?” Grandpop prompted.
  6. dedicate
    give entirely to a specific person, activity, or cause
    “Yep. There’s a whole TV show dedicated to this method,” Ernie said, all confident; he had a way of saying stuff that made Genie believe it, even if it really didn’t make much sense.
  7. lush
    produced or growing in extreme abundance
    And there were so many trees, lush and green, peppered by only a few houses.
  8. char
    burn to charcoal
    A white one like Grandma and Grandpop’s, the roof caved in and half the house charred black.
  9. heave
    breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
    Genie opened his eyes, his chest heaving.
  10. mirage
    something illusory and unattainable
    The girl, who looked about Ernie’s age, wiped sweat from her forehead and squinted as if he and Genie weren’t actually there, as if they were a mirage.
  11. kin
    a person related to another or others
    “Everybody know ’em,” the girl said, now setting the hammer on the porch. “So y’all their kin, huh?”
  12. exception
    an instance that does not conform to a rule
    “I sell these bad boys down at the market. Y’all wanna try? I mean, I usually wouldn’t offer ’cause, y’know, it’s bad for business. But I doubt y’all finna cut into my profits. Plus, y’all kin to Ma and Pop Harris, so I’ll make an exception.”
  13. persist
    refuse to stop
    “Well, what does he use to fish with if you got all the hooks?” Genie persisted.
  14. cringe
    draw back, as with fear, pain, or embarrassment
    “Thank you, fly zapper.” While Tess turned her attention back to the bartender, Genie stared at the glowing blue light. Buzz. Cringe.
  15. naive
    inexperienced
    It was the perfect soda for a spicy food, and apparently, for tricking naive city boys like Genie and Ernie.
  16. scoff
    laugh at with contempt and derision
    “City boys,” Jim scoffed, holding his hand up.
  17. taper
    diminish gradually
    “Listen, shorty,” Jim now said to Tess, his laughter tapering off.
  18. genuine
    not pretended; sincerely felt or expressed
    “Yeah, thank you,” from Genie, extra genuine because he was thankful—thankful and relieved.
  19. elaborate
    add details to clarify an idea
    Without elaborating on Tess, she went on, “Ain’t neither one of y’all ’bout to walk in my kitchen with all that outside on your hands. Hit the bathroom and wash up. Been out there with that dog and God knows what else.”
  20. heathen
    not acknowledging the God of Christianity, Judaism and Islam
    “Okay, that’s enough of this heathen talk. Dinner’s ready.”
  21. relent
    give in, as to influence or pressure
    Grandma shook her head and relented. “Okay...sure.”
  22. intrigue
    cause to be interested or curious
    “You know how to play the harmonica?” Genie asked, instantly intrigued.
  23. dabble
    work with in an amateurish manner
    “I dibble and dabble,” he said.
  24. stance
    standing posture
    He jumped into fighting stance.
  25. technically
    according to the exact meaning; according to the facts
    #445: What kind of test do you have to take to be a shooter? Do you get a grade? Can you still be a shooter if you get a C? Technically, you still pass.
  26. scuffle
    fight or struggle in a confused way at close quarters
    He had been in a few small scuffles with kids at school over the girl-name thing, but nothing serious.
  27. surge
    rise or move forward
    His brain continued surging with questions—lots of questions, from a long, long day.
  28. slink
    move or walk stealthily
    “Hello?” he whispered, nervous, slinking through the living room.
  29. gruff
    blunt and unfriendly or stern
    “Just checkin’ the time,” he said, pressing the button again, his voice back to its regular gruff tone, not its annoyed gruff tone. A subtle difference, but a big deal.
  30. subtle
    difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
    “Just checkin’ the time,” he said, pressing the button again, his voice back to its regular gruff tone, not its annoyed gruff tone. A subtle difference, but a big deal.
Created on Thu Dec 20 20:05:17 EST 2018 (updated Thu Jan 03 11:00:05 EST 2019)

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