Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher: Chapters 1-2

by Bruce Coville
Sixth grader Jeremy Thatcher learns how to hatch a dragon's egg. Now he has to learn how to take care of a growing dragon until it must return to its own world.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters One–Two, Chapters Three–Four, Chapters Five–Seven, Chapters Eight–Ten, Chapter Eleven–Epilogue
15 words 58 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. smug
    marked by excessive complacency or self-satisfaction
    Mr. Kravitz gave Jeremy a smug, nasty smile and waited for him to answer.
  2. shamble
    walk by dragging one's feet
    After a moment of uncomfortable silence, he turned and shambled back to his seat.
  3. gleefully
    in a joyous manner
    "Well, Mr. Thatcher," he said gleefully. "I see you've forgotten my feeling about notes in the classroom."
  4. sincerity
    the quality of being open and truthful
    Jeremy's cheeks began to burn. "Give it back!" he said.
    "I'm afraid I can't do that," replied Mr. Kravitz, with mock sincerity.
  5. mincing
    affectedly dainty or refined
    But Mr. Kravitz had begun. "Dear Jeremy," he read, in mincing tones. "I think you are incredibly cute, even if you are the shortest boy in the sixth grade."
  6. humiliation
    strong feelings of embarrassment
    The injustice made Jeremy's head spin. For trying to read a note someone else had given him, he was made to suffer complete humiliation.
  7. hue
    the quality of a color determined by its dominant wavelength
    And next to the rings, resting on a kind of pedestal, was a shining, multicolored ball, almost the size of his fist. A thousand different hues seemed to shimmer across its glistening surface.
  8. goodwill
    a disposition to kindness and compassion
    "Down, Grief!" he yelled, as he battled his way past the big dog's thumping goodwill. "DOWN!"
  9. kaleidoscope
    a complex pattern of constantly changing colors and shapes
    It's like a kaleidoscope, he thought, as the colors swirled in the light of his desk lamp. Except you don't need to look through a tube to see it.
  10. intriguing
    capable of arousing interest or curiosity
    The whole thing was ridiculous. But it was also intriguing, so he decided to read the rest of the page, which had been written by hand in a script that was loose and spidery.
  11. quicken
    give new life or energy to
    To quicken the egg, take it outside at midnight on the night of the next full moon.
  12. enthusiastic
    having or showing great excitement and interest
    Despite the admonishing words, Dr. Thatcher's voice was cheerful.
    "Be right there," said Jeremy, trying to sound enthusiastic.
  13. croon
    sing softly
    Stepping inside, Jeremy found his father shoving vitamins into a ferret.
    "Hold still, ho-o-old still," crooned Herbert Thatcher to the squirming mass of brown and yellow fur in his hands.
  14. apt
    naturally disposed toward
    Dr. Thatcher, who was apt to burst into song whenever something reminded him of a lyric, threw back his head and sang, "Full mooooon brings empty heart —"
    "Dad!"
  15. almanac
    an annual publication arranged according to the calendar
    Jeremy got the paper. His father showed him the almanac on the inside of the first page. It told when the sun came up, when it was going to set, what time the moon rose and set, and other equally trivial things.
Created on Thu Sep 11 21:49:27 EDT 2025 (updated Sun Nov 09 12:28:04 EST 2025)

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