Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher: Chapters 8-10

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 6 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. wince
    draw back, as with fear or pain
    He winced as a sharp pain shot through his shoulder.
  2. nonverbal
    not using spoken or written language to communicate
    This nonverbal communication of Tiamat's was starting to get out of hand!
  3. ferocity
    the property of being aggressive or forceful
    He was appalled by the dragon's ferocity. No wonder Grief was hiding under the table!
  4. sluggish
    lacking energy, quickness, or alertness
    "I try to keep the door closed, but I guess I had so much on my mind this morning that I didn't pull it tight. Thank goodness I gave Tiamat her milk before I went to school. No telling what she might have done to Grief if she hadn't been feeling sluggish."
  5. chronicle
    a record or narrative description of past events
    While Jeremy doctored Mary Lou's hand they started to talk about books. By the time they returned to the house they were deep in an argument about the Chronicles of Narnia.
  6. careen
    move at high speed and in an uncontrolled way
    The cat was careening around the table, stepping on people's plates and knocking over glasses.
  7. commotion
    a disorderly outburst or tumult
    The commotion attracted Grief, who ran into the room to see what all the excitement was about.
  8. shambles
    a condition of great disorder
    Jeremy looked at the clock. Dinner had started at 6:30. It had taken only until 6:32 to turn the room into a total shambles.
  9. cope
    come to terms with
    "If you have another day when you just can't cope with art, why don't you come down here for a little while?"
  10. tamper
    play around with, alter, or falsify, usually dishonestly
    He examined his shoe carefully, searching for signs of tampering. "I want to know who did this," he said. "And I want to know now."
    When no one answered, Mr. Kravitz grew even angrier. "That does it!" he roared. "Until the coward who did this confesses, Room Nineteen is banned from the art contest."
  11. appalling
    causing shock, dismay, or horror
    The idea was appalling. If he did confess, what was he going to say when Mr. Kravitz asked, as he was bound to, how Jeremy had done it?
  12. antic
    a playful, attention-getting act done for fun and amusement
    Her antics made it hard to pay attention to Specimen.
  13. antiseptic
    a substance that destroys harmful microorganisms
    "Is this stuff good for any animal?" he asked as his father smeared the salve on his scratches.
    "All-purpose antiseptic," said Dr. Thatcher. "Guaranteed to zap germs before they can get a foothold."
  14. blight
    something that spoils, destroys, or impairs
    Dragons live for a tremendous time, of course, but during the second century of this blight, they began to fear that their kind would become extinct after all.
  15. dormant
    in a condition of biological rest or suspended animation
    Aaron brought a dragon's egg home with him, to see if it could be hatched here in the world where dragons had once lived. He discovered that without our moon to quicken it, a dragon's egg remains dormant forever.
Created on Fri Sep 12 20:17:57 EDT 2025 (updated Sun Nov 09 12:49:48 EST 2025)

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