Among the Hidden Vocabulary Chapters 6-10

Vocabulary: Chapters 6-10 Hangdog: shamefaced or guilty; downcast He came home with a hangdog expression on his face after he failed his math test.

Vocabulary: Chapters 6-10 Stupefied: stunned; shocked The high school graduate was stupefied when she walked outside and saw her new car.

Vocabulary: Chapters 6-10 Apparatus: equipment The astronauts have special breathing apparatus to help them breathe in space.

Vocabulary: Chapters 6-10 Countered: argued against "I mean, that's their problem, " he countered.

Vocabulary: Chapters 6-10 Chaos: disorder; confusion The chaos in the cafeteria began when one student threw his lunch at another student.

Vocabulary: Chapters 6-10 Guffawed: laughed out loud He guffawed at his brother’s joke.

Vocabulary: Chapters 6-10 Incredulously: in a disbelieving or skeptical way  Many people were incredulous that such a small fire could have caused so much damage.

Vocabulary: Chapters 6-10 Scoffed: ridiculed; made fun of The group of boys scoffed at the girl for tripping.

Vocabulary: Chapters 6-10 Taunted: mocked; insulted; jeered The girls taunted Maria because she failed the test.

Vocabulary: Chapters 6-10 Teetering: wobbling She took a teetering step before she could balance herself on the balance beam.

Vocabulary: Chapters 6-10 Tentatively: not fully worked out or agreed on; uncertainly; hesitantly She tentatively raised her hand after the teacher asked the class a confusing question.

Vocabulary: Chapters 6-10 Zeal: enthusiasm His zeal and energy helped him get the job!

Chapter 6 Summary: After the government’s letter, Mr. Garner and his two oldest sons get rid of their pigs while Luke watches from his vent-window in his attic-room. To make matters worse, a tax bill comes on the same day and it is three times what it usually is. Mrs. Garner thinks it a mistake but their neighbors confirm that everyone's taxes have gone up. And it's all due to those fancy houses going up behind the Garners' farm. Luke's mom is going back to work to earn some more money. Luke starts to ask who's going to stay with him, but stops when he realizes that no one else is having the same surprised reaction.

Chapter 7 Summary: Luke's daily routine is now filled with a lot of alone time. Lots and lots of alone time, but he keeps himself somewhat entertained by checking out the mansions being built and watching potential buyers come to view them. The people looking to move in are called Barons and they are the very rich. Luke notices how they dress differently from his family and also counts kids: always two. At one point he envisions a family moving in with only one child and then being able to live with them. When he's done with (or bored of) people-watching from his vent, he rereads some of the few books his family owns. Naturally, his favorites are adventure stories that allow him to be someone other than Luke Garner for a while. The highlight of Luke's day is actually at the end when his mom comes to tuck him in. But one day she falls asleep in the middle of telling him a story and he realizes the strain that their lifestyle is having on her. It requires a lot of courage, but Luke suggests that maybe he's too old to be tucked in.

Chapter 8 Summary: One morning, the entire family is in such a rush to get to school and work that they forget to raise the window shade in the kitchen. Luke peeks around the corner and sees that all the window shades are down. In a daring move, Luke puts one foot on the kitchen floor and hears a squeak. Looking out his vent, Luke surveys his now familiar neighbors. He nicknames them: the Big Car Family, the Gold Family, the Birdbrain Family, and the Sports Family. He meticulously counts every person who leaves the street until he's positive they're all gone. 28 people. Luke is ecstatic to be able to retreat from the confines of his attic-room and finds excitement in doing simple things like household chores. But then he gets just a little too confident and decides to bake bread and turn on the radio just a teeny bit. Everything is going great until Luke hears someone coming up the driveway. He dashes up the stairs to hide and then hears someone enter the house. Next thing he hears is his father yelling for him. Yeah, he's not supposed to be home this early. Mr. Garner is mad! He runs through all the potentially disastrous scenarios that could have occurred and orders Luke to stay hidden. Up in his room, Luke looks out at his neighbors' empty property. He's certain that he accounted for every person's departure. Okay, so whose face does he see in The Sports Family window?

Chapter 9 Summary: Luke's mind is going a mile a minute as he tries to process what he just saw. A face. In a house that is supposed to be empty. He keeps his eyes glued to the Sports Family house for hours until the family comes home. A half hour later Luke's mom comes up to see him, obviously to talk about his afternoon activities (which Luke almost forgot about since his full attention has been on that face). The topic naturally arrives at Luke having to stay hidden and Luke isn't thrilled with the situation. But his mind wanders back to that face in the window. Could that kid have been another third child just like Luke?

Chapter 10 Summary: That night at dinner, Luke's mom is showing off the bread that he made earlier. Taking a chance, Luke asks if they could draw the shades and have him sit at the table. Mr. Garner doesn't go for that, but understandably: someone might see his shadow. Can't blame Luke for trying, right? When Mark says "Yuck" in response to learning that Luke made the bread, Luke comes back and replies that he poisoned it to only affect 14-year-olds. Sure, it's a joke, but it makes Luke think: if something ever happened to one of his brothers, could he be the 2nd child? Obviously he can't ask that but it's a good question nonetheless. Turns out the bread doesn't taste that good. Mr. Garner says it's no big deal since "That's what a man gets married for." While Matt and Mark tease Luke about getting married and Luke saying he won't invite them, Luke recognizes that he won't ever get married since he won't ever leave the house. Kind hard to meet girls when you live in an attic. Shortly after that, Luke excuses himself from dinner (which he is never the first to do). Back in the attic he stares out of the vent. He can easily see lights on in the neighboring houses. And even some shadows, too. Except for the Sports Family. Their blinds didn't let any light out nor any peeping eyes to see in.