Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda: Chapters 29-35

by Becky Albertalli
In this funny and heartwarming novel, sixteen-year-old Simon Spier finds himself in the middle of a real-life drama when a classmate threatens to expose his secrets. Learn these words from Becky Albertalli's award-winning debut.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1-7, Chapters 8-14, Chapters 15-21, Chapters 22-28, Chapters 29-35

Here is a link to our lists for Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. sarcastic
    expressing or expressive of ridicule that wounds
    “Well, what? Do you actually want to talk about it,” I ask, “or do you just want to be really sarcastic and not tell me what’s going on? Because if you’re just going to laugh at me—seriously—you’re going to have to wait in line.”
  2. obsessed
    having excessive or compulsive concern with something
    “Listen,” says my mom, poking my foot again. “I don’t want to cramp your style, but maybe you could just humor us? Keep us in the loop about stuff where you can, and we’ll try not to be weird and obsessed.”
  3. parole
    a conditional release from imprisonment
    You’re still grounded, but you get parole this weekend.
  4. abrupt
    surprisingly and unceremoniously brusque in manner
    These clipped, abrupt answers. She almost seems annoyed.
  5. taut
    pulled or drawn tight
    She uncaps the pencil and pulls my eyelid taut, and I try not to squirm.
  6. crotchety
    having a difficult and contrary disposition
    Taylor is perfectly earnest, and Martin is perfectly crotchety, and Abby is so lively and funny that it's almost like our conversation in the dressing room never happened.
  7. persistent
    continually recurring to the mind
    The way I feel about him is like a heartbeat—soft and persistent, underlying everything.
  8. objective
    undistorted by emotion or personal bias
    It’s objective, indisputable truth: Every email Blue ever sent me is time-stamped.
  9. scenario
    a postulated sequence of possible events
    And I can't imagine a scenario where I won't want to kiss your face off as soon as I see you.
  10. determined
    characterized by great firmness of purpose
    And how pissed off and determined she looked, slapping the handbook down on that chair backstage.
  11. postscript
    a note appended to a letter after the signature
    It’s another note on blue-green construction paper, and it starts with a postscript.
  12. perpetual
    uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing
    I love your perpetual bed head.
  13. coax
    influence or persuade by gentle and persistent urging
    He has these lips that meet just barely, like the slightest touch would coax them open.
  14. eerie
    inspiring a feeling of fear; strange and frightening
    There’s something beautiful and eerie about a darkened, unmoving Ferris wheel.
  15. giddy
    having or causing a whirling sensation; liable to falling
    And then he grins back, and I’m giddy and breathless and kind of unraveled.
  16. pantomime
    a performance using gestures and movements without words
    And then I blush and he lowers his eyes, and it’s like this entire pantomime of nervous gestures.
  17. muster
    summon up, call forth, or bring together
    So, we walk out the side door and briskly through the parking lot with as much confidence as we can muster.
  18. exception
    a deliberate act of omission
    And of course his music selection is perfect. A lot of classic soul and newer hip-hop. A surprising amount of bluegrass. A single guilty pleasure song by Justin Bieber. And, without exception, every album or musician I’ve ever mentioned in my emails.
  19. taper
    give a point to
    I watch the droplets slide in tapering diagonals across the window.
  20. luminous
    softly bright or radiant
    But there’s Bram, carrying a grocery basket, and his curls are damp and his eyes are luminous.
  21. instantaneous
    occurring with no delay
    At 8:11, Simon Spier is no longer Single either. Which generates about five million Likes and an instantaneous comment from Abby Suso: LIKE LIKE LIKE.
  22. accost
    approach and speak to someone aggressively or insistently
    Abby accosts me at my locker.
  23. spangled
    covered with beads or jewels or sequins
    The school talent show is on Friday, and someone’s already hung spangled gold tassels in front of the curtains.
  24. wry
    humorously sarcastic or mocking
    I love his wry smile.
  25. access
    the right to make use of or take advantage of something
    “One night of parole in exchange for ten minutes of access to your Facebook.”
  26. platonic
    free from physical desire
    “You’re platonically obsessed with her!” she yells.
  27. version
    something a little different from others of the same type
    There’s this huge part of me, and I’m still trying it on. And I don’t know how it fits together. How I fit together. It’s like a new version of me.
  28. inadequate
    lacking the requisite qualities or resources to meet a task
    I don't even know where to begin with all of this, so I guess I'll just start by saying I'm sorry. Even though I know that sorry is a completely inadequate word, and maybe I should be doing this in person, but you probably don't even want to look at me, so I guess it is what it is.
  29. utopia
    ideally perfect state
    My parents are trying to turn it into this big awesome thing, and so now our house is like this gay utopia.
  30. rapt
    feeling great delight and interest
    He’s staring raptly forward, with straight posture and a smile edging his lips.
  31. synchronicity
    the relation that exists when things occur at the same time
    In a group, you can look for synchronicity. But Abby controls her own motion; and yet, every movement and gesture feels rich and deliberate and true.
  32. vast
    unusually great in size or amount or extent or scope
    Bram was right: people really are like houses with vast rooms and tiny windows. And maybe it’s a good thing, the way we never stop surprising each other.
  33. orchestrate
    plan and direct (a complex undertaking)
    “I mean, it’s a little creepy having my sister orchestrate the whole thing.”
  34. stalk
    recur constantly and spontaneously to
    “I'm lying. I’ve been stalking him on Facebook,” she says, hugging me.
  35. converge
    come together so as to form a single product
    And then they want to gush about the rest of the band and Abby, so we sort of converge into one big group.
Created on Mon Jul 24 14:09:33 EDT 2017 (updated Fri May 25 10:17:18 EDT 2018)

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