Orphan Island: Chapters 1–5

by Laurel Snyder
A group of children live happily on an idyllic island — but once a year, a boat takes the oldest child away and brings a new child to the island. Jinny, now the eldest, must care for the new arrival while preparing for the day when she must leave.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–12, Chapters 13–18, Chapters 19–25
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. cove
    a small inlet
    Along the beach, everyone was running—bolting for the cove, summoned by the golden clatter of the bell, so bright in the dusk.
  2. prow
    the front part of a vessel
    In a handful of silent minutes, the boat slipped into the cove and nestled its green prow in the sand at their bare feet.
  3. lank
    long and thin and often limp
    His lank hair shook in his face.
  4. straggle
    go, come, or spread in a rambling or irregular way
    They hugged Deen good-bye and choked back their tears, or didn’t, and straggled back to their cabins.
  5. gruff
    deep and harsh sounding as if from shouting or emotion
    “Because.” Deen’s voice was gruff now, angry. “You know the words.”
  6. crane
    stretch, so as to see better
    She craned her neck, stared up into the reliably endless expanse overhead.
  7. exasperated
    greatly annoyed; out of patience
    Deen shook his head, exasperated. “Listen, Jinny, the island has rules for a reason. We have to follow them..."
  8. shift
    a loose-fitting dress hanging straight from the shoulders
    His sleeping shift, hung on a nail by the door. She switched both mugs to the same hand and reached for the shift.
  9. clamber
    climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling
    That had been the day Tate had gone away, clambered into the green boat eagerly.
  10. blunt
    characterized by directness in manner or speech
    Joon’s gaze was blunt, unsympathetic.
  11. wince
    draw back, as with fear or pain
    Jinny winced as she climbed up into the bed.
  12. patter
    make light, rapid and repeated sounds
    Still, as Jinny lay in bed, rubbing her tongue against the itchy burned roof of her mouth, listening to the night rain begin to patter on the roof of her cabin, and hugging Deen’s worn sleeping shift, which smelled so familiar, she couldn’t help wondering what it felt like...to remember.
  13. meek
    evidencing little spirit or courage
    Ess shrugged meekly, sniffing back tears.
  14. discreet
    marked by prudence or modesty and wise self-restraint
    Jinny turned her back to Ess and slipped as discreetly as she could out of her sleeping shift and into her tunic and pants, but when she turned back around to hang the sleeping shift on its hook, she found that Ess wasn’t looking at her.
  15. blanch
    turn pale, as if in fear
    Instead, the girl was deeply engaged in picking her nose. Jinny blanched at the sight but said nothing.
  16. writhe
    move in a twisting or contorted motion
    Above the mist in the distance over the water, the sun was beginning to streak and shine, sending golden snakes writhing out into the rich expanse of the sky and waking up the day.
  17. expanse
    a wide and open space or area, as of land, sea, or sky
    The girl’s eyes widened when the sky began to lighten, as the snakes continued to make their way into the morning, fingers of fire carving up the lavender expanse and setting pictures in motion.
  18. tuft
    a bunch or cluster of strands, as of grass, hair, etc.
    “You don’t have that kind of sunrise where you come from, huh?” Jinny asked, reaching over to pat down a tuft of curls that was sticking straight up from the girl’s head.
  19. emphatic
    forceful and definite in expression or action
    Ess shook her head emphatically.
  20. lisp
    mispronounce "s" and "z" when speaking
    Ess bounced lightly on her toes. “Ess,” she lisped.
  21. weathered
    worn by exposure to the elements
    She stretched out an arm and motioned at the line of eight weathered wooden buildings.
  22. lush
    produced or growing in extreme abundance
    Jinny would take Ess up the dunes and into the lush green center of the island, full of fruit trees, berry bushes, chickens, and the stream.
  23. brisk
    quick and energetic
    “Come on, Ess,” she called briskly over her shoulder. “There’s got to be something left to eat from yesterday’s fetch.”
  24. flail
    thrash about
    Ess ran like she was throwing herself forward, arms flailing.
  25. sprig
    a small branch or stem, usually with leaves or flowers
    When they were all gathered again by the fire, Ben scrambled some eggs and picked a few choice sprigs from the herb garden.
  26. ragged
    worn out from stress or strain
    “I think this is going to be nice—you and me,” Jinny whispered. She couldn’t keep the ragged edge from her voice when she added, “Don’t you think so too?”
  27. tarnish
    make or become dirty or dull, as by exposure to air
    She stared at a tiny shoe on top of the pile. It had a little tarnished buckle on a strap.
  28. furrow
    make or become wrinkled or creased
    Her brow was furrowed. She wasn't happy.
  29. trinket
    a small cheap ornament, knickknack, or piece of jewelry
    “When I was your age,” she said as she worked, “I loved bracelets. And necklaces. And rings. Trinkets of any kind, really. I don’t know why, but they always made me feel happy.”
  30. grubby
    thickly covered with ingrained dirt
    Ess petted the grubby band, then turned her big eyes up at Jinny and smiled.
  31. careen
    move sideways or in an unsteady way
    A moment later, with no warning at all, she turned around and careened back down the beach in the direction of camp.
  32. tender
    hurting
    So Jinny took pity on the girl’s tender feet and, with a groan, hefted her up onto a hip, to carry her the remainder of the hike, uphill at a steady pace.
  33. heft
    lift or elevate
    So Jinny took pity on the girl’s tender feet and, with a groan, hefted her up onto a hip, to carry her the remainder of the hike, uphill at a steady pace.
  34. tunic
    loose fitting cloak or blouse extending to the hips or knees
    There were stacks of garments—folded tunics and pants, sleeping shifts and wraps for the occasional cool evenings—all of them cut from the same soft gray-green cloth.
  35. deem
    judge or regard in a particular way
    Even if something had been deemed useless, there was no good place to throw it, except perhaps down the wishing hole.
  36. threadbare
    thin and tattered with age
    Since she happened to be there anyway, Jinny decided to swap her own pants for a fresh pair, as they’d been getting threadbare.
  37. voluminous
    large in capacity or bulk
    Like all the other kids, she now wore a tunic that fell to midthigh, with voluminous pockets, for when she went on a fetch.
  38. mesmerized
    having your attention fixated as though witchcraft
    Ess looked mesmerized by the moonball.
  39. tentative
    hesitant or lacking confidence; unsettled in mind or opinion
    Her hand hovered over the shell, tentative, as though she wanted to snatch it up.
  40. crestfallen
    brought low in spirit
    But before she could make up her mind to touch it, Eevie’s hand shot out and plucked it for herself. “And it’s mine!” she crowed, holding it up in the sunlight.
    Ess looked crestfallen.
Created on Sun Aug 19 16:16:27 EDT 2018 (updated Tue Aug 21 08:22:03 EDT 2018)

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