Turtle Boy: Part Four

by M. Evan Wolkenstein
A seventh grader begins to come out of his shell after he forms an unexpected bond with a terminally ill teen.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four
30 words 19 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. labored
    requiring or showing effort
    His breathing is labored, like his lungs are wet sponges.
  2. disoriented
    having lost your bearings
    She breathes deeply for a moment, the way I did the one single time I jumped off a diving board and resurfaced, disoriented from the plunge, the noise, the bubbles, but back in the world I’d come from.
  3. glower
    look angry or sullen as if to signal disapproval
    I throw the sticks down onto the floor and sit, glowering at her.
  4. excavate
    recover through digging
    The place where I went to excavate for a bass drum and found an old suitcase full of odds and ends.
  5. ceremonious
    rigidly formal or bound by convention
    “That’s Dad’s stuff?” I say, horrified at how unceremoniously I dumped it into the hamper.
  6. spire
    a tall tower that forms the superstructure of a building
    My room has a view of the Milwaukee River and the snow that’s settling on the buildings and church spires and roads and little cars down below.
  7. groggy
    stunned or confused and slow to react
    Before bed, I called RJ to say I’d visit as soon as I could, but he was groggy and distant.
  8. prompt
    assist by suggesting the next words of something
    “Will, I know you’re worried about your jaw being wired shut,” Mom prompts. “Did you want to ask Dr. Haffetz about that?”
  9. gurney
    a metal stretcher with wheels
    I feel the gurney start to move, and for a moment, despite the medicine to help me feel calm, a surge of hot adrenaline shoots through my body.
  10. void
    lacking any legal or binding force
    Mom decorated the inside like a homemade coupon.
    Good for FREE drum lessons.
    User must practice drums between lessons 
or coupon is null and VOID.
  11. agonize
    suffer anguish
    If I move it the wrong way, an agonizing pain stabs all the way down my throat.
  12. sneer
    a facial expression of contempt or scorn
    My teeth are banded together, so when I talk, my lips draw back to reveal a pained smile, a sore sneer.
  13. imperceptible
    impossible or difficult to sense
    And then, like Mom does as she completes the Kaddish, I bow: just the tiniest, most imperceptible nod—once to the left.
  14. bludgeon
    strike with a club
    “You seem much less swollen. And I think the change is remarkable.”
    He’s trying to be nice, but my cheeks and eye sockets look and feel like they’ve been bludgeoned.
  15. suture
    a seam used in surgery
    I’m not supposed to brush my teeth until the sutures dissolve in another week or so.
  16. testament
    a legal document disposing of property after a death
    Being of sound mind, I do hereby declare that this document is my last will and testament.
  17. executor
    a person appointed to carry out the terms of the will
    I nominate Rabbi Harris Goldberg, Executor of this Will, to serve without bond.
  18. billow
    rise and move, as in waves
    He grabs the corner of the tarp and lifts it off as a gust of wind comes along, billowing the tarp out like a sail.
  19. deliberate
    carefully thought out in advance
    Under the brand name, someone drew two very deliberate and bold letters: RJ.
  20. grim
    filled with melancholy and despondency
    I’m happy to see him, but my mood has been so grim, I almost can’t handle his joy.
  21. residue
    matter that remains after something has been removed
    As we walk, people lean in to touch the Torah with their prayer books, kissing the covers as if the brief contact left a sacred residue.
  22. parchment
    a superior paper resembling sheepskin
    The Hebrew on the parchment froths in front of me, and I lower the silver tip to the first black, glossy letter to anchor it in place.
  23. dispatch
    send away towards a designated goal
    They dispatch scouts to determine what sorts of dangers might lie ahead.
  24. relentless
    not willing or able to stop or yield
    Me. Alone onstage. RJ pushed me to do it. He was relentless.
  25. rehabilitation
    use of therapies to restore or improve physical function
    In the past few months, I’ve gone to as many Bar Mitzvahs as I could, and I’ve gotten involved in Ms. Kuper’s new Wild Animal Rehabilitation program. I teach other kids how to care for injured reptiles.
  26. constrict
    squeeze or push together
    It suddenly feels tight; so tight it’s constricting my oxygen flow.
  27. subtle
    difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
    I see Ms. Kuper make a subtle fist, a show of solidarity.
  28. solidarity
    a union of interests or purposes among members of a group
    I see Ms. Kuper make a subtle fist, a show of solidarity.
  29. compassion
    a deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering
    Amazingly, there is no fear. Instead, there is an ocean of warmth and compassion and concern before me, keeping me afloat.
  30. peripheral
    on or near an edge or constituting an outer boundary
    A giant, terrifying shape moves past my peripheral vision.
Created on Thu Sep 30 11:05:22 EDT 2021 (updated Tue Oct 05 11:34:48 EDT 2021)

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