When the World Turned Upside Down: Chapters 1–10

by K. Ibura
Fourth graders Shayla, Liam, Ben, and Ai struggle to adjust to quarantine life in their New York City apartment building during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–10, Chapters 11–21, Chapters 22–35
25 words 124 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. smirk
    smile in a mocking or condescending way
    The room was completely quiet and Megan was smirking at her from the next seat over.
  2. rambling
    straying from the main point or covering a range of subjects
    She was just about to launch into a rambling description of the chapter from last night’s homework when the principal rushed into the room and dumped an armful of orange papers on Ms. Breaux’s desk.
  3. slump
    fall or sink heavily
    “One second, class,” Ms. Breaux said, and Shayla slumped against the back of her chair in relief.
  4. assume
    take to be the case or to be true
    People assumed Ai was shy or that she was afraid to talk, but she didn’t mind talking—she just didn’t like silly conversations.
  5. hesitant
    unable to act or decide quickly or firmly
    As Ai and Shayla took tiny, hesitant steps in the dark closet, Mr. Ogebi opened the closet door wider.
  6. sliver
    (figurative) a small or narrow piece or slice
    The light from the classroom cut a tiny sliver in the darkness, showing Ai a slice of Liam’s pale cheeks and his dark red, curly hair.
  7. frantically
    in an uncontrolled manner
    They both frantically searched the air with their hands until they grabbed hold of Liam.
  8. trudge
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
    He trudged up to the front door, listening to the muffled sound of his parents’ voices.
  9. hunker down
    take shelter
    Ben sank into his desk chair and decided to hunker down in his room until his parents called him for dinner.
  10. abruptly
    quickly and without warning
    “I’m going to the park,” he said abruptly.
  11. anxiety
    a vague unpleasant emotion in anticipation of a misfortune
    Ai and Shayla didn’t seem bothered by Liam’s panic attacks, but his anxiety seemed to make Ben nervous.
  12. whir
    make a soft continuous sound, as of something in motion
    The machine never once stopped whirring.
  13. quarantine
    isolation to prevent the spread of infectious disease
    With midterms fast approaching, he refused to let the quarantine influence Kartika’s grades.
  14. glare
    an angry stare
    “What makes you think I would invite you in?” she asked with a glare.
  15. contradiction
    opposition between two conflicting forces or ideas
    Hanging out with Shayla was like one big contradiction. No matter how mad Ai got, she couldn’t turn off all the years they had been friends or all the memories.
  16. dissolve
    lose control emotionally
    Ai dissolved into chuckles, relieved to be laughing instead of thinking about her and Shayla’s broken friendship.
  17. pucker
    become wrinkled or drawn together
    The way Ben poked at the puckered chicken skin made Ai laugh out loud.
  18. frustration
    a feeling of annoyance at being hindered or criticized
    Even though his father was talking about things he loved—tagging and labeling cell images—his words were heavy with irritation and his face was tight with frustration.
  19. sift
    check and sort carefully
    As his mind sifted through the information he read, he realized three big things were repeated on every page: coughing, fever, and shortness of breath.
  20. bicker
    argue over petty things
    As Shayla and Ben bickered, Liam felt his stress ease just a little bit.
  21. antic
    a playful, attention-getting act done for fun and amusement
    It turned out that there wasn’t enough space in his mind for his friends’ antics and the panic.
  22. churn
    be agitated
    Shayla’s mind started churning when she heard Ms. Breaux say the biggest predator on the food chain couldn’t survive without the help of the tiniest prey—the little bugs that frogs and birds eat.
  23. skeptical
    marked by or given to doubt
    Ai looked at Ben skeptically as she put the new mask on top of the mask she was already wearing.
  24. jut
    extend out or project in space
    Ai stepped forward, groaning “Owwww” under her breath when she banged into a shelf that jutted out from the wall.
  25. rustling
    a light noise, like leaves blowing in the wind
    But before Ai could move, she heard a rustling coming from the hallway.
Created on Wed Mar 23 10:16:19 EDT 2022 (updated Fri Apr 01 14:38:04 EDT 2022)

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