Savvy: Five Years Later

by Ingrid Law
All Beaumonts receive a unique superpower when they turn thirteen. After her father falls into a coma, Mibs Beaumont goes on a journey to save him, hoping that the superpower she'll get on her birthday will be able to wake him.

"Five Years Later" vocabulary is from the 10th Anniversary Edition.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–8, Chapters 9–16, Chapters 17–25, Chapters 26–37, Five Years Later
25 words 7 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. utterly
    completely and without qualification
    Trying not to dwell on the knowledge that, by day’s end, I’d likely feel utterly different than I felt yesterday.
  2. sanity
    normal or sound powers of mind
    All morning, I’d been trying to prepare the only way I knew how, conserving my energy—and my sanity—in the manner that best suited me, finding a quiet spot where I could be alone.
  3. preoccupation
    the mental state of being obsessed by something
    But four-year-old Tucker easily made up for my long clammed-up silences and the hours Gypsy spent in a state of day-dreamy preoccupation.
  4. succession
    a following of one thing after another in time
    “Hey, everyone! Someone's here!” Tucker’s voice rang through the house as the car in the driveway killed its engine and three car doors opened and slammed closed in quick succession: Bang! Bang! Bang!
  5. bevy
    a large gathering of people of a particular type
    Would more and more relatives and strangers continue to arrive, until I was suffocated by a bevy of brash voices and birthday hugs?
  6. brash
    offensively bold
    Would more and more relatives and strangers continue to arrive, until I was suffocated by a bevy of brash voices and birthday hugs?
  7. introvert
    a person who tends to shrink from social contacts
    Momma and Poppa had taught me the word introvert before I could spell my own name, explaining that some people need a hefty dose of alone time to recharge their batteries, to store up the fortitude they need to give their best to others and the world. But I was sure I was downright demophobic. I learned that word on my own. It means: afraid of crowds.
  8. brandish
    move or swing back and forth
    She chased after him, brandishing her roll of tape.
  9. parcel
    a wrapped package
    I stood in place, holding my teetering armful of books and parcels high.
  10. ambrosia
    a fruit dessert, often topped with shredded coconut
    She clutched a Bible and a giftwrapped present in one arm, her purse and a large bowl of ambrosia salad in the other.
  11. disoriented
    having lost your bearings
    I looked down at my hands and became immediately disoriented. My hands were gone.
  12. scuff
    mar or wear away by rubbing or scraping
    Looking down, I saw the scuffed wooden porch boards beneath my feet.
  13. incorporeal
    without material form or substance
    Because my feet were now invisible, and, apparently, incorporeal.
  14. outlandish
    noticeably or extremely unconventional or unusual
    The pastor's wife had never grown entirely accustomed to the outlandish things that occurred whenever we Beaumonts were involved.
  15. flimsy
    lacking solidity or strength
    “He has gone a little”—my sister cocked her head and squinted—“a little airy. A little flimsy-filmy. But I can totally see his eyelashes and edges. Oh! Samson!”
  16. warble
    sing or play with trills
    I could still hear the buzz and snap of grasshopper wings. The warbling songs of the meadowlarks.
  17. palpable
    capable of being perceived
    It began in my toes, a slow-building supply of palpable energy, ready for...ready for...what exactly?
  18. steadfast
    marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
    When I peeked out from inside the hammock, they were all still there, each with a steadfast hand resting on the hammock.
  19. unwavering
    marked by firm determination or resolution
    Unwavering devotion sat fixed on all their features. Clearly, none of them planned to leave my side anytime soon.
  20. materialize
    come into being; become reality
    I was startled when a buzzy sensation began to zigzag between the creases in my palm, and patches of my hand began to materialize again, if only for a moment.
  21. furrow
    make or become wrinkled or creased
    My brow furrowed. What had made that happen?
  22. filament
    a thin wire heated by the passage of an electric current
    When he straightened up, blue filaments of electricity lit his eyes, and then crackled out from every part of him, sizzling in high-frequency, high-voltage alternating currents.
  23. tendril
    something long, light, slender, and often curling
    The snaking tendrils of blue light immediately developed a positively charged channel between the earth and Fish's storm clouds.
  24. blubber
    cry or whine with snuffling
    Sniffing and blubbering, she pressed a bag of frozen peas against her chin.
  25. quirk
    twist or curve abruptly
    “Thumb war?” I challenged her, quirking a half-smile.
Created on Wed Apr 06 10:03:17 EDT 2022 (updated Mon Apr 11 09:25:21 EDT 2022)

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