Mr. Lemoncello and the Titanium Ticket: Chapters 39–58

by Chris Grabenstein
In this fifth book of the series Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics, middle schoolers compete for admission into the Ohioan billionaire game inventor's top-secret new building, which holds four tickets to a competition for a grand prize.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Prologue–Chapter 8, Chapters 9–20, Chapters 21–38, Chapters 39–58
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. venture
    proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
    He dragged his hand across the game board, venturing outside the limits created by the square of nine dots.
  2. console
    a scientific instrument with displays and an input device
    She tapped a button on the video console’s control panel and they started singing and dancing again.
  3. bout
    a contest or fight
    They’d finally wrapped up their Rock ’Em Sock ’Em Robots bout and had moved on to a railroad train game called Ticket to Ride.
  4. orchestrate
    plan and direct (a complex undertaking)
    Soraiya and Mario won their battle in record time. Probably because Mario rigged up what amounted to a domino drop and toppled most of the enemy red bricks in an extremely clever, well- orchestrated move.
  5. stature
    the height of a standing person
    SMALL WAS MY STATURE, BUT MY SUCCESS WAS GREAT.
  6. whimsical
    indulging in or influenced by the imagination
    “It’s ‘all the brain-puzzling fun of Rush Hour combined with the whimsical magic of Candy Land.’”
  7. treacle
    a syrup made of sugar cane
    “The game grid is filled with melted molasses?” said Soraiya when they reached the exhibit and smelled the thick, treacly scent of sugarcane boiled down to a syrup.
  8. galosh
    a waterproof overshoe that protects shoes from water or snow
    “Guess that’s why there’re two pairs of snow boots under that bench.”
    “So,” said Soraiya as they sat down to slip on the rubbery galoshes, “are you still glad you’re Mario today?”
  9. bog
    wet spongy ground of decomposing vegetation
    Their feet made all sorts of rude noises as they slogged through the sticky bog.
  10. slate
    designate or schedule
    Zooming in on their IPad, Mr. McClintock discovered that Haley and Carolyn were slated to play Battleship, too.
  11. caboose
    a car on a freight train for use of the train crew
    Upstairs on the fourth floor, Akimi and Piya remained bogged down, hooking up a caboose to their choo-choo train.
  12. turbulent
    agitated vigorously
    Suddenly, turbulent waves started churning across the water, rocking the submarine.
  13. adrenaline
    hormone secreted by the adrenal gland in response to stress
    Simon felt adrenaline rush through his body.
  14. stout
    courageous and dependable
    “Very well,” announced Mr. Lemoncello, “that rule has been bent, but like a stout-hearted willow tree in a stiff breeze, it is not broken. Play on, contestants! Play on!”
  15. vie
    compete for something
    I am pleased to report that there are now five sons and daughters of Gameworks employees vying for the first titanium ticket: Carolyn Hudson, Piya Sarkarati, Soraiya Mitchell, Jack McClintock, and Simon Skrindle, the player formerly known as Mario.
  16. durable
    capable of withstanding wear and tear and decay
    “And,” said another factory worker, “they’re made out of high-quality, very durable styrene-butadiene rubber!”
  17. exclusively
    without any others being included or involved
    Soraiya and Simon chose to bend the rule about coaches coming exclusively from Ohio.
  18. seethe
    be in an agitated emotional state
    “That’s my grandson,” seethed Simon’s grandfather.
  19. grim
    harshly uninviting or formidable in manner or appearance
    It figured that Simon’s grim grandfather would pick the dreariest room in the building for their chat.
  20. stark
    severely simple
    It was a stark room with a high ceiling—maybe twenty feet tall.
  21. tribute
    something given or done as an expression of esteem
    “This entire Board Game Hall of Fame was built as a tribute to your parents, Simon.”
  22. resourceful
    adroit or imaginative
    By the way—I’ve noted how clever and resourceful you are.
  23. buffet
    strike against forcefully
    A burst of lemon-scented compressed air shot up from the basement and buffeted Simon and Soraiya, making their baggy, sweaty clothes balloon up into thick cotton parachutes.
  24. trestle
    a supporting tower used to support a bridge
    After they’d finally finished their Ticket to Ride transcontinental railroad (and earned two sets of letter-filled bubbles instead of just one), they had ridden that railroad across a towering trestle bridge to the mysterious island of Catan, a strange land made up of interlocking hexagons.
  25. dung
    fecal matter of animals
    She landed in a very realistic-smelling pile of artificial sheep dung.
  26. nook
    a secluded place, corner, or recessed area
    There’s a controller tucked into a nook back here.
  27. override
    counteract the normal operation of
    You can manually override the big head’s preprogrammed moves.
  28. queasy
    feeling nausea
    A giant plastic head with a queasy expression on its face lumbered into the room.
  29. reflexive
    without volition or conscious control
    She and Simon reflexively took one step backward as the big pimple-popping head swerved on its wobbly wheels.
  30. sabotage
    destroy property or hinder normal operations
    I mean, I was sick to my stomach when I saw how Jack McClintock sabotaged you in that outdoor board game.
  31. jut
    extend out or project in space
    It jutted out like a foothold in a rock climbing wall.
  32. precarious
    fraught with danger
    “Hey!” shouted Jack from his precarious perch.
  33. elaborate
    marked by complexity and richness of detail
    Simon quickly scaled his tower’s final footholds, pulled open the glass door covering the grandfather clock’s elaborate face, reached in, and plucked out the titanium ticket from beneath the smiling moon.
  34. emblazon
    decorate, adorn, or inscribe with a design
    Soraiya read what was emblazoned on the medallion: “Safety First!”
  35. successor
    a person who inherits some title or office
    “Now then,” he said, “if my grandson and his friend Soraiya here are really going to take over your factory...”
    “They might,” said Mr. Lemoncello, bouncing on his heels. “We’re already planning a few more competitions in our tournament to determine my successor.”
Created on Thu Mar 09 17:03:17 EST 2023 (updated Wed Mar 15 11:51:58 EDT 2023)

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