Ice Magic: Chapters 9–13

by Matt Christopher
When middle schooler Pie Pennelli is told by the Byrd twins that his recent hockey game had exactly the same moves and score as the one they'd played on a toy the night before, he is unsure what to think about this possible magic.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–8, Chapters 9–13
30 words 17 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. weary
    physically and mentally fatigued
    “C’mon, Pie. Wake up,” Terry said as he skated up beside the weary wingman. “If you’re tired, why don’t you get off the ice? Let somebody else take over.”
  2. voluntarily
    out of your own free will
    Pie wanted to do that desperately, but he wouldn’t go voluntarily. He preferred to have the coach call him off.
  3. agility
    the gracefulness of a quick and nimble person or animal
    Ed Courtney was protecting the net with all the ability and agility he had, but he didn’t have enough of either one.
  4. converge
    move or draw together at a certain location
    Suddenly blue and white uniforms converged on him, with sticks looking like the tentacles of a ruffled octopus.
  5. ruffle
    disturb the composure of
    Suddenly blue and white uniforms converged on him, with sticks looking like the tentacles of a ruffled octopus.
  6. hazy
    indistinct in outline
    Suddenly his vision got hazy. His head swam, and his legs became like jelly.
  7. occur
    come to one's mind
    A thought occurred to him.
  8. defiantly
    in a rebellious manner
    Pie stood his ground. “We saw you looking through the window the other night,” he said defiantly.
  9. mockery
    showing your contempt by derision
    “Maybe it disappeared by itself. It was magic, wasn’t it?” A laugh of mockery tore from his lips.
  10. practically
    almost; nearly
    “I’ve talked with Terry Mason about it. I practically accused him of stealing the game.”
  11. partition
    a vertical structure that divides or separates
    His father started to build a partition in the basement to make a carpentry shop for himself, and Pie helped him.
  12. revert
    go back to a previous state
    Working got his mind off the missing toy hockey game. But when they finished for the day his thoughts reverted back to it.
  13. unintentional
    not done with purpose or intent
    “Dad had put it on a shelf in the basement and then covered it with an old rug! Unintentionally!”
  14. conscience
    motivation deriving from ethical or moral principles
    He’d rather jump into ice-cold water than apologize to Terry Mason. But, as Jody Byrd had said, the guilt would rest on his conscience if he didn’t.
  15. descend
    move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
    After visiting for a while with Mr. and Mrs. Byrd, he and the twins descended to the basement, sat at the table in front of the toy hockey game, chose their teams, and started to play.
  16. margin
    an amount beyond the minimum necessary
    In the second period Pie tried his best to tie up the score, but his shots kept missing by slim margins.
  17. lever
    a rigid bar pivoted about a fulcrum
    Then, about a minute later, Pie’s right wing failed to budge when Pie twisted the control lever.
  18. stationary
    not capable of being moved
    He twisted it this way and that, but the figure remained almost stationary.
  19. laden
    filled with a great quantity
    Jody produced a hammer from a wall laden with tools and handed it to him.
  20. conviction
    an unshakable belief in something without need for proof
    “In my opinion it definitely means something,” Joliette said with conviction.
  21. sprawl
    sit or lie with one's limbs spread out
    In a second he found himself sprawled on the ice while the Hawk defenseman dribbled the puck toward Penguin territory.
  22. apparently
    seemingly; as far as one can tell
    Apparently apologizing to Terry for accusing him of stealing the Byrd twins’ toy hockey game hadn’t changed his attitude a bit.
  23. anticipate
    make a prediction about; tell in advance
    Anticipating the play, Pie bolted forward, stretched out his stick, and intercepted the pass.
  24. indignantly
    in a manner showing anger at something unjust or wrong
    “I can see,” Pie replied indignantly.
  25. instinctive
    unthinking
    Instinctively, Pie shot the puck to him.
  26. kindle
    call forth, as an emotion, feeling, or response
    Pie skated around the net, a spark of pride kindled in his heart.
  27. plaudit
    enthusiastic approval
    The pass was perfect. Terry stopped it, and with a quick snap, scored.
    Again Terry received the plaudits from his teammates.
  28. reel
    walk as if unable to control one's movements
    Pie clambered to his feet and a sudden discovery reeled him. Something was wrong with his right skate!
  29. gingerly
    in a manner marked by extreme care or delicacy
    He scooped it up and carried it gingerly to a little blond-haired girl behind the boards.
  30. resume
    take up or begin anew
    The laughter changed to applause as Pam sat down with the cat on her lap, and Terry returned to the ice, shaking his head and smiling.
    The game resumed.
Created on Mon May 08 10:57:31 EDT 2023 (updated Thu May 11 13:39:56 EDT 2023)

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