Consider the Octopus: Chapters 14–25

by Nora Raleigh Baskin, Gae Polisner
When twelve-year-old Jeremy Barnes is asked by his mother to contact scientists to attend a global summit on a research ship, he accidentally invites not-the-marine-biologist Sidney Miller, who is looking for an adventure that's better than summer camp.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–13, Chapters 14–25, Chapters 26–36
35 words 13 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. idle
    run disconnected
    I blink at him down at the dock, where three gray inflatables idle and SEAmester kids are tentatively climbing in.
  2. tentatively
    in a hesitant manner
    I blink at him down at the dock, where three gray inflatables idle and SEAmester kids are tentatively climbing in.
  3. straddle
    sit or stand astride of
    “I can do that,” she says, as we straddle the side of the inflatable and climb on.
  4. grudge
    a resentment strong enough to justify retaliation
    She said that the universe didn't hold grudges, and if I changed my mind, it only meant that this wasn't meant to happen.
  5. suffice
    be adequate, either in quality or quantity
    I manage, "Hi,” which seems to suffice, because there is no way I am going to remember the name of the kid I’m pretending to be.
  6. paramount
    more important than anything else; supreme
    "My first job is...your safety...paramount...know that number one risk...not drowning...slip and falls...pay attention...steps, so seriously...life jackets...number one focus.”
  7. helm
    steering mechanism for a vessel
    The bridge is festive and crowded with our crew plus the scientists who showed, plus the SEAmester kids, all with their lanyards, and seasickness bracelets, and nautical-themed cocktail napkins decorated with helms and oars and anchors waving in the air as everyone talks.
  8. roil
    be agitated
    My stomach roils because I haven't even had time to think much about all that gross stuff about the two of them with how busy we've all been getting ready for this.
  9. wrangle
    herd or round up
    “My awesome scientist wrangler!” She holds out her arm to take me into a half hug and I let her, then wriggle free as fast as I can. “Look at all these global experts. Not bad. Do you see what an amazing job you did?”
  10. chivalrous
    attentive and honorable like an ideal knight
    “Anyway, I had to show a SEAmester kid to the bathroom. I should go back and find her now, and bring her back here to the bridge.”
    “How nice of you!” she says, squeezing me again. “See, Captain? How 'bout this nice, smart, chivalrous kid that I raised?”
  11. murky
    cloudy, dirty, and difficult to see through
    I look through the plastic to the murky water inside Rachel Carson's bag. “But I do know I've got to get you into some fresh water.”
  12. resignation
    acceptance of an unpleasant but inevitable situation
    I let go a big sigh of resignation and open my eyes, and what I see directly in front of me is a huge map sealed under thick plexiglass and affixed with metal bolts to the wall.
  13. schematic
    diagram of an electrical or mechanical system
    It's a schematic of the entire ship, all labeled. The galley. Engine room. Every hallway, like a giant maze.
  14. copious
    large in number or quantity
    "And fluffy baby birds eating copious amounts of garbage, you'll agree, is our best chance at the kind of flashy story that will really interest reporters.”
  15. flashy
    tastelessly showy
    "And fluffy baby birds eating copious amounts of garbage, you'll agree, is our best chance at the kind of flashy story that will really interest reporters.”
  16. critical
    urgently needed; absolutely necessary
    This work we’re doing is important. Critical. Since when is the death of our oceans not a big enough story?
  17. ginger
    having a bright orange-brown color
    She nods at a super-tall ginger-haired girl.
  18. elaborate
    marked by complexity and richness of detail
    Jeremy seemed pretty proud about his elaborate ruse for sneaking out of his cabin after dinner, telling his mom he was going to the game room to play video games with someone named Henry, and then how he told Henry he was going to bed early with a headache, even though he doesn't seem like the kind of kid who gets headaches.
  19. ruse
    a deceptive maneuver, especially to avoid capture
    Jeremy seemed pretty proud about his elaborate ruse for sneaking out of his cabin after dinner, telling his mom he was going to the game room to play video games with someone named Henry, and then how he told Henry he was going to bed early with a headache, even though he doesn't seem like the kind of kid who gets headaches.
  20. unobtrusive
    not undesirably noticeable
    Sidney waves tentatively when she sees me, eyes bugged wide, waving hand glued unobtrusively down at her side.
  21. perturbed
    thrown into a state of agitated confusion
    She looks at me, perturbed, like she doesn’t even know what I’m doing here.
  22. optimal
    most desirable possible under a restriction
    "Right-hand son. But don't question her. My mom. Okay? Because she doesn't like that. Just know that I'm trying to be of optimal assistance around here.”
  23. conspirator
    a member of a plot to carry out some harmful or illegal act
    Once I’m off the hook and safely back with my co-conspirators, I can breathe.
  24. blare
    make a loud noise
    Jeremy looks like he is about to say something, but the door to the lab swings open and music blares.
  25. hydrologic
    relating to the branch of geology that studies Earth's water
    This can’t possibly be our planet, the one that is rotating on its axis while it is revolving around a giant plasma ball.
    The one that is perfectly in balance, a closed system, a hydrological cycle of rain, rivers, clouds, sun, the ground, the sky. The ocean.
  26. mangle
    destroy or injure severely
    Also, red plastic cups, three light-blue face masks with elastic earpieces, and a surgeon's see-through yellow rubber gloves. And last but not least, a mostly mangled Cracker Jacks box, though I can still see part of the baseball and the sailor guy, plus the letters Cr and the whole word Jack, and who even eats those anymore?
  27. girder
    a beam used as a main support in a structure
    And everywhere, taped to the walls and even the huge metal girder I'm leaning on, are safety signs.
  28. atoll
    an island consisting of a coral reef surrounding a lagoon
    Meet two 12-year-olds trying to help save the oceans! Bring your crew to the Midway Atoll Nat’l Wildlife Refuge, bright and early this Friday to find out!
  29. incognito
    without revealing one's identity
    I don't even know exactly what would happen if anyone found out who I really was, but now there are bigger things to worry about than Rachel Carson and me being stowaways, like saving the planet.
    I've got to remain incognito for just a little bit longer.
  30. ambrosia
    a fruit dessert, often topped with shredded coconut
    It looks like Jeremy is still heaping chicken potpie and ambrosia salad onto his plate.
  31. stealth
    the act of moving in a quiet or secretive way to avoid being noticed
    Sidney, Rachel Carson, and I have gotten pretty good at our stealth lunchtime Code Pink Octopus meetings behind the large laundry bin we keep pushed behind the washers and dryer for optimum cover.
  32. buoy
    an anchored float that marks locations in a body of water
    “This is where the drogue will go. That's like a pole that acts as an anchor and keeps the buoy moving with the current through the water. That's how we'll track where the garbage drifts and stays for the next several months. Later on, the crew will go out and collect them.”
  33. accomplice
    a person who joins with another in carrying out some plan
    I made my nana an accomplice in a huge lie to my parents.
  34. bracket
    a support projecting from a wall (as to hold a shelf)
    I poke my head out of the covers and look over at the desk, where her iced-tea dispenser is secured behind the convenient shelf brackets that are everywhere on this ship.
  35. scrounge
    collect or look around for
    Sounds interesting, but very short notice, so I make no promises. But I’ll see if we can scrounge up a crew.
Created on Fri Jun 09 11:09:34 EDT 2023 (updated Fri Jun 09 17:13:20 EDT 2023)

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