I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906: Chapters 8–14

by Lauren Tarshis
In this fifth book of the historical fiction I Survived series, eleven-year-old orphan Leo Ross pretends to be a ghost to scare a couple of thieves, but then, the ground beneath him begins to shake.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–14
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. freight
    goods carried by a large vehicle
    It sounded like a hundred freight trains were rushing through the house, their whistles screaming.
  2. manage
    be successful; achieve a goal
    The shaking stopped for a few seconds, and Leo managed to stand up.
  3. stagger
    walk with great difficulty
    He staggered a few steps toward the front door.
  4. collapse
    fall apart
    Bricks. They were falling from the ceiling. That huge chimney was collapsing.
  5. huddle
    crowd or draw together
    People stood on the sidewalks, terrified. Families huddled together.
  6. scrounge
    collect or look around for
    He imagined himself wandering the ruined streets, scrounging for food like a rat.
  7. aftershock
    a tremor following the main tremor of an earthquake
    “Aftershocks,” Morris said. “The ground is going to keep moving for days.”
  8. plume
    anything that resembles a feather in shape or lightness
    A plume of black smoke rose from one of the collapsed houses.
  9. shudder
    tremble convulsively, as from fear or excitement
    Leo shuddered. Nothing scared him more than fire.
  10. rubble
    the remains of something that has been destroyed
    But as they were walking by the saloon, something in the rubble caught Leo’s eye.
  11. stark
    complete or extreme
    His face, covered with dust, was stark white.
  12. gash
    a wound made by cutting
    Blood oozed from a gash on his forehead.
  13. relief
    the feeling that comes when something unpleasant is removed
    “He got out,” Leo said.
    Wilkie sighed in relief.
  14. bulge
    swell or protrude outwards
    His eyes bulged.
  15. rabid
    infected by an acute viral disease of the nervous system
    He grunted and growled like the rabid dogs that roamed the alleys.
  16. quiver
    shake with fast, tremulous movements
    His lip quivered, and Leo thought he might burst into tears.
  17. trolley
    a vehicle that runs on rails and is often propelled by electricity
    Trolley tracks were twisted like pretzels.
  18. hoist
    raise or haul up with or as if with mechanical help
    On one block, men were trying to hoist a horse out of a hole in the street.
  19. clatter
    make a rattling sound
    They were about to cross Market Street when a fire wagon clattered up and stopped in front of them.
  20. trickle
    the formation and falling of drops of liquid
    They hooked it up to a hydrant, but only a trickle of water came out.
  21. stable
    a farm building for housing horses or other livestock
    Next door, men were leading horses out of a stable.
  22. weary
    physically and mentally fatigued
    The firemen said nothing. But their eyes—weary and scared—told the answer.
    San Francisco was burning. And nobody could stop it.
  23. jolt
    move or cause to move with a sudden jerky motion
    But they had barely crossed the street when the ground jolted with another aftershock.
  24. bolt
    run away
    Fletch turned, took one look at Wilkie, and bolted down the alley next to the burning house.
  25. practically
    almost; nearly
    He almost didn’t see the stream until he’d crawled into it.
    It was practically dry, with just a few inches of water covering the muddy bottom.
  26. singe
    burn superficially or lightly
    His beard and eyebrows were singed off. His face was black with ash, his fingers blistered red.
  27. trough
    a container from which cattle or horses feed
    Wilkie watched as Leo climbed into the trough of water and soaked himself from head to toe.
  28. scorching
    hot and dry enough to burn or parch a surface
    But Leo knew that for as long as he lived, he would never forget the feeling of that scorching heat. The fire seemed to pull at the blanket like a beast hungry for Leo’s flesh.
  29. clamber
    climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling
    He clambered through the window, and then reached out to help Morris and Leo get in.
  30. clutch
    hold firmly, usually with one's hands
    Fletch was clutching that white flour sack.
  31. rummage
    search haphazardly
    Leo rummaged through the sack.
  32. splinter
    divide or break into slivers or fragments
    Wilkie grabbed a splintered piece of wood.
  33. matter-of-fact
    concerned with practical matters
    “We don’t have time for this,” Morris said, in his matter-of-fact voice.
  34. smolder
    burn slowly and without a flame
    They’d left Golden Gate Park and walked for three hours through the smoldering ruins to get to the train station.
  35. faith
    complete confidence in a person or plan, etc.
    And the belief Leo had in his own luck and courage.
    That came from Papa too, a faith stronger and shinier than gold.
Created on Mon Oct 16 09:09:21 EDT 2023 (updated Wed Oct 18 12:26:14 EDT 2023)

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