I Survived the Attacks of September 11, 2001: Chapters 7–12

by Lauren Tarshis
In this sixth book of the historical fiction I Survived series, eleven-year-old Lucas Calley catches a train into Manhattan, hoping that his fireman uncle could help him continue playing football, but then, he sees a plane flying really low.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–12
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. dispatcher
    an employee who manages the efficient departure of vehicles
    Every few minutes the alarm box squawked, and the dispatcher came on with a new alarm.
  2. commercial
    connected with or engaged in the exchange of goods
    We have no official information about what kind of plane it was, but witnesses report it was a commercial jet.
  3. withstand
    resist or confront with resistance
    The man kept talking about the towers—that they took four years to build, that they could withstand winds of 140 miles per hour, that 50,000 people worked there.
  4. churning
    (of a liquid) agitated vigorously; in a state of turbulence
    Now there were two clouds of churning black smoke.
  5. circuit
    an electrical device providing a path for current to flow
    Lucas tried calling Mom again. Now when he called he got a fast busy signal and a recording.
    “All circuits are busy.”
  6. recall
    a request to return
    “Recall, recall,” the dispatcher said. “All personnel, on duty and off, are to report. I repeat. This is a recall of all emergency personnel.”
  7. personnel
    group of people willing to obey orders
    “All personnel, on duty and off, are to report. I repeat. This is a recall of all emergency personnel.”
  8. daze
    overcome as with astonishment or disbelief
    But most seemed like they were in shock, standing there dazed, staring at the fires above them.
  9. blare
    make a loud noise
    The only noise was sirens—hundreds of them—honking and screaming, wailing and shrieking and blaring.
  10. huddle
    crowd or draw together
    A crowd of people huddled around something in the middle of the street.
  11. tattered
    worn to shreds; or wearing torn or ragged clothing
    Some of them were soaked in sweat, their clothes tattered.
  12. muffled
    being or made softer or less loud or clear
    Dad’s walkie-talkie crackled. Muffled voices mixed with static came through.
  13. static
    crackling or hissing noise caused by electrical interference
    Dad’s walkie-talkie crackled. Muffled voices mixed with static came through.
  14. channel
    a path over which electrical signals can pass
    Dad kept switching channels, trying to hear.
  15. stagger
    walk with great difficulty
    A woman staggered up to Dad. Her gray hair was soaked with sweat. Her face was bright red with streaks of black under her eyes. She was breathing very hard, her hand on her chest.
  16. budge
    move very slightly
    The woman was gripping Dad’s arm so tightly that her fingernails were digging into his skin. Dad didn’t budge.
  17. freight
    goods carried by a large vehicle
    But suddenly there was the loudest noise he’d ever heard. Louder than a hundred freight trains. Louder than all those sirens.
  18. convenience
    the quality of being useful
    They came to a convenience store and Dad pushed the door open.
  19. gritty
    composed of or covered with small particles
    His mouth and nose filled with gritty dust.
  20. rasp
    speak in a harsh, grating voice
    “Dad,” Lucas rasped, spitting dust from his mouth.
  21. hack
    cough spasmodically
    People coughed and hacked and sniffed.
  22. jagged
    having a sharply uneven surface or outline
    Some of the grains were jagged—bits of ground glass.
  23. concrete
    a strong hard building material made with gravel and cement
    It seemed to be much worse south of them, where even through the fog of dust, Lucas could see that twisted steel beams and big chunks of concrete filled the streets.
  24. squawk
    make a harsh, abrupt noise
    A few weak sirens squawked. It sounded like the trucks were crying for help.
  25. intently
    with strained or eager attention
    Dad was looking intently south, like he was searching for something.
  26. crisp
    pleasantly cold and invigorating
    The air was crisp and chilly.
  27. trill
    a note that alternates with another note a semitone above it
    The sounds of football filled the air—the cheers of the crowd, the trill of the ref’s whistle, the laughs of little kids playing tag in front of the snack bar.
  28. bleachers
    set of tiered seats from which an audience watches an event
    Mom and Dad were up in the bleachers. They waved at him.
  29. determined
    characterized by great firmness of purpose
    The guys had seen him running into Tower 1, determined to get to the burning floors, to get as many people out as he could.
  30. rig
    a truck consisting of a tractor and trailer together
    Last week Dad even brought the Seagrave model up from the basement.
    The real rig was wrecked.
Created on Mon Oct 16 09:15:05 EDT 2023 (updated Wed Oct 18 13:02:21 EDT 2023)

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