I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944: Chapters 1–6

by Lauren Tarshis
In this ninth book of the historical fiction I Survived series, eleven-year-old Max Rosen is in a Polish forest, hiding from Nazis, when planes start to fly by and drop bombs.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–13
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. shard
    a broken piece of a brittle artifact
    Twisted metal and razor-sharp shards of wood blew up all around them.
  2. stampede
    act, usually en masse, hurriedly or on an impulse
    Soon, soldiers with machine guns would stampede through the forest, hunting for people who had survived the explosions and fires.
  3. gutter
    a channel at the edge of a street for carrying off surface water
    Suddenly two German soldiers appeared from around the corner, their boots clicking sharply on the stone sidewalk. Max and Zena jumped into the gutter.
  4. synagogue
    the place of worship for a Jewish congregation
    They set fire to the synagogue and ripped apart sacred Torah scrolls.
  5. bleak
    offering little or no hope
    They all had to move to a ghetto—this bleak neighborhood of crumbling buildings on the edge of town.
  6. ghetto
    the restricted quarter of European cities where Jews lived
    The ghetto was surrounded by a barbed wire fence, and patrolled by Nazi guards and policemen. It was like living in a jail.
  7. slump
    assume a drooping posture or carriage
    Max looked around him now, at the woman limping past with tears in her eyes, at the ragged children slumped in the doorways.
  8. barb
    a sharp projection preventing easy extraction
    They carefully stuck their arms between the wires, avoiding the razor-sharp barbs.
  9. grudging
    unwilling or reluctant
    She gave Max a grudging nod.
  10. loom
    appear very large or occupy a commanding position
    Max turned just in time to see a Nazi soldier looming over him.
  11. churn
    be agitated
    But the pain was nothing compared to the fear that churned inside him.
  12. venture
    proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
    But sometimes they’d venture too far, and get themselves lost.
  13. fussy
    annoyed and irritable
    She’d always been more like a friend to Max than a fussy old aunt.
  14. trudge
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
    Thinking of Aunt Hannah made Max’s head throb even more as he trudged along the dusty road.
  15. rustling
    characterized by soft sounds
    He barely heard the rustling sound coming from the bushes.
  16. thicket
    a dense growth of bushes
    But the soldier whirled around, his piglike eyes squinting into the thicket on the side of the road.
  17. teeter
    move unsteadily, with a rocking motion
    The soldier teetered for a second, and then fell with a furious grunt.
  18. trance
    a state resembling deep sleep
    “Max, come on!”
    Her voice snapped Max out of his trance.
  19. snag
    catch or cause to catch on something sharp that is sticking out
    Thorns raked their legs and
 snagged their clothes.
  20. stagger
    walk with great difficulty
    They staggered into the field, wading through the golden stalks until at last they collapsed to the ground.
  21. suspicious
    openly distrustful and unwilling to confide
    “It’s always been this way. Jews are different. And some people are suspicious of what they don’t understand.”
  22. groggy
    stunned or confused and slow to react
    “I need to close my eyes,” she said groggily.
  23. lull
    make calm or still
    But soon the sound of the rustling wheat lulled Max to sleep, too.
  24. jar
    affect in a disagreeable way
    He could hear Papa’s warm laugh, and Aunt Hannah singing a happy song. Until a man’s voice jarred him awake.
  25. craggy
    rugged and lined or rough-textured
    But then Max noticed something about the man’s craggy face, which was lit up by the moon.
  26. expression
    the feelings shown on a person's face
    His expression was tough. But his eyes looked at them with kindness.
  27. snarl
    make an angry, sharp, or abrupt noise
    It growled and strained on a steel chain leash, its snarling teeth glowing in the light of the soldiers’ flashlights.
  28. gruff
    blunt and unfriendly or stern
    His tone was gruff and bullying, almost as though he was in charge.
  29. rasp
    speak in a harsh, grating voice
    “The dog led us to this barn,” said a Nazi with a high, rasping voice.
  30. insist
    be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge
    “We're giving those criminals time to escape,” the farmer insisted. “The commander will not be pleased! I will tell him how you wasted our time!”
  31. embrace
    squeeze tightly in your arms, usually with fondness
    One by one, they embraced the farmer.
    “Jablonski,” one said. “You are our angel.”
  32. plead
    appeal or request earnestly
    Max remembered the argument he’d overheard, and Aunt Hannah’s pleading words.
  33. partisan
    a fervent and even militant proponent of something
    She explained that she was a partisan, a special kind of fighter. She did not belong to a real army, with uniforms and shining weapons.
  34. determination
    firmness of purpose
    Her dreamy expression had hardened into one of toughness and determination.
  35. taunt
    harass with persistent criticism or carping
    Goliath taunted the Jews, daring them to send their toughest soldiers to fight him.
Created on Tue Oct 24 17:50:34 EDT 2023 (updated Fri Oct 27 11:54:19 EDT 2023)

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