I Survived the Joplin Tornado, 2011: Chapters 8–15

by Lauren Tarshis
In this twelfth book of the historical fiction I Survived series, eleven-year-old Dexter James is riding with a storm-chasing scientist, when a flash of lightning inside a cloud reveals an enormous, rotating wind that's headed straight for his Missouri hometown.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–15
35 words 61 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. ripple
    stir up so as to form small waves
    The corn plants rippled like waves on a stormy ocean.
  2. billow
    rise and move, as in waves
    The cloud had turned black and was billowing like smoke.
  3. musty
    covered with or smelling of mold
    It smelled musty, and he caught a whiff of something strangely familiar.
  4. warily
    in a manner marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
    He kept one eye on the radar map, and kept glancing warily into the rearview mirror.
  5. flare
    shine with a sudden light
    And then a flash of lightning flared inside the cloud, lighting it up from the inside like an X-ray.
  6. piercing
    having or emitting a high-pitched tone or tones
    Just then a piercing shriek rang out through the air—finally, the tornado sirens.
  7. gust
    blow in sudden bursts, as of wind
    The wind was getting stronger, gusting in howling breaths.
  8. grim
    filled with melancholy and despondency
    Dr. Gage glanced at the screen, his face grim.
  9. lurch
    move suddenly or as if unable to control one's movements
    Instead, they plowed into a chain-link fence, breaking through the metal mesh and finally lurching to a stop.
  10. churn
    be agitated
    A storm of wood and metal and leaves churned all around them.
  11. whir
    make a soft continuous sound, as of something in motion
    The tornado’s whirring roar rose up, mixing with the thud, crash, smash of debris pummeling their car.
  12. strain
    become stretched or tense or taut
    His seat belt strained, pressing against his neck like a noose, cutting into his skin.
  13. bellow
    make a loud noise, as of an animal
    The tornado bellowed like a beast whose bloody kill had been snatched away.
  14. bash
    hit hard
    Each flip threw Dex across the car, slamming his head against the ceiling, bashing his body against the doors, tossing him so he couldn’t tell if he was up or down.
  15. frantically
    in an uncontrolled manner
    He reached out, grasping frantically, as though he could grab hold of a star, or a cloud.
  16. wince
    draw back, as with fear or pain
    He sat up, wincing in pain as he spat out mouthfuls of dirt and grit.
  17. grit
    small coarse bits of stone, sand, or gravel
    He sat up, wincing in pain as he spat out mouthfuls of dirt and grit.
  18. sprawl
    sit or lie with one's limbs spread out
    Dr. Gage was sprawled on the ground just a few yards away.
  19. stagger
    walk with great difficulty
    Dex staggered over to Dr. Gage and fell to his knees.
  20. clammy
    unpleasantly cool and humid
    With shaking fingers, Dex felt his cheek, which was cold and clammy.
  21. rasp
    speak in a harsh, grating voice
    “Dex,” he rasped. “You made it. You made it.”
  22. constant
    uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing
    “They barely let you sleep. You’re running for miles every day, swimming in that freezing ocean until your body is numb. It’s constant pain. Every minute I wanted to quit.”
  23. disposable
    designed to be thrown away after use
    He followed the steps he’d been taught: put on disposable gloves, use scissors to carefully cut away the muddy fabric that stuck to Dr. Gage’s wounded leg.
  24. gauze
    bleached cotton cloth of plain weave used for bandages
    He ripped open a package of gauze and pressed down as hard as he could. Blood soaked through, so he took more gauze and pressed harder.
  25. adhesive
    tending to stick to firmly
    Dex was putting on a fresh bandage and wrapping it in adhesive tape when he heard the sound of a truck, and slamming doors, and then voices.
  26. bustle
    move or cause to move energetically or busily
    What was once his city—his peaceful, bustling city—had been shattered into millions of pieces.
  27. splinter
    break up into thin fragments
    The streets were filled with downed wires and splintered telephone poles.
  28. slab
    block consisting of a thick piece of something
    And then there were the houses.
    Some had been swept away completely, so that only cement slabs remained.
  29. grime
    thick or ingrained dirt
    Someone’s family portrait, smudged with grime, smiled out from under a pile of plaster and jagged glass.
  30. gape
    look with amazement
    He walked more quickly, gaping in horror at the wreckage of the Tuckers’ house.
  31. rubble
    the remains of something that has been destroyed
    The tornado had smashed it to pieces, and now it was just a mountain of rubble.
  32. shard
    a broken piece of a brittle artifact
    There were bricks from the fireplace and huge shards of glass and broken plates and Dad’s smashed laptop and an old baseball bat.
  33. agonize
    suffer anguish
    For an agonizing week after the storm, Dex had no idea whether Dr. Gage was alive or dead.
  34. salvage
    save from ruin, destruction, or harm
    Each one was filled up with books and dishes and photos and other treasures they’d managed to salvage from the soggy wreckage of their house.
  35. sift
    check and sort carefully
    For days they had sifted through the pile, with the help of volunteers from around the country.
Created on Tue Oct 24 18:08:40 EDT 2023 (updated Thu Oct 26 17:38:00 EDT 2023)

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