I Survived the Wellington Avalanche, 1910: Chapters 1–8

by Lauren Tarshis
In this twenty-second book of the historical fiction I Survived series, eleven-year-old orphan Janie Pryor is carrying stolen jewels to Seattle, Washington, when blizzards throughout the state strand the train, right below a mountain.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–8, Chapters 9–17
35 words 66 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. avalanche
    a slide of large masses of snow, ice and mud down a mountain
    The mountain above her seemed to have shattered apart. A massive wave of icy snow was crashing down.
    An avalanche!
  2. churning
    (of a liquid) agitated vigorously; in a state of turbulence
    The thick, white blanket had turned into a churning wave.
  3. frazzle
    exhaust physically or emotionally
    A frazzled mother rocked her fussy baby.
  4. respectable
    conforming to socially acceptable morals or standards
    She’d combed the knots from her hair and scrubbed her nails clean. She had mended the holes in her stockings and shined her boots with spit. She’d made herself look like a normal, respectable eleven-year-old girl.
  5. lurk
    lie in wait or behave in a sneaky and secretive manner
    She glanced across the station at the gorilla-sized man lurking in the corner.
  6. hobble
    walk unevenly due to pain, injury, or weakness
    But now she spotted an old lady hobbling along, lugging a giant suitcase.
  7. frail
    physically weak
    The woman was small and frail and looked like she might keel over.
  8. waver
    move hesitatingly, as if about to give way
    Janie’s fake smile wavered.
  9. steep
    set at a high angle (of a slope)
    There was also this story about a little steam engine that has to pull a long and heavy train all the way up a steep mountain.
  10. suspect
    imagine to be the case or true or probable
    “I found them!” he’d said breathlessly. “My cousins!”
    Dash had always suspected he had family in Boston.
  11. brute
    a cruel person
    He didn’t let anyone quit his crew. His vicious brutes would track Dash down.
  12. brace
    prepare for something unpleasant or difficult
    She braced herself—this was the end!
  13. blare
    make a loud noise
    The train whistle blared—the Seattle train had arrived.
  14. scold
    censure severely or angrily
    Don’t be a fool, she scolded herself.
  15. tense
    become nervous or uneasy
    Her body tensed. Who said that?
  16. bolt
    run away
    She eyed the station door, ready to bolt.
  17. resist
    withstand the force of something
    And somehow, she resisted the urge to run.
  18. locomotive
    a self-propelled vehicle that draws a train along a track
    Mr. McBride strode up to the locomotive, the huge engine car pulling the train.
  19. maroon
    a dark purplish-red to dark brownish-red color
    Their first-class sleeper car was near the very back of the train. It was painted shiny maroon.
  20. plush
    characterized by extravagance and softness
    The seats were plush red velvet.
  21. frayed
    worn away or tattered along the edges
    Mr. McBride and Frederick stowed their fine leather suitcases under their seat. Janie did the same with her frayed canvas bag.
  22. refuse
    be unwilling to accept
    Mr. McBride had paid for her to ride first class. It would be rude to refuse the invitation.
  23. dud
    an event that fails badly or is totally ineffectual
    “I’m afraid this article is shaping up to be a dud,” Miss Wade added.
  24. raggedy
    showing signs of wear and tear
    It was nothing like where Janie slept at Aunt Barbara’s, on a lumpy mattress with just a raggedy quilt to keep her from shivering to death.
  25. relief
    the condition of being comfortable or alleviated of distress
    She rubbed her aching cheeks. Who knew fake-smiling could hurt so much? What a relief to be alone, to go back to being her regular self.
  26. rumple
    disturb the smoothness of
    Most were still in their pajamas and robes, their hair rumpled from sleep.
  27. serious
    causing fear or anxiety by threatening great harm
    “It’s nothing serious,” he said in a jolly voice. “The train will be moving very soon.”
  28. jagged
    having a sharply uneven surface or outline
    She pictured the map of Washington State—a rectangle way up at the top left corner of the United States. The city of Spokane was on one side of the rectangle—the right side. Straight across the state on the other side was Seattle. In between? Lots of empty green. Squiggles of rivers. And the jagged lines of the Cascade Mountains.
  29. drift
    a large mass of material heaped up by wind or water currents
    Stepping out of the train car, all Janie could see was snow. It gushed from the sky, big fat flakes that stuck to her coat sleeves like glue. Drifts rose up higher than Janie’s head.
  30. jut
    extend out or project in space
    Up the hill was a scattering of sad-looking cottages and shacks. Mountains jutted up around them.
  31. trudge
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
    “What a terrible place,” Mr. Riggins mumbled as they trudged along.
  32. grim
    causing dejection
    It was grim. But no worse than the dark little apartment where she lived with Aunt Barbara, with stray dogs howling from the trash-filled alley below.
  33. grimy
    thickly covered with ingrained dirt
    It was just a large room with grimy floors and walls that shook with every gust of wind.
  34. generous
    willing to give and share unstintingly
    “It’s very generous of you two, to feed us all,” Mr. McBride said.
  35. telegraph
    apparatus used to communicate at a distance over a wire
    Yesterday we got ten feet of snow—maybe more. Trains are stuck up and down the line. Telegraph service is knocked out. Telephones too.
Created on Tue Oct 24 18:51:13 EDT 2023 (updated Tue Oct 31 14:49:18 EDT 2023)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.