The Very, Very Far North: Chapter 10

by Dan Bar-el
A friendly young polar bear named Duane moves to the Far North and meets several new friends, including an owl, a musk ox, and a puffin. Duane’s charming attitude of childlike wonder seems to turn every day into an adventure for him and his new friends.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Introduction–Chapter 3, Chapters 4–6, Chapters 7–9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11–Conclusion
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. stickler
    someone who insists on something
    "Seventy-seven will do. Not a hundred, but no point in being a stickler, right?"
  2. acquainted
    having fair knowledge of
    "Very courteous, Major Puff. A real gentleman. Madame is nice. Not warm, though, as a name. Not familiar, if you get my meaning. Just saying. Are you two acquainted?"
  3. tic
    a usually unconscious habit or quirk of speech or behavior
    Duane, who was already dizzy from the jumping, was now finding the hare’s quick, clipped way of talking equally unbalancing, not to mention all the twitches and tics that accompanied her speech.
  4. gist
    the choicest or most vital part of some idea or experience
    Duane didn’t get her meaning, or several of the other bits either, but he did get the gist of what she was saying, which was that Major Puff was not venturing far from their burrow because he was afraid of Handsome.
  5. scrutinize
    look at critically or searchingly, or in minute detail
    When one book had been scrutinized from front to back, Duane would remove it and set another one on the table in front of her.
  6. inkling
    a slight suggestion or vague understanding
    Although she wasn’t good with expressions and feelings, she had an inkling of a suspicion of a feeling that there was something more to Duane’s request.
  7. generate
    produce, as energy
    If his friend should think that he was talking about a hair—H-A-I-R—situation, so be it, for it would generate the urgency needed to get to the next part of the plan.
  8. urgency
    pressing importance requiring speedy action
    If his friend should think that he was talking about a hair—H-A-I-R—situation, so be it, for it would generate the urgency needed to get to the next part of the plan.
  9. extraction
    taking out something
    “You did well to call upon me, Duane. No amateur should attempt a weed extraction.”
  10. meticulously
    in a manner marked by extreme care of details
    Handsome took the hairbrush from Duane and began to meticulously clear away the weeds from Twitch’s fur.
  11. harrowing
    causing extreme distress
    After his harrowing ordeal back in autumn, and after the necessary migration that was not in any way a holiday that followed, he returned to the Very, Very Far North realizing his enemy was still at large.
  12. annals
    a chronological account of events in successive years
    In the recorded annals of puffin military campaigns, never did a puffin march into battle with such dignified grit.
  13. annoyance
    the state of being irritated or bothered
    Handsome looked up from his brushing and weed-untangling, first in surprise and then in annoyance.
  14. chivalrous
    attentive and honorable like an ideal knight
    The chivalrous puffin lost himself in imagining his heroic death, unaware that the great black-backed gull had descended from the sky.
  15. eloquent
    expressing yourself readily, clearly, effectively
    “Your eloquent words prove you are a puffin of good breeding.”
Created on Thu Jan 08 20:29:00 EST 2026 (updated Tue Jan 20 13:53:11 EST 2026)

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