The Very, Very Far North: Chapter 11–Conclusion

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
15 words 24 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. crumpet
    a thick soft cake with a porous texture; cooked on a griddle
    “Hello, Duane!” Twitch waved happily. “Come join us for some exercise followed by crumpets.”
    “I can’t, Twitch,” said Duane. “I really can’t.”
    The refusal of crumpets stopped Major Puff mid-march. Duane had never refused a crumpet since they’d met.
  2. beg the question
    elicit or call to mind an obvious, unanswered query
    “A Duane who refuses crumpets?” asked Twitch. “Not likely. Not in a million years. Duane would never turn down one of my crumpets, or two, or five. Begs the question, doesn’t it?”
  3. steadfast
    marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
    “You’d have to have your head stuck in an unlit fox hole not to see the difference.”
    “That would be the most unlikely place I should choose to place my head. But even if I did, my opinion would remain steadfast.”
  4. opportune
    suitable or advantageous especially for a particular purpose
    I think this is an opportune time to acknowledge just how smart C.C. the snowy owl is.
  5. acknowledge
    express recognition of the presence or existence of
    I think this is an opportune time to acknowledge just how smart C.C. the snowy owl is.
  6. cryptic
    having a secret or hidden meaning
    But C.C. did not flinch, other than to tilt her head slightly to the side as she worked through all those cryptic clues.
  7. naive
    marked by or showing unaffected simplicity
    “I can’t believe you thought that the ocean was going to disappear. I mean—really! How could you be so naive?”
  8. tedious
    using or containing too many words
    “Good. Memory loss is a tedious affair. It requires repeating bits of information that are inconsequential and boring, like how one musk ox is the third cousin once removed of another musk ox on its mother’s side...”
  9. inconsequential
    lacking worth or importance
    “It requires repeating bits of information that are inconsequential and boring, like how one musk ox is the third cousin once removed of another musk ox on its mother’s side...”
  10. twaddle
    pretentious or silly talk or writing
    “Posh and twaddle and fiddlesticks!” shouted Major Puff, as if by saying those words he countered the fact of the caribou’s quickness.
  11. lull
    calm by deception
    “That’s exactly what the cunning stranger hoped to achieve. By lulling our musk ox ally into a false sense of security, she has his defenses down so she can spring upon him in a sneak attack and then run away. Classic puffin military tactics!”
  12. regimen
    a routine or procedure for managing something or achieving a goal
    “Oh, hello, Duane. We’ve just been discussing a proper brushing regimen for keeping one’s fur lustrous.”
  13. impromptu
    with little or no preparation or forethought
    He could well imagine their expressions of awe and their demands that he tell the story again. There might be an impromptu celebration including Snow Delights of different flavors...
  14. stupendous
    so great in size, force, or extent as to elicit awe
    Whoosh! went the air again. Duane slid at a stupendous speed.
  15. conceivable
    capable of being imagined
    It’s conceivable that Twitch will want to do some baking in the morning, but she might not.
Created on Thu Jan 08 20:38:18 EST 2026 (updated Tue Jan 20 14:16:23 EST 2026)

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