Abner and Me: Chapters 15–19

by Dan Gutman
Young Stosh has time-traveled before…but this time he and his mom find themselves in the midst of the Battle of Gettysburg, searching for Abner Doubleday—a Civil War general. Stosh wants to find out for certain if Doubleday invented the game of baseball.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–9, Chapter 10, Chapters 11–14, Chapters 15–19
15 words 11 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. brainstorm
    a clear, often sudden understanding of a complex situation
    “I had a brainstorm when we were back at Gettysburg,” she told me, gesturing with her hands.
  2. assassinate
    murder; especially of socially prominent persons
    “It came to me while you were playing baseball with those Union soldiers. The idea popped into my head that we could go back in time together and prevent President Lincoln from being assassinated!”
  3. obsessed
    having excessive or compulsive concern with something
    “Mom, you’re obsessed!”
  4. derringer
    a pocket pistol of large caliber with a short barrel
    "John Wilkes Booth arrived at 9:30 P.M.—one hour later. He had a single-shot derringer pistol and a hunting knife with him...."
  5. immobilize
    cause to be unable to move
    “You touch it against somebody and it sends two hundred thousand volts of electricity through their skin. Their muscles and nerves are immobilized for a few minutes.”
  6. conspiracy
    a plot to carry out some harmful or illegal act
    “There have been rumors circulating that a conspiracy is afoot to kill the president,” Doubleday said as he grabbed Mom by the shoulder.
  7. regiment
    army unit smaller than a division
    "I recall you were wearing a bizarre nurse’s uniform, and you could not name your regiment."
  8. preposterous
    inviting ridicule
    "And the boy here proposed some preposterous notion that I invented the game of baseball."
  9. lunatic
    an insane person
    "Obviously, both of you are lunatics, and possibly dangerous."
  10. apprehend
    take into police custody
    "The president will thank me when he learns that I apprehended you. Perhaps I will finally be reinstated to my rightful command."
  11. pandemonium
    a state of extreme confusion and disorder
    “The president has been shot!” people were shouting.
    In seconds, it was pandemonium.
  12. ricochet
    spring back; spring away from an impact
    The ball bounced off his head and ricocheted about twenty feet straight up in the air.
  13. zinger
    a funny or amusing remark that takes a listener by surprise
    That bonk on the head must have scrambled his brains a little, preventing him from thinking up his usual clever zingers.
  14. contagious
    easily diffused or spread as from one person to another
    You could feel the excitement on the bench. We had a rally going. Hitting is contagious.
  15. skitter
    move about or proceed hurriedly
    Fuller dove for the ball, but he was an inch or two short. The ball skittered past him.
Created on Mon Feb 09 20:28:36 EST 2026 (updated Fri Jun 12 15:59:24 EDT 2026)

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