Where Only Storms Grow: Chapters 9–12

by Alyssa Colman
The Stanton twins, Howe and Joanna, live in the Oklahoma panhandle during the devastating 1930s Dust Bowl event. In the midst of unprecedented and unrelenting dust storms, Joanna and Howe must work together to save their family farm and the whole community.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–2, Chapters 3–8, Chapters 9–12, Chapters 13–30, Chapters 31–46
15 words 9 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. agitation
    a mental state of extreme emotional disturbance
    A high whinny made me turn toward the fence. Pie stalked around in agitation. “Don’t you cause me any problems right now,” I warned her.
  2. stethoscope
    a medical instrument for listening to sounds inside the body
    Nurse Annie opened her big black bag and pulled out a stethoscope.
  3. chagrin
    strong feelings of embarrassment
    I started “California, Here I Come”—I knew every word to that one, much to my chagrin—as we reached town.
  4. temporary
    not permanent; not lasting
    Daddy is fine, I told myself. We’d gotten a letter from him the week before and he and Uncle Hank had temporary jobs picking a crop on a big industrial farm.
  5. baffled
    perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements
    She had tan skin and big doe eyes, like a Hollywood starlet. I was completely baffled. Had Lou and I fallen in with a gang of bank-robbing nurses?
  6. unison
    the act of occurring together or simultaneously
    Nurse Evelyn chuckled.
    “What?” Lou and I asked in unison.
  7. ornate
    marked by complexity and richness of detail
    Six folding chairs ringed an ornate wooden table that must have been too heavy for anyone to carry out when they’d gutted the place.
  8. acutely
    in a sharp or intense manner
    In the calm, I became acutely aware of my body’s discomfort. My muscles felt like two thick, inflexible ropes on either side of my spine.
  9. reminisce
    recall the past
    We talked about the church picnic that past summer and reminisced about my mama’s fried chicken while he got checked out.
  10. idiopathic
    (of diseases) arising from an unknown cause
    “No one knows what causes scoliosis, Joanna. Sometimes it passes through families and sometimes it just happens. Idiopathic, they call it.”
  11. isolated
    being or feeling set or kept apart from others
    “Joanna, I don’t mean to belittle your situation. I can’t even imagine how isolated you feel growing up here.”
  12. dispatch
    send away towards a designated goal
    As I followed a half step behind, she explained the Red Cross had come to our town—and at least a handful of others in Kansas, Colorado, and Texas—with a multi-point mission. They’d been dispatched here to prevent the measles outbreak and had discovered an uptick in respiratory diseases inflamed by the dust.
  13. respiratory
    pertaining to the act of breathing
    As I followed a half step behind, she explained the Red Cross had come to our town—and at least a handful of others in Kansas, Colorado, and Texas—with a multi-point mission. They’d been dispatched here to prevent the measles outbreak and had discovered an uptick in respiratory diseases inflamed by the dust.
  14. decorum
    propriety in manners and conduct
    It took all my decorum and professionalism not to clap my hands and cheer. I had a job! A real solution that could help my family.
  15. furtive
    secret and sly
    My brother’s eyes went to the sofa cushion and I remembered again his furtive motion. I was sure he’d stashed something.
Created on Sat Mar 07 19:55:06 EST 2026 (updated Tue Apr 21 13:48:48 EDT 2026)

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