Sometimes the Girl: Chapters 25–33

by Jennifer Mason-Black
Teenager Holiday Burton, who is struggling with big, traumatic issues in her life, takes a job with the elderly author Elsie McAllister. The secrets she uncovers in Elsie's attic will change her life.

Here are links to our lists for the book:

Chapters 1–8, Chapters 9–16, Chapters 17–24, Chapters 25–33, Chapters 34–Epilogue.
15 words 2 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. epiphany
    a usually sudden insight, perception, or understanding of something
    “Only then—epiphany! I realized humans need to create, even in really dark times. Maybe the most during those times. I had to do something.”
  2. coalesce
    fuse or cause to come together
    Robin grabs one of Betts’s and the two of them noodle around until eventually a tune coalesces.
  3. minuscule
    very small
    On the wall hangs a minuscule portrait of a rabbit general.
  4. autonomy
    personal independence
    The only way anyone could think of you as conflicted is if they just didn’t respect your autonomy.
  5. plausible
    apparently reasonable, valid, or truthful
    On the question of who the wild things are, scholars’ answers range from the plausible—the wildlife that died in the fire, whose bodies Elsie may have seen and grieved—to the way-way.out-there.
  6. vintage
    old but having enduring appeal or importance; classic
    I can picture it now: the Elsie from the author photo clattering away on a vintage Underwood, pausing occasionally to take a drag off her cigarette, while her kids played with tin-can phones in the backyard.
  7. unfurl
    unroll, unfold, or spread out
    It unfurls with an unmistakable snap.
  8. ephemeral
    lasting a very short time
    Her hand and mine, transmitting everything—the essential and the ephemeral—as we hit pause on the world.
  9. malevolent
    wishing or appearing to wish evil to others
    It taps back and forth up there, a malevolent mouse with its teeth on the ring of a grenade.
  10. culprit
    someone or something responsible for harm or wrongdoing
    The culprit lies in plain sight.
  11. clinical
    relating to or based on direct observation of patients
    “Mom, do you think Elsie can be trusted with decisions?”
    She puts her clinical face on. “Yes, I do.”
  12. dementia
    mental deterioration of organic or functional origin
    “No, but Lucy and Ca—Chris—they think she has dementia.”
  13. sanction
    approve or show acceptance of
    It’s not one she’d want me to do, not one her kids would sanction either.
  14. obituary
    a notice of someone's death
    I can look up obituaries while drinking tea because I can multitask.
  15. relevant
    having a bearing on or connection with the subject at issue
    “Escape. I wanted to escape. It’s not that unusual. And it saved my sanity once Elsie’s biographers started hunting for Martha. I’m still not sure how this is relevant to your work with Elsie.”
Created on Tue Mar 31 05:49:02 EDT 2026 (updated Mon May 04 20:39:59 EDT 2026)

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