The Shape of Lost Things: Chapters 14–18

by Sarah Everett
Twelve-year-old Skye's older brother, Finn, returns home after spending four years on the run with their father, but Finn is so different that Skye isn't even sure he's the real Finn.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–6, Chapters 7–13, Chapters 14–18
15 words 9 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. expose
    reveal the true nature of pretentious or false claims
    He’s been a good brother, like, as far as possibly fake brothers go. How can I do something so mean like expose him? What if he just wants a family that loves him, like everybody does?
  2. possibility
    a potential alternative
    Just thinking of all the options, I suddenly feel overwhelmed by it. The bigness of everything, the infinity of possibilities.
  3. determined
    characterized by great firmness of purpose
    There is a determined set in her shoulders, and she forces the worry off her face.
  4. foyer
    a large entrance or reception room or area
    Jax waves to me from the far end of the foyer, where she’s already got her picture set up on a display.
  5. vibrant
    (of colors) bright and striking
    And I’m feeling kind of silly because Jax put so much into her project. It’s vibrant and bright and beautiful, and mine is just a weird collage with a secret in the middle. What if Mrs. Collins doesn’t get it? What if she thinks it’s stupid?
  6. marionette
    a figure operated from above with strings by a puppeteer
    Even Emery’s marionettes are awesome, and her friends crowd around her project as she explains how she made everything out of “found objects.”
  7. moodiness
    having temperamental and changeable emotions
    I hate Not-Finn’s moodiness, the way it feels like there are oceans between us even when he is right next to me.
  8. complicated
    difficult to analyze or understand
    It is complicated, because telling the whole truth will hurt somebody, but not telling the whole truth hurts someone else.
  9. earthshaking
    extremely important, significant, or impactful
    The words are big, earthshaking words because I suddenly see an extra reason why I didn’t know Finn and Dad were leaving: maybe there were no signs.
  10. inertia
    the tendency of something to stay in rest or motion
    “It’s called inertia. When an object remains at rest or moving or—”
  11. reliable
    able to be depended on; consistent or steady
    “Dad said he hadn’t,” I say quickly.
    “Well, he’s not exactly the most reliable narrator, is he?” Mom says, and I feel a little of her annoyance toward Keith sneaking back in.
  12. snooty
    overly conceited or arrogant
    “What’s this?” Reece asks, her voice already getting the nasal kind of high-pitched way it gets when she’s going to be snooty.
  13. extraordinary
    highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
    I think of Finn and how he used to be all these things that were other names for extraordinary. Hilarious, the life of the party, good at things, and how he isn’t some of those things anymore. He might be again, sometime in the future, but in the meanwhile, is he any less extraordinary?
    I don’t think so.
  14. sheepish
    showing a sense of shame
    Emery looks slightly sheepish. “Not at first,” she says.
  15. mishmash
    a random assortment of things
    [Not pictured: a mishmash of hearts, of furniture, of art, of books, of lives]
Created on Tue Jul 21 21:14:38 EDT 2026 (updated Mon Aug 17 14:25:04 EDT 2026)

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