Westfallen: Chapters 9–17

by Ann Brashares, Ben Brashares
What if you had a gizmo — like a radio — that connected you to the past; and what if, in connecting to the past, the course of history was greatly altered? Alice and her friends in 1944 and Henry and his friends in 2023 find themselves in just such a predicament — and the fate of America could depend on them!

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–8, Chapters 9–17, Chapters 18–24, Chapters 25–30, Chapters 31–36
15 words 10 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. unconditional
    not subject to any restrictions or limitations
    “The love we get from animals is unconditional, often better than the love we give ourselves,” she continued.
    “Mom. He was a gerbil.”
  2. quell
    overcome or allay
    Janie shrugged. “Like you’ve got a big secret.”
    “We’re not,” I blurted a little too loud at the exact same moment Lawrence said, “We don’t.”
    This did not quell her suspicions.
  3. suspicion
    an impression that something might be the case
    Janie shrugged. “Like you’ve got a big secret.”
    “We’re not,” I blurted a little too loud at the exact same moment Lawrence said, “We don’t.”
    This did not quell her suspicions.
  4. chide
    scold or reprimand severely or angrily
    We scarfed down our food. Most of our food. “Eat your asparagus,” Aunt M chided.
  5. damask
    a fabric with a reversible pattern woven into it
    In the attic we kept leftover pieces of fabric—ivory silk, red velvet, purple damask—from my mom’s old decorating projects.
  6. gamut
    a complete extent or range
    Earlier my dad had made dinner for the two of us because it was Sunday. His cooking ran the gamut from hot dogs to hamburgers. He’s no Aunt Margery, I can tell you that.
  7. wry
    humorously sarcastic or mocking
    Then she turned around with a wry smile. “Wait a minute, are you guys back at it with the underground roller coaster?”
    “Yup,” I said quickly. It was easy, too easy, but I’d come to regret that lie even more.
    “Ha, I knew it. That is so CUTE. I LOVE it.”
  8. peruse
    examine or consider with attention and in detail
    Lawrence perused the candy at the front, which we knew would draw the attention of Mr. Snyder.
  9. gist
    the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work
    I lay on the floor, scanning the Wikipedia article on D-Day until I got the gist of it.
  10. autism
    a condition involving social and communication difficulties
    Eli’s autism made it hard for him to sort out the different levels of importance of things.
  11. gingerly
    in a manner marked by extreme care or delicacy
    “I don’t even want to look at my arms,” Artie said woefully.
    “That’s what we get for saving his life,” I grumbled, gingerly tracing the scratch marks on my neck.
  12. charade
    a word acted out in an episode of a game
    We needed to stay up together until after midnight, and Frances’s house was a no-go. Her parents were having some super-important dinner party fundraiser thing. My house would’ve worked if my mom weren’t so ridiculously excited about us three hanging out together again. She would have us all playing charades or something.
  13. glower
    look angry or sullen as if to signal disapproval
    “Seriously?” I glowered at Lukas. “That’s your ringtone?”
    “Just for you,” Lukas said, reaching under the cushion. “Forgot I did that.”
    Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” was the soundtrack of our fourth grade.
  14. dinky
    small and insignificant
    The truth was I wanted to see with my own eyes that Magic on Main was back on Main and the creepy nail salon was deleted from the edge of Brandywine Park.
    I crossed Main Street and, sure enough, there it was, as dinky as ever, but practically pulsing with the miracle of existing.
  15. debacle
    a sudden and complete disaster
    I walked closer, looking for differences, however small. But the park and its perimeter looked just like it had before the Snyder’s debacle. Why wouldn’t it?
Created on Sun Aug 02 20:46:41 EDT 2026 (updated Tue Sep 01 11:47:36 EDT 2026)

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