Where the River Takes Us: Chapters 8–18

by Lesley Parr
In Britain, 1974, many families struggled financially due to a coal shortage — and 13-year-old Jason (and his older brother) struggled even more since their parents had recently died. Hoping to reverse their situation, Jason and three friends embark on a quest to win reward money for finding a wildcat that roams a nearby forest, but their journey will ultimately change them forever.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–18, Chapters 19–26, Chapters 27–43
15 words 7 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. judder
    shake or vibrate rapidly and intensively
    Me and Catrin race across the bridge, making it judder and clang.
  2. sarcasm
    witty language used to convey insults or scorn
    Tam frowns. ‘What sort of camera?’
    ‘It’s a Pentax.’ She glares at Jinx. ‘A Spotmatic SP500, 50mm with a wide-angle lens. Think that’ll do the job?’
    ‘Where’d you get that from?’ I say quickly, before Jinx can react to her sarcasm.
  3. quest
    the act of searching for something
    ‘But that means you’ll have to…Hang on…no way!’ Jinx yells. He looks from me to Tam, wide-eyed. ‘No way is she coming on our quest!’
    Catrin sighs. ‘There won’t be a quest if you don’t have a decent camera.’
  4. rucksack
    a bag carried by a strap on your back or shoulder
    Me and Catrin meet on the pavement outside our houses. She hoicks her rucksack on to her shoulders and grins. ‘Ready to find a cat?’
    ‘Ready.’ I grin back.
  5. dregs
    a small part that remains after the main part is gone
    We get to the place where we can see the rugby club across the river. I remember when Jinx’s cousin had her eighteenth there. Me and Tam were allowed to go because his mam and dad thought it would keep him out of trouble. Only it didn’t quite turn out like that, because we decided it would be funny to go around supping the dregs out of people’s glasses when they weren’t looking.
  6. opposition
    a contestant that you are matched against
    ‘Yeah,’ Tam says. ‘Use the opposition as motivation. That’s what my dad always says.’
  7. motivation
    the condition of being given incentive for action
    ‘Yeah,’ Tam says. ‘Use the opposition as motivation. That’s what my dad always says.’
  8. viaduct
    a segmented, elevated bridge carrying a road over a valley
    We head for the viaduct, imagining what kind of cat it could be.
  9. rummage
    search haphazardly
    Jinx has pulled everything out of his rucksack and is rummaging in the bottom, a look of panic on his face.
    ‘What’s up?’ I ask.
    He says nothing, just keeps scrabbling about in his bag.
  10. scrabble
    grope, scratch, or feel searchingly
    ‘What’s up?’ I ask.
    He says nothing, just keeps scrabbling about in his bag.
  11. anorak
    a kind of heavy hooded jacket
    There they are, up ahead of me. Tam leading the way, Jinx whacking at anything he passes with the great big stick he found. And Catrin, in her padded anorak, turning every now and again to smile at me.
  12. roadrunner
    a speedy bird that can fly but prefers to be on the ground
    ‘Yeah, there is a cartoon character, but woodpeckers are real birds.’
    Jinx frowns. ‘Are you winding me up?’
    ‘No!’ I laugh.
    ‘I thought it was made-up, like the roadrunner.’
    ‘Roadrunners are real birds too,’ Tam says.
  13. petrified
    struck with fear and unable to move
    We perch on top of the gate, facing the field. I glance at them. They’re obviously as petrified as I am, but determined. ‘On the count of three. Jump and leg it?’
    ‘Yeah,’ Tam says.
  14. derelict
    forsaken by owner or inhabitants
    ‘Looks derelict,’ I say.
    ‘That’s better,’ Tam says. ‘No one around.’
  15. slog
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
    It’s only drizzling now. We slog back down the track and on to the river path.
Created on Mon Aug 10 17:21:22 EDT 2026 (updated Tue Sep 01 13:08:48 EDT 2026)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.