Where the River Takes Us: Chapters 19–26

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 6 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. mime
    imitate , especially for satirical effect
    At the top, I walk to the middle and lift my arms like a champion, grinning down at Tam and Jinx. They mime clapping and whooping, then run around in a circle like nutters.
  2. maul
    injure badly
    Jinx stares at her. ‘I don’t think the Beast will eat us, Catrin!’
    She looks a bit relieved.
    He shrugs. ‘Just maul us, probably.’
  3. backfire
    emit a loud noise as a result of an explosion of fuel
    ‘Is that where we went on a trip when we were in Miss Bradford’s class?’ Tam asks.
    ‘No, that was the Pren Visitor Centre. The bus backfired on the way up that steep hill and Jinx wet his pants,’ I say, laughing. ‘Remember?’
    ‘I flipping did not!’ Jinx yells. ‘I spilt my squash and you know it.’
  4. cog
    tooth on the rim of gear wheel
    Gigantic wheels, like waterwheels only with teeth like watch cogs, are half underground.
  5. dole
    money granted to the needy by the state
    I wonder where the people go to work now. Wherever it is, they’ll only be doing it three days a week. Like Richie. Or they might even be on strike, like Catrin’s grandad. Or, worst of all, on the dole.
  6. javelin
    a spear thrown as a weapon or in competitive field events
    Before we can do anything, Dean steps back and launches my sleeping bag, like a weird squishy javelin, over the top of our heads and into the copperworks.
  7. smug
    marked by excessive complacency or self-satisfaction
    Gary and Dean laugh, slapping each other on the back, all smug because they think they’ve slowed us down—but I’m not letting that happen.
  8. cheeky
    offensively bold
    ‘You cheeky little…’ The man starts to run, the dog keeping pace with him, barking and pulling at its lead, straining to get at us.
    ‘LEG IT!’
  9. violence
    an act of aggression
    ‘Like my father says, violence isn’t the answer.’
  10. brittle
    having little elasticity
    About half an hour on, something breaks under my foot with a snap and a crunch. It feels weird, and too brittle to be twigs. On the ground, next to some old fencing, is a little pile of broken bones.
  11. din
    a loud, harsh, or strident noise
    Tam reaches stone number seven, puts the plank down and slides it on to the one after the gap. He presses down on it.
    ‘How’s it feel?’ Jinx calls over the river’s din.
  12. rickety
    inclined to shake as from weakness or defect
    I put my foot on the plank and step to the middle stone. Tam’s never seemed so big. He moves the plank, straightens up and we do our shuffly dance. Now I’m here I can’t believe this is working. It’s so rickety, so dangerous.
  13. craggy
    rugged and lined or rough-textured
    And the next stone looks craggier than the others.
  14. carcass
    the dead body of an animal
    ‘So, it was killing chickens?’
    ‘Yeah, should have known it wasn’t a fox because it was taking them away. They found fully stripped carcasses on the field. Foxes don’t do that.’
  15. obsessed
    having excessive or compulsive concern with something
    ‘It’s not me who’s obsessed with library books and maps, is it?’
Created on Mon Aug 10 17:22:21 EDT 2026 (updated Tue Sep 01 13:18:45 EDT 2026)

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