The Glass Girl: Part 2

by Kathleen Glasgow
This novel follows 15-year-old Bella's path to personal healing and recovery as she navigates grief, family difficulties, and a struggle with substance abuse.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3: Days 1–8, Part 3: Days 9–1, Part 4
15 words 2 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. gingerly
    in a manner marked by extreme care or delicacy
    Gingerly, I reach my hand to my face.
  2. tumbler
    a glass with a flat bottom but no handle or stem
    She presses a button, raising the top half of the hospital bed. Thick liquid in a tumbler. Chalky. It tastes chalky and I gag.
  3. haywire
    not functioning properly
    “I don’t feel like talking. I don’t care about whatever place you’re from. Things just went a little haywire for me, but it’s over.”
  4. acute
    extremely sharp or intense
    She leans forward. “Bella, you came here with acute alcohol poisoning, which is a lot more than just a ‘bad night,’ and you could have died, so my job is to kind of figure out what’s going on.”
  5. matter-of-fact
    concerned with practical matters
    Her voice is matter-of-fact. “I’m sorry you had to learn some sort of lesson that involved your friends dumping you on your porch at three o’clock in the morning, Bella....”
  6. sheaf
    a package of several things tied together
    I press the button, raising my bed so I’m sitting up. My head spins a little with the movement.
    Pick up the sheaf of papers.
    Hard to focus. The words swim. I squint and try to concentrate.
  7. downplay
    understate the importance or quality of
    But I can’t answer truthfully, either, because that might get me in trouble, too, because obviously, I’m here, in this hospital bed, with a broken face and tubes in me. There’s no downplaying that.
  8. extenuating
    partially excusing or justifying
    This really isn’t a good questionnaire because there are so many extenuating circumstances.
  9. catheter
    a thin flexible tube inserted into the body
    “Isabella,” the nurse says gently. “We’re going to take your IV and catheter out now and give you a smoothie.”
  10. intervention
    care provided to improve a situation
    I look around the room. Dad. Mom. Amber. This person Tracy.
    Oh my god. This is an intervention. Like those shows on television.
  11. intently
    with strained or eager attention
    Beside me, Amber sniffles. She won’t look at me.
    My mother is gazing intently at her lap. My dad is clenching his jaw.
  12. assess
    estimate the nature, quality, ability or significance of
    “I’m here to assess your problem with alcohol. How many drinks do you have in a day, Bella?”
  13. poised
    marked by balance or equilibrium and readiness for action
    “Would you say you have a couple of drinks every day a few times a week?” Tracy’s pen is poised over her paper.
  14. advocate
    speak, plead, or argue in favor of
    I look around. “But my parents. Where are they? Don’t I get to say goodbye?”
    “No.” She shakes her head. “That causes an extra level of tension that we don’t advocate.”
  15. burly
    muscular and heavily built
    Who is this person, and what have my parents signed me up for, exactly, that would require two burly guys, one of whom has a disturbingly precise crew cut, to be staring down at me like this?
Created on Mon Sep 28 21:52:17 EDT 2026 (updated Mon Nov 09 18:31:35 EST 2026)

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