Julie of the Wolves: Part I

by Jean Craighead George
In this classic novel, an Eskimo girl lost in the arctic wilderness must fight for survival while she grapples with her sense of identity. Learn these words from the Newbery Medal winner by Jean Craighead George.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Part I, Part II, Part III

Here are links to our lists for other works by Jean Craighead George: My Side of the Mountain, On the Far Side of the Mountain, Frightful's Mountain
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. discern
    perceive, recognize, or detect
    She had been watching the wolves for two days, trying to discern which of their sounds and movements expressed goodwill and friendship.
  2. evoke
    summon into action or bring into existence
    She spoke half in Eskimo and half in English, as if the instincts of her father and the science of the gussaks, the white-faced, might evoke some magical combination that would help her get her message through to the wolf.
  3. monotony
    the quality of wearisome constancy and lack of variety
    Not a tree grew anywhere to break the monotony of the gold-green plain, for the soils of the tundra are permanently frozen.
  4. reprimand
    censure severely or angrily
    The reprimanded pup snapped at a crane fly and shook himself.
  5. semaphore
    an apparatus for visual signaling
    Then the black pup flashed his tail like a semaphore signal and they all jumped on Jello again.
  6. solicit
    request urgently or persistently
    But Jello? Who was he? Where had he come from? Was he a pup of a previous year? Or had he joined the pack just as she had, by soliciting Amaroq for membership in his tribe?
  7. wean
    gradually deprive of mother's milk
    The secret of the fat pups was out. They were being weaned from mother’s milk to well-chewed and partially digested food.
  8. deference
    a courteous expression of esteem or regard
    “I’m boss,” she said as his tail and head went down in deference to the symbol of leadership.
  9. conspicuous
    obvious to the eye or mind
    Every so often she tied a bit of red cloth to a clump of grass or around a conspicuous stone. If she was going to hunt in this confusing land, she must leave a trail to lead her home.
  10. acute
    extremely sharp or intense
    He turned his head almost upside down to get a more acute focus on her; then unwinding swiftly, he lifted his body and sped off.
  11. quell
    overcome or allay
    Breathing deeply to quell a sense of uneasiness, she finally relaxed, unrolled, and sat up.
  12. incorrigible
    impervious to correction by punishment
    Zing, the incorrigible Zing, was nursing again.
  13. forage
    collect or look around for, as food
    After what seemed like hours of constant foraging she was still hungry — but not starving.
  14. crescendo
    a gradual increase in loudness
    Amaroq howled. Nails barked. Then Amaroq slid into a musical crescendo that Silver joined in. Their voices undulated as each harmonized with the other.
  15. permafrost
    ground that is permanently frozen
    Every Eskimo family had a deep cellar in the permafrost into which they put game.
Created on Mon Aug 21 16:43:00 EDT 2017 (updated Thu Jul 31 18:49:22 EDT 2025)

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