The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane: Chapters 15–21

by Kate DiCamillo
The title character of this novel is a china rabbit that travels through many hands. Learn the words that award-winning author Kate DiCamillo used to bring Edward Tulane to life.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–14, Chapters 15–21, Chapter 22–Coda

Here are links to our lists for other works by Kate DiCamillo: Because of Winn-Dixie, The Tale of Despereaux, Flora & Ulysses, Raymie Nightingale, Louisiana's Way Home
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. despair
    a state in which all hope is lost or absent
    The terrible ache he had felt the night before had gone away and had been replaced with a different feeling, one of hollowness and despair.
  2. apparently
    seemingly; as far as one can tell
    I’ve seen troubles, too, he thought. You bet I have. And apparently they aren’t over yet.
  3. attach
    cause to be joined
    She nailed his velvet ears to the wooden pole and spread his arms out as if he were flying and attached his paws to the pole by wrapping pieces of wire around them. In addition to Edward, pie tins hung from the pole.
  4. caw
    utter a cry, characteristic of crows, rooks, or ravens
    Crows. They came flying at him, cawing and screeching, wheeling over his head, diving at his ears.
  5. weariness
    temporary loss of strength and energy from hard work
    Edward felt a weariness so intense wash over him that he thought he might actually be able to sigh aloud.
  6. insistent
    demanding attention
    The birds were insistent. They flew around his head. They tugged at the loose threads in his sweater. One large crow in particular would not leave the rabbit alone.
  7. cease
    put an end to a state or an activity
    He perched on the pole and screamed a dark message in Edward’s left ear: Caw, caw, caw, without ceasing.
  8. constellation
    a configuration of stars as seen from the earth
    He saw the stars. But for the first time in his life, he looked at them and felt no comfort. Instead, he felt mocked. You are down there alone, the stars seemed to say to him. And we are up here, in our constellations, together.
  9. eventually
    after an unspecified period of time or a long delay
    Eventually, the sky lightened and the stars disappeared one by one.
  10. fleck
    a small contrasting part of something
    The boy’s eyes were brown with flecks of gold shining in them.
  11. relief
    the condition of being comfortable or alleviated of distress
    But when the last nail was out and he fell forward into Bryce’s arms, the rabbit felt a rush of relief, and the feeling of relief was followed by one of joy.
  12. loathe
    dislike intensely; feel disgust toward
    How Edward loathed dolls.
  13. offend
    strike with disgust or revulsion
    And to be thought of as a likely replacement for a doll offended him.
  14. preferable
    more desirable than another
    But still, it was, he had to admit, a highly preferable alternative to hanging by his ears from a post.
  15. alternative
    one of a number of things from which only one can be chosen
    But still, it was, he had to admit, a highly preferable alternative to hanging by his ears from a post.
  16. oblige
    provide a service or favor for someone
    “You go on ahead and cough.”
    Sarah Ruth obliged him. She coughed and coughed and coughed.
  17. hunch
    round one's back by bending forward
    On the wall of the cabin, the kerosene light cast her trembling shadow, hunched over and small.
  18. mournful
    expressing sorrow
    The coughing was the saddest sound that Edward had ever heard, sadder even than the mournful call of the whippoorwill.
  19. provoke
    call forth, as an emotion, feeling, or response
    This knowledge provoked another fit of coughing in Sarah Ruth, and she hunched over again.
  20. cradle
    hold gently and carefully
    Never in his life had Edward been cradled like a baby.
  21. sensation
    an awareness of some type of stimulation
    It was a singular sensation to be held so gently and yet so fiercely, to be stared down at with so much love.
  22. fierce
    marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions
    It was a singular sensation to be held so gently and yet so fiercely, to be stared down at with so much love.
  23. rhythm
    the basic recurring unit in a piece of music
    Sarah Ruth rocked Edward back and forth, back and forth, and Bryce took out his harmonica and started to play, making his song keep rhythm with the rain.
  24. pattern
    a repeated design, structure, or arrangement
    “Pretty,” she said to Edward as she lined up the buttons on the bed and arranged them into different patterns.
  25. particularly
    to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
    Sometimes, when a coughing fit was particularly bad, she squeezed Edward so tight that he was afraid he would crack in two.
  26. intrusive
    tending to enter uninvited
    Also, in between coughing fits, she took to sucking on one or the other of Edward’s ears. Normally, Edward would have found intrusive, clingy behavior of this sort very annoying, but there was something about Sarah Ruth.
  27. annoying
    causing irritation
    Normally, Edward would have found intrusive, clingy behavior of this sort very annoying, but there was something about Sarah Ruth. He wanted to take care of her. He wanted to protect her. He wanted to do more for her.
  28. tentative
    hesitant or lacking confidence; unsettled in mind or opinion
    Sarah Ruth held the biscuit in both hands and took small, tentative bites.
  29. twine
    a lightweight cord
    Bryce took Edward off in a corner of the room, and with his pocketknife, he cut off lengths of twine and tied them to Edward’s arms and feet and then tied the twine to sticks of wood.
  30. sway
    move back and forth
    And then, moving the strings with the sticks with his one hand, Bryce made Edward dance and drop and sway.
  31. unravel
    become or cause to become undone by separating the fibers of
    Edward’s ears became soggy and he did not care. His sweater had almost completely unraveled and it didn’t bother him. He was hugged half to death and it felt good.
  32. ragged
    worn out from stress or strain
    Her breathing became ragged and uncertain, as if she was trying to remember, in between breaths, what to do, what breathing was.
  33. prevail
    prove superior
    But the father was bigger and stronger, and he prevailed.
  34. hollow
    as if echoing in an empty space
    And not only did Edward feel hollow; he ached. Every part of his china body hurt. He ached for Sarah Ruth. He wanted her to hold him. He wanted to dance for her.
  35. shuffle
    move about, move back and forth
    Bryce played his harmonica and moved Edward’s strings, and Edward bowed and shuffled and swayed and people stopped to stare and point and laugh.
  36. nasty
    disgustingly dirty; filled or smeared with offensive matter
    “No,” said the mother, “dirty.” She pulled the child back, away from Edward. "Nasty,” she said.
  37. hobble
    walk unevenly due to pain, injury, or weakness
    The old woman turned and hobbled away.
  38. counter
    a table over which business is transacted
    Bryce sat at the counter and put Edward on a stool next to him.
  39. reckon
    expect, believe, or suppose
    “I reckon show business is hard work.”
  40. spatula
    a hand tool with a thin flexible blade
    “You ordered it. I cooked it. Marlene served it. You ate it. Now,” said Neal. “I want my money.” He tapped the spatula lightly on the counter.
Created on Tue Aug 22 16:43:26 EDT 2017 (updated Wed Mar 06 09:24:30 EST 2019)

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