The Mysterious Benedict Society: Sacrifices, Narrow Escapes, and Something Like a Plan–For Every Exit, an Entrance

by Trenton Lee Stewart
After taking a strange exam, four children are admitted to a secret society and tasked with infiltrating the sinister Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened.

Here are links to our lists for the novel:
Pencils, Erasers, and Disqualification–The Trouble with Children
The Sender and the Messages–Traps and Nonsense
Beware the Gemini–Everything as It Should Be
Of Families Lost and Found–The Mouse in the Culvert
Sacrifices, Narrow Escapes, and Something Like a Plan–For Every Exit, an Entrance
40 words 218 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. cajole
    influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
    After a lot of hustling and cajoling, Kate got Constance moving, then quick-stepped it to the cafeteria with the smaller girl riding piggyback.
  2. emetic
    a medicine that induces nausea and vomiting
    Sticky had warned her that wild chuck-root (“or Euphorbia upchucuanhae, as it’s more widely known”) was a powerful emetic.
  3. clandestine
    conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods
    Kate would have loved to sneak down to the culvert again, but this was not a clandestine operation.
  4. tentatively
    in a hesitant manner
    “It’s okay,” Kate had said tentatively.
  5. roil
    be agitated
    When suppertime came and the cafeteria roiled once again with rowdy students, the members of the Mysterious Benedict Society suddenly developed an apparent dislike for anything salty or sweet.
  6. lapse
    pass into a specified state or condition
    With that—the first time Reynie had ever spoken so sharply to her—Constance lapsed into furious silence.
  7. condescending
    characteristic of those who treat others with arrogance
    With an immensely self-satisfied and condescending expression, Martina walked on, saying over her shoulder, “Hurry on in, boys. I’m off to another duty. You’ll notice I don’t have to wear a blindfold, either.”
  8. infernal
    extremely evil or cruel
    If only this infernal stomach sickness hadn’t emerged, my project would already be complete!
  9. flummox
    be a mystery or bewildering to
    There had been times in Sticky’s life when an important question would flummox him no matter how well he knew the answer; and times he had run away from his problems; and times when he’d felt himself paralyzed when action was most needed.
  10. scrawl
    write carelessly
    With one final attention-gathering wave, he placed his hand against the glass so that the message scrawled on his palm could be read, if only someone was out there to read it: We need K & C here!
  11. erratic
    liable to sudden unpredictable change
    Worsening Kate’s mood, if that was possible, was a distant, irritating beeping sound, the erratic honking of a faraway horn.
  12. belligerent
    characteristic of an enemy or one eager to fight
    How could she possibly make it with that belligerent girl along?
  13. haughty
    having or showing arrogant superiority
    But she quickly grew haughty.
  14. unwieldy
    difficult to use or handle because of size or weight
    Kate stumbled because of the unwieldy ladder.
  15. balk
    refuse to proceed or comply
    The machine had gone balky as an old donkey, losing Mr. Curtain’s train of thought and sometimes misunderstanding him altogether.
  16. apprehend
    take into police custody
    “Um, well, sir, we’re sure to comprehend...I mean apprehend...I mean we’re sure to catch them soon. I just thought I should alert you—”
  17. prod
    urge on; cause to act
    Reynie needed no prodding. In an instant he was across the room and scrabbling at the window catch.
  18. rebuff
    force or drive back
    And Martina had been rebuffed by an excruciating shin-scrape.
  19. feint
    deceive by a mock action
    Kate feinted to the side—moving as if to flee—and when Martina lunged to stop her, Kate snared her ankle with the lasso and jerked her off her feet.
  20. writhe
    move in a twisting or contorted motion
    And though she writhed and twisted, swung her fists, and kicked her feet, she could do nothing to stop them.
  21. cheeky
    offensively bold
    (A cheeky response for him, especially since he was too petrified by the sight of Mr. Curtain’s towering figure even to reach for his spectacles, though every bone in his body wanted to give them a terrific polishing.)
  22. blather
    talk foolishly
    “What are you blathering about, Reynard?”
  23. mirth
    great merriment
    His face showed evident mirth.
  24. goad
    provoke as by constant criticism
    Reynie was hoping his words would infuriate Mr. Curtain into sleep, but Mr. Curtain had prepared himself and was not so easily goaded.
  25. contempt
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
    Mr. Curtain snorted with contempt, but from the look of fury in the man’s eyes, Reynie felt he’d struck the right note.
  26. consternation
    sudden shock or dismay that causes confusion
    Then, trying to cover his consternation, he said, “As if you could possibly know—”
  27. gunwale
    a plank or ridge at the top of the side of a boat
    Kate had just climbed over the gunwale, with Rhonda and Number Two scrambling in after her, when Sticky pointed and cried, “He’s getting away!”
  28. chafe
    disturb, especially by minor irritations
    The strange sight of Milligan’s smile eased their fears of drowning, but it also chafed Constance, who blurted, “How can you possibly smile knowing Mr. Benedict is back there? He’s sure to have been captured already, and now Mr. Curtain will see to it that he’s killed!”
  29. hapless
    unfortunate and deserving pity
    Still, there remained the important problem of all those who had been robbed of memories: the “recruited” children; the secret agents who’d been retrained as Helpers; Mr. Bloomburg, of course; and a good many of the Executives, who not so long ago had been hapless orphans in search of purpose and a home.
  30. discombobulate
    cause to be confused emotionally
    “I persuaded the Whisperer that I was Curtain, then gave it orders that more or less baffled it out of operation. But had Constance not already thoroughly discombobulated it, and had I not possessed a brain so very much like my twin’s, we might never have succeeded.”
  31. bemused
    perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements
    Constance shook her head bemusedly, though clearly she was delighted, and as she clambered back into her chair she handed him the little box he’d sent for.
  32. clamber
    climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling
    Constance shook her head bemusedly, though clearly she was delighted, and as she clambered back into her chair she handed him the little box he’d sent for.
  33. teem
    be full of or abuzz with
    The next day, although the house once again teemed with agents and rattled with the noise of a thousand phone calls, Mr. Benedict found it necessary to abandon the projects for a time and attend to important matters of a more personal nature.
  34. concur
    be in agreement
    “Yes, I concur,” she said matter-of-factly.
  35. pernicious
    exceedingly harmful
    ‘The missing aren’t missing, they’re only departed,’ remember? A most pernicious message indeed.
  36. morose
    showing a brooding ill humor
    And yet despite this, Sticky, your parents became perfectly morose.
  37. apt
    being of striking appropriateness and relevance
    “Oh, yes, it turns out Mr. Benedict adopted Number Two and Rhonda long ago. Though Rhonda believes it’s more apt to say they adopted him. In fact, I think that’s how Mr. Benedict put the question to Constance: ‘Would you be willing to adopt us as your family?’
  38. ignominious
    deserving or bringing disgrace or shame
    “Kate! Reynie! Are you ready for ignominious defeat?” shouted Rhonda from across the courtyard.
  39. melee
    a noisy riotous fight
    Moments later the courtyard erupted into a melee of flung snowballs, scurrying children, and peals of laughter.
  40. victuals
    any substance that can be used as food
    “Have a snack, why don’t you? Sneak a bowl of the stew—I won’t tell anyone—but let’s give them a few minutes more. They’ll be so cold that even lukewarm victuals will seem piping hot to them. Just a few minutes more, Number Two. Let them play. They are children, after all.”
Created on Mon Apr 09 20:29:06 EDT 2018 (updated Thu Apr 12 15:49:52 EDT 2018)

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