Speak: The Graphic Novel: "Speak: The Graphic Novel" by Laurie Halse Anderson and Emily Carroll

by Laurie Halse Anderson, Emily Carroll
In this illustrated version of Laurie Halse Anderson's acclaimed novel, a teenage girl suffers trauma and attempts to reclaim her voice.

Here is a link to our lists for the original novel: Speak

Here are links to our lists for other books by Laurie Halse Anderson: Chains, Fever 1793, Shout
45 words 337 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. abstinence
    act or practice of refraining from indulging an appetite
    ...that wasn't a strong abstinence message.
  2. testament
    strong evidence for something
    Brown-bagging it—humble testament to suburbia, or terminal geek gear?
  3. splendor
    the quality of being magnificent or grand
    This beautiful, crumbling metaphor for our planet could contain an entire world of art, of humanity, of splendor...
  4. dryad
    a deity or nymph of the woods
    I tried to draw my face in a tree for that stupid art project. Like a dryad.
  5. mayhem
    violent and needless disturbance
    We will wander under the bleachers and commit wild acts of mayhem.
  6. paparazzo
    a freelance photographer who pursues celebrities
    Heads snap in my direction with the sound of a hundred paparazzi camera shutters.
  7. patron
    someone who supports or champions something
    They had patrons who understood the need for basic things like paper and paint...
  8. clan
    group of people related by blood or marriage
    Last year, our clan dressed up as witches on a warm, wicked evening.
  9. probation
    a trial period during which one's abilities are tested
    Heather is a freshman member of the Martha clan, on probation until she proves herself.
  10. buccaneer
    someone who robs at sea or plunders the land from the sea
    BUCCANEERS
    Pirates support violence and discrimination against women.
  11. overbearing
    having or showing arrogant superiority
    I think Overbearing Eurocentric Patriarchs would be perfect, but I don't mention it.
  12. patriarch
    the male head of family or tribe
    I think Overbearing Eurocentric Patriarchs would be perfect, but I don't mention it.
  13. spastic
    relating to involuntary muscular contractions
    My throat is always sore, my lips raw, like I have some kind of spastic laryngitis.
  14. mortuary
    of or relating to a funeral
    Your results lead to the following career paths:
    FORESTRY
    COMMUNICATIONS
    FIREFIGHTING
    MORTUARY SCIENCE
  15. xenophobic
    having abnormal fear or hatred of foreigners
    As a citizen and a student, I am protesting the tone of this lesson as racist, intolerant, and xenophobic.
  16. eloquent
    expressing yourself readily, clearly, effectively
    I've never heard a more eloquent silence.
  17. harried
    troubled persistently, especially with petty annoyances
    My normally harried, rushed mother turns into a strung-out retail junkie during the holidays.
  18. incompetence
    lack of physical or intellectual ability or qualifications
    The Petrakis lawyer is threatening to sue the school district and Mr. Neck for everything from incompetence to civil rights violations.
  19. multicultural
    relating to or including diverse nationalities or customs
    The school board said no songs from Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa. Instead of multicultural, we have no-cultural.
  20. solidarity
    a union of interests or purposes among members of a group
    I am one of them. Solidarity reigns.
  21. tuberculosis
    infection transmitted by inhalation or ingestion of bacilli
    But I might paint my eyelids gold and my nails a tubercular gray.
  22. demented
    affected with madness or insanity
    Hairwoman has a warped sense of humor as well as a demented beautician.
  23. gnarled
    old and twisted and covered in lines
    "Nicole's barf-yellow, gnarled, bloodstained lacrosse stick hit me in the head."
  24. dormant
    inactive but capable of becoming active
    Mount Dad, long dormant, now considered armed and dangerous.
  25. quota
    a prescribed number
    You haven't delivered your can quota.
  26. marsupial
    a mammal the female of which has a pouch carrying the young
    Principal Principal decided that Hornets represent the Merryweather spirit better than foreign marsupials.
  27. symbolism
    the practice of investing things with arbitrary meaning
    You're making all this symbolism stuff up. I think his story is just a story.
  28. conjugate
    add inflections showing person, number, gender, or tense
    Conjugate this...
    I cut class. You cut class. He, she, it cut class. We cut class. They cut class.
  29. submission
    the act of surrendering power to another
    It's either supposed to bore us into submission or prepare us for an insane asylum.
  30. graft
    tissue or organ transplanted from a donor to a recipient
    They had to wash off all her dead skin, drug her, and wait for the skin grafts to heal.
  31. wistful
    showing pensive sadness
    She looked wistful. Wistful is a one-point vocab word.
  32. banshee
    a female spirit who wails to warn of impending death
    The sky screams to deliver it, a hundred banshees flying on the edge of the blizzard.
  33. brace
    a set of two similar things considered as a unit
    Braces of geese punch through the thin ice left on the lake.
  34. tenacious
    stubbornly unyielding
    We are tenacious, stinging, clever.
  35. germination
    the process whereby seeds or spores sprout and begin to grow
    I aced the bio test about germination.
  36. potpourri
    a jar of mixed flower petals and spices used as perfume
    The potpourri I brought to cover up the stench just makes it all worse.
  37. suffragette
    a woman advocate of women's right to vote
    Women were treated like dolls, not allowed to have ideas, opinions, or voices. Then the suffragettes marched in, loud and in your face.
  38. incriminate
    suggest that someone is guilty
    Maybe I don't want to incriminate myself.
  39. delinquent
    a young offender
    She's not about to be beat by some hushquiet delinquent who used to be her friend.
  40. wary
    marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
    My stuffed rabbits crawl out of their burrows, noses awiggle...as excited as Mom that someone might want to visit me, but cautious. Wary.
  41. leper
    a pariah who is avoided by others
    She stops suddenly, like she just remembered that I'm the village leper.
  42. devious
    turning away from a straight course
    Some devious internal compass brought me back.
  43. haze
    harass by imposing humiliating or painful tasks
    Sometimes I think high school is one long hazing activity.
  44. afghan
    a blanket knitted or crocheted in strips or squares
    I'll leave the afghan, too.
  45. sober
    dignified and serious in manner or character
    Tires squeal out of the parking lot, another sober student farewell.
Created on Tue May 29 13:48:37 EDT 2018 (updated Thu Apr 04 09:22:04 EDT 2019)

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