Hello, Universe: Chapters 24–32

by Erin Entrada Kelly
The lives of four children (and a guinea pig named Gulliver) intersect in unexpected ways in this Newbery Medal-winning book.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–16, Chapters 17–23, Chapters 24–32, Chapters 33–42
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. portal
    a grand and imposing entrance
    Their eyes dart all around like they’re searching for an invisible portal to take them somewhere else.
  2. distracted
    having the attention diverted especially because of anxiety
    Her face looks distracted. Her eyebrows are doing this slight wrinkle in the middle, which is what happens when you’re worried.
  3. scrawny
    being very thin
    “He’s small, kinda scrawny, with brown skin and dark hair,” Kaori says.
  4. soar
    go or move upward
    The sound of ruffled feathers managed to soar above everything—the THA-thump-THA-thump-THA-thumping of his heart and the huff-huff-huff through his nostrils—but he refused to open his eyes.
  5. embody
    represent in physical form
    The voice wasn’t his. It was coming from inside the well, through his hands and heart and failed breaths. It was embodied, as if from beyond.
  6. vaguely
    in an unclear way
    The name sounded vaguely familiar.
  7. skeptical
    marked by or given to doubt
    Renee tilted her head skeptically, then shook it.
  8. vigor
    forceful exertion
    Gen nodded with vigor.
  9. petty
    small and of little importance
    “Paulito was only one inch tall, but he wanted to be king. Not because he was greedy or anything like that, but because his village wouldn’t stop arguing and fighting over petty nonsense.”
  10. ration
    restrict the consumption of a relatively scarce commodity
    Gulliver had to ration his food.
  11. hasten
    act or move at high speed
    It didn’t mean there was anything wrong with him, Mr. Linton hastened to add.
  12. enigma
    something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
    “He’s not exactly the type who goes off doing something he shouldn’t be doing, just like he’s not the type to miss an appointment. But you never know. People are an enigma.”
  13. splay
    widen or spread apart
    She pulls at the ends of her jump rope and shakes it loose. It splays across the hot cement and dangles near the toes of her sneakers.
  14. cackle
    emit a loud, unpleasant kind of laughing
    She kind of reminds me of a cackling witch, but not in a bad way.
  15. rummage
    search haphazardly
    She starts rummaging through a drawer.
  16. bounty
    payment or reward for acts such as catching criminals
    He imagined just how it would go: him tying the knot on the pillowcase with the snake wriggling inside, then carrying the sack home like a triumphant bounty hunter.
  17. excel
    distinguish oneself
    You might as well be nothing if you don’t excel at something.
  18. thicket
    a dense growth of bushes
    He scanned the ground as he went, looking for places snakes might be, like big thickets of brush where it was easy to hide.
  19. bellow
    shout loudly and without restraint
    “But you can’t hide from me!” Chet bellowed, as if the snakes spoke English.
  20. distinct
    recognizable; marked
    He suddenly got the distinct feeling that he was being watched by someone.
  21. gusto
    vigorous and enthusiastic enjoyment
    His voice sounded weak, so he tried to give it more gusto.
  22. adrenaline
    hormone secreted by the adrenal gland in response to stress
    His body rushed with adrenaline.
  23. ruddy
    inclined to a healthy reddish color
    The second he leaned in, the snake reared its head back and Chet wildly grabbed at its tail, which gave Smaug plenty of time and open air to swing around—one quick motion—and sink its fangs into the thick and ruddy skin of the Bull’s right forearm.
  24. lure
    provoke someone to do something through persuasion
    They’d also turned on the television, which had lured Gen’s attention away.
  25. insight
    clear or deep perception of a situation
    Who needs the insight of a child where matters of life and death are at stake?
  26. universal
    of worldwide scope or applicability
    She wiggled her hands around her ears as if this was the universal sign for “garbled.”
  27. solemnly
    in a serious and dignified manner
    “The ceremony of lost things,” Kaori said solemnly. “It’s a ritual to help us find Virgil. But we can’t do it here. We have to go into the woods. The ceremony only works if you’re one with nature, and this certainly isn’t nature.”
  28. anticipate
    realize beforehand
    Kaori anticipated Just Renee’s next question: what’s the ceremony of lost things?
  29. emerge
    come out into view, as from concealment
    When Kaori imagined her birth, she pictured herself emerging from a patch of lavender, dark haired and full of rage at the injustice of her past lives, of which there were two.
  30. snippet
    a small piece of anything
    She knew this because she’d once seen a snippet of a documentary on television, and when they showed images of Bangladesh, they really looked familiar to her and she couldn’t explain why.
  31. transgression
    the violation of a law or a duty or moral principle
    She tried to explain that the documentary was necessary for her to explore past-life transgressions, but he said it was March Madness and past-life transgression didn’t happen during college basketball season.
  32. stride
    walk with long steps
    Gen was still dragging her feet as Just Renee strode toward the door with her bag slung on her shoulder.
  33. prattle
    speak about unimportant matters rapidly and incessantly
    “I mind,” Kaori said. “We need to stay focused, and your prattling isn’t helping.”
  34. gauge
    judge tentatively or form an estimate of
    Gen looked up at Just Renee to gauge her reaction.
  35. surge
    rise and move, as in waves or billows
    An army of tears surged up from his gut. He squeezed his eyes shut to stop them from gushing out, then looked up, up, up, trying to see if there were ways for air to get inside.
  36. gush
    flow forth in a sudden stream or jet
    An army of tears surged up from his gut. He squeezed his eyes shut to stop them from gushing out, then looked up, up, up, trying to see if there were ways for air to get inside.
  37. ferocity
    the property of being aggressive or forceful
    The tears came harder and with ferocity, until the faucet wasn’t just leaking, it was pouring, and Virgil had to catch his breath between sobs.
  38. heave
    breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
    Virgil took big, heaving breaths. He cried until the faucet ran dry. How would anyone find him?
  39. hoarse
    deep and harsh sounding as if from shouting or illness
    His voice was hoarse from the weeping.
  40. slump
    assume a drooping posture or carriage
    Virgil slumped against the wall.
Created on Fri Jun 08 20:09:11 EDT 2018 (updated Fri Jun 15 14:08:11 EDT 2018)

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