Orphan Island: Chapters 13–18

by Laurel Snyder
A group of children live happily on an idyllic island — but once a year, a boat takes the oldest child away and brings a new child to the island. Jinny, now the eldest, must care for the new arrival while preparing for the day when she must leave.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–12, Chapters 13–18, Chapters 19–25
40 words 26 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. bound
    move forward by leaping
    You never minded before Ess. Bossing us around.” Then before Jinny could think of what to say to that, the other girl had bounded off down the beach, toward Ess.
  2. vista
    the visual percept of a region
    Then she turned around, away from the island, to stare at the sea, and she watched the waves roll in, watched the sun glint on the endless vista.
  3. subside
    wear off or die down
    Jinny felt her anger subside.
  4. riddle
    spread or diffuse through
    Jinny touched a foot down, to see how deep the water was, and she found she could still touch, but beneath her feet, the sand had turned to a muddy, squishy surface, riddled with strands of weed and bits of shell.
  5. stranded
    cut off or left behind
    Some combination of the mist and the distance had left Jinny stranded in the sea.
  6. flank
    the side between ribs and hipbone
    It moved fast. It felt solid. It was a flank, a wall, a small bit of something vast.
  7. cleave
    separate or cut with a tool, such as a sharp instrument
    Jinny watched as the something broke the surface. Cleaved the sea in two. It was as though the blade of a knife was rising from the water, sharp end up.
  8. jagged
    having a sharply uneven surface or outline
    The knife sliced the water, and grew, and kept rising, until it was a great wall, a jagged cliff, a triangle of what looked like stone above her head.
  9. eddy
    a miniature whirlpool or whirlwind
    But the water all around Jinny felt charged now. The currents shifting, as though something was swirling and swimming, creating eddies under the surface.
  10. inevitable
    invariably occurring or appearing
    She saw the island appear through the mist, as though it had been waiting for her all along. As if she only had to wish for it. As if the island was inevitable.
  11. sodden
    wet through and through; thoroughly wet
    When she could finally stand, she dressed her sodden shaking body in the dry clothes, warm from the sun, and began to walk, trembling with the cold and the exertion and the fear.
  12. chortle
    laugh quietly or with restraint
    Ess chortled. “I readed all of the words. Cat and bat and mat and fat.”
  13. grate
    make resentful, irritated, or angry
    She heard Eevie’s grating, jangling voice, and it pulled her back into the world.
  14. fathom
    come to understand
    Beside her, on the floor of the cabin, Ess was playing with her family of sand dollars. Lining them up like a long thin train, in some very specific order Jinny couldn’t fathom.
  15. beeline
    the most direct route
    They all waited in silence and watched the boat come in. It made a beeline for the very spot where they were standing.
  16. proximity
    the property of being close together
    Everything on the island was ruled by this moment, measured by proximity, either before or after, to this moment.
  17. shroud
    cover as if with a burial garment
    She leaned forward and stared out at the water beyond the boat. The cold water shrouded in mist. Full of dark fins like knives, vast creatures beneath.
  18. bewildered
    extremely confused and uncertain what to do
    Loo nodded, and Jinny reached for his hand with one of hers. With the other she grabbed hold of Ess, who looked utterly bewildered.
  19. stricken
    affected by something overwhelming
    Nobody argued or joked. Oz and Jak didn’t shove or punch each other, and even Eevie offered none of her usual commentary. Sam looked stricken.
  20. keen
    demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
    His mouth hung slightly open as his bright eyes darted keenly.
  21. practical
    guided by experience and observation rather than theory
    “Where will he sleep?” asked Ben softly in a practical tone.
  22. instinctive
    unthinking
    When she heard a noise at the door, she instinctively slid the envelope into her pocket.
  23. grim
    harshly uninviting or formidable in manner or appearance
    “Yes,” said Ben grimly. “You did, didn’t you? You made a choice, for all of us. Whether we liked it or not. You got your way, Jinny. What else is new?”
  24. makeshift
    done or made using whatever is available
    Jinny settled her cushions on the floor, a makeshift bed.
  25. oblivion
    total forgetfulness
    As she drifted off into the oblivion of sleep, she thought to herself that she’d have to find a way to lash the cushions together with rags or dune grasses in the morning if she was going to keep sleeping on them.
  26. spiteful
    showing malicious ill will and a desire to hurt
    She wondered what would happen now. Eevie would probably be spiteful. And Joon would glare in silence as she had the night before, chin tilted up, nose in the air.
  27. tendril
    slender structure by which some plants attach to an object
    The flowers in the corners of the page were pink, with green tendrils and leaves.
  28. stifle
    smother or suppress
    Nobody said anything for another minute after that, and the silence felt stifling, so Jinny opened her mouth to fill it up, and as usual, too many words tumbled out.
  29. tousle
    disarrange or rumple; dishevel
    “Ess,” she sang, tousling the girl’s hair in the usual way. “Time to get up.”
  30. resentful
    full of or marked by indignant ill will
    Nobody had a chance to be resentful of her at breakfast.
  31. periodical
    happening or recurring at regular intervals
    Ess walked calmly down the beach, while Loo was in constant motion. Jumping and shouting. Zigging and zagging. Periodically racing forward with a sudden burst of speed for no clear reason.
  32. spry
    moving quickly and lightly
    He was agile, like a wild animal, spry and darting, quick and confident in his steps.
  33. callus
    cause a thick or hard area of skin to form on
    In fact...Jinny leaned over and fitted the old slipper onto her own callused foot, and it slid on just so.
  34. idle
    without a basis in reason or fact
    Idly, Jinny wondered if perhaps a pair of the bigger shoes had belonged to Abigail.
  35. wield
    handle effectively
    He looked to Ben, who generally wielded the knives in the kitchen.
  36. char
    burn slightly and superficially so as to affect color
    Sometimes the kids drew with charred sticks on the sides of their cabins, but that too wore off.
  37. spare
    use frugally or carefully
    “Okay, guys, be sparing with the ink, so everyone gets enough. Share. But don’t take too long either, or it might all dry all up.”
  38. whorl
    a round shape formed by a series of concentric circles
    She meant it to look like the morning sky, with all its whorls and swirls.
  39. crude
    not carefully or expertly made
    “Because you just made that,” said Eevie. “And we made junk like this.” She held up her own stone, which had a crude tree drawn on it.
  40. twinge
    a sudden sharp feeling
    Then he looked up at her, and Jinny thought he might be about to cry. But before she could say anything, he gave a sniff and glanced back at his rock. Jinny felt a twinge of guilt.
Created on Sun Aug 19 16:18:58 EDT 2018 (updated Tue Aug 21 09:32:38 EDT 2018)

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