Raymie Nightingale: Chapters 31–51

by Kate DiCamillo
Raymie enters a local pageant, hoping that the publicity will encourage her absent father to reach out to her. She meets Louisiana and Beverly in a baton-twirling class, and the girls forge a friendship that will help each of them cope with their own losses.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–8, Chapters 9–19, Chapters 20–30, Chapters 31–51

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

words only definitions & notes
  1. inexplicable
    incapable of being explained or accounted for
    The world—unbelievably, inexplicably—went on.
  2. molten
    reduced to liquid form by heating
    Her bunny barrettes glowed a molten pink on her head.
  3. warp
    bend or twist out of shape
    The door was made out of warped wood painted gray.
  4. cringe
    draw back, as with fear, pain, or embarrassment
    There was one small tree cringing in front of the building.
  5. grudgingly
    in a reluctant manner
    Each of these details emerged out of the gloom slowly, grudgingly.
  6. illuminate
    make lighter or brighter
    The woman at the desk took another bite out of her sandwich, and the light bulb in the center of the room swayed back and forth as if it were trying to get up enough energy to leave Building 10 and go and find another, better room to illuminate.
  7. reverberate
    ring or echo with sound
    The baton hitting the desk made a hollow, reverberating noise.
  8. herald
    foreshadow or presage
    It sounded like a broken drum heralding the announcement of the death of a king.
  9. revive
    cause to regain consciousness
    “We had to take her through the sprinkler,” said Beverly, “to, um, revive her enough so that she could walk here.”
  10. linger
    remain present although waning or gradually dying
    The man who had owned the office before, an insurance salesman named Alan Klondike, had been the pipe smoker. The smell had lingered.
  11. wring
    twist and compress, as if in pain or anguish
    She wrung her hands together.
  12. aerial
    existing, living, growing, or operating in the air
    She was staring at the aerial photograph of Lake Clara that hung over Jim Clarke’s desk.
  13. rampage
    violently angry and destructive behavior
    According to Louisiana’s grandmother, the authorities were on a rampage, and it would be a good idea for Louisiana to be “far, far away from the Elefante homestead.”
  14. homestead
    the house and adjacent grounds occupied by a family
    According to Louisiana’s grandmother, the authorities were on a rampage, and it would be a good idea for Louisiana to be “far, far away from the Elefante homestead.”
  15. hastily
    in a hurried manner
    It was a plan that had been hastily concocted after Louisiana’s grandmother left the scene.
  16. concoct
    devise or invent
    It was a plan that had been hastily concocted after Louisiana’s grandmother left the scene.
  17. tempest
    a violent commotion or disturbance
    “It was a tempest in a teapot,” said Raymie’s mother.
  18. methodical
    characterized by orderliness
    Raymie could hear the sunburst clock in the kitchen, ticking slowly, methodically.
  19. satisfied
    filled with contentment
    It ticked in a satisfied and self-important way, as if it had managed to solve some difficult problem.
  20. twine
    arrange or coil around
    The cat twined himself through her legs. She could hear him purring.
  21. rummage
    search haphazardly
    And then she bent over and rummaged through the suitcase.
  22. migrate
    move from one country or region to another and settle there
    All of Louisiana’s bunny barrettes had migrated to one place on her head.
  23. loom
    come into view indistinctly, often threateningly
    Suddenly, the Golden Glen loomed up out of the darkness like a ship that had run aground.
  24. aground
    with the bottom lodged on land
    Suddenly, the Golden Glen loomed up out of the darkness like a ship that had run aground.
  25. trill
    a note that alternates with another note a semitone above it
    The piano music stopped, and the bird let out a long trill of notes.
  26. insubstantial
    lacking material form
    Things were visible, but everything felt insubstantial.
  27. morose
    showing a brooding ill humor
    The building seemed morose, and also slightly guilty, as if it had done something terrible and had hunkered itself down in the ground hoping that no one would notice.
  28. waver
    move or sway to and fro
    Beverly’s flashlight beam wavered in the darkness and then it held steady.
  29. arc
    a continuous portion of a circle
    Beverly walked around the room, swinging the flashlight in great, swirling arcs.
  30. solemn
    dignified and somber in manner or character
    The lamps, five of them, formed a solemn constellation of moons around the pond.
  31. constellation
    an arrangement of parts or elements
    The lamps, five of them, formed a solemn constellation of moons around the pond.
  32. balk
    refuse to proceed or comply
    But the cart was done with stuttering and balking.
  33. eerie
    suggestive of the supernatural; mysterious
    It was eerie, resigned, the voice of a ghost. And what the ghost voice said was, “But I can’t swim.”
  34. resign
    accept as inevitable
    It was eerie, resigned, the voice of a ghost. And what the ghost voice said was, “But I can’t swim.”
  35. mythical
    based on or told of in traditional stories
    He looked like a sea monster—some mythical beast, part fish and part dog.
Created on Wed Sep 12 15:17:31 EDT 2018 (updated Wed Mar 06 09:27:45 EST 2019)

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