The Sky at Our Feet: Chapters 5–10

by Nadia Hashimi
Believing that his mother has been deported to Afghanistan, twelve-year-old Jason runs away to New York City, where he meets Max, a mischievous girl with epilepsy.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–10, Chapters 11–15, Chapters 16–21, Chapters 22–34
30 words 22 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. hulk
    appear very large or occupy a commanding position
    In the photograph, there are hulking concrete buildings with narrow windows along the block.
  2. barely
    in a sparse or scanty way
    He barely notices the annoyed looks he's getting from the people around him.
  3. projection
    a prediction made by extrapolating from past observations
    Mr. Talk-a-lot spends the entire ride chatting about stuff like "sales projections" and "the satellite team in Dallas" and "quarterly reports."
  4. clammy
    unpleasantly cool and humid
    I do the same, though my ticket is a little crumpled and splotchy from my clammy palms.
  5. persistent
    never-ceasing
    The whisper is persistent.
  6. eloquent
    expressing yourself readily, clearly, effectively
    "Urgh." That is all I can say. It is not my most eloquent moment.
  7. soothing
    freeing from fear and anxiety
    "Looks like you're coming out of it already," she observes, and I have to admit her voice is pretty soothing.
  8. groggy
    stunned or confused and slow to react
    I was groggy and confused most of the time and my head is just starting to clear.
  9. stuffy
    lacking fresh air
    The hospital smells funny—kind of clean and kind of stuffy all at once.
  10. urgency
    pressing importance requiring speedy action
    There's an urgency in the man's voice now.
  11. pendant
    an adornment that hangs from a piece of jewelry
    Her long black hair is held back in a ponytail, and she's wearing a silver necklace with a pendant in the shape of a horseshoe.
  12. reflex
    an automatic instinctive unlearned reaction to a stimulus
    She pulls a reflex hammer from the pocket of her white coat and taps on my right knee.
  13. jolt
    move or cause to move with a sudden jerky motion
    The word home jolts me like a speed bump.
  14. gape
    be wide open
    A polite voice in my head tells me to at least close my gaping mouth.
  15. expectant
    marked by eager anticipation
    Her chestnut eyes look at me expectantly.
  16. unravel
    become undone
    She looks a little like an unraveling mummy.
  17. avatar
    a new personification of a familiar idea or person
    Max chooses the yellow Ferrari as her avatar.
  18. virtual
    existing in essence or effect though not in actual fact
    A checkered flag waves and our cars speed off, zipping down virtual city streets and jumping over police cars.
  19. neck and neck
    even or close in a race or competition or comparison
    We're both narrowly escaping collisions and are neck and neck in our race to catch up with the white van full of money.
  20. swerve
    turn sharply; change direction abruptly
    The van swerves and turns through narrow streets, green bills flying out the back every time its back doors swing open and closed.
  21. pry
    be nosey
    For a second I regret asking. I should have known better than to pry.
  22. grim
    harshly uninviting or formidable in manner or appearance
    Behind her stands a police officer. From the grim look on his face, I can only gather that the Reserve is no longer my safe zone.
  23. intimidating
    discouraging through fear
    His badge is really intimidating.
  24. innocence
    a state or condition of being free from guilt
    Max smiles politely, her eyes sparkling with innocence.
  25. mite
    small arachnid that infests animals, plants, or stored foods
    Stale air and dust mites come through the vent.
  26. trample
    injure by stomping heavily
    Even if I'm sure to be trampled on the way, I've got to get to Auntie Seema's apartment, and all I have is the part of her address I remember from the cardboard box.
  27. bustle
    move or cause to move energetically or busily
    The bustling street becomes more and more frightening the longer I stare.
  28. defiant
    boldly resisting authority or an opposing force
    There's a small crack in her voice but the set of her jaw makes her look defiant and strong.
  29. intricate
    having many complexly arranged elements; elaborate
    I don't argue with her because I feel like this is an idea she's been working on for a long time, an intricate idea she's carved out of a block of wood.
  30. scoff
    laugh at with contempt and derision
    Max scoffs at my suggestion. "That's not going to happen. All my parents think about is this...this...brain stuff."
Created on Thu Oct 25 21:00:55 EDT 2018 (updated Tue Oct 30 14:11:11 EDT 2018)

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