The Sky at Our Feet: Chapters 11–15

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 15 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. reassure
    cause to feel confident
    "He didn't even twitch. He's snoring hard on the pull-out chair right now."
    I am reassured. Still, we need to move fast.
  2. frayed
    worn away or tattered along the edges
    It's the perfect hat for Max, and it hides the frayed ends of the wires I've trimmed.
  3. fluorescent
    a lighting fixture that uses a mercury vapor lamp
    The fluorescent hospital lights are still dimmed, and it's so quiet that I can hear my heart thumping in my ears.
  4. eerie
    inspiring a feeling of fear; strange and frightening
    The light of the computer screen gives her face an eerie glow.
  5. cower
    crouch or curl up
    My breath catches in my chest to see him getting closer and closer to where Max is cowering.
  6. propel
    cause to move forward with force
    With one push she swings the door open and propels us into the stirring city street.
  7. sever
    cut off from a whole
    Any minute now, someone will walk into my room and gasp to see an empty bed and severed wires.
  8. taut
    pulled or drawn tight
    He slows his step, and it's easy to see the dogs aren't too happy about it. Their leashes are stretched taut, and they turn their heads to see what's holding their owner back.
  9. abruptly
    quickly and without warning
    The man's squinting and his lips are parted, ready to shape words. Max stops abruptly.
  10. flair
    distinctive and stylish elegance
    "Yes, sir. My friend and I want to change the world," Max says, waving her hand in my direction with the flair of a magician.
  11. minion
    a servile or fawning dependent
    "I'm surprised you haven't. Max Attacks has seventeen different levels, and you can only move from one to the next if you kidnap the king and take over his minions."
  12. gadget
    a small mechanical device or tool
    "Yup, my mom's just printing up some more donation forms in her office on the second floor. She's got a little credit card gadget too so we can take cards if you don't have the cash. I've got a form right here," she says as she starts to unzip her book bag.
  13. flustered
    thrown into a state of agitated confusion
    "Max, we might be walking in the wrong direction."
    Max looks flustered.
  14. documented
    furnished with or supported by written information
    I've heard people on television talking about what should happen to undocumented people, but I never thought they were talking about my mother.
  15. overbearing
    expecting unquestioning obedience
    Everything about her tells me she's running away from something more than overbearing parents.
  16. podium
    a platform raised above the surrounding level
    We've entered a dimly lit room that is long and deep. At the far end is a podium with an explosion of color behind it.
  17. kaleidoscope
    a complex pattern of constantly changing colors and shapes
    The glass wall looks something like a kaleidoscope.
  18. pedestal
    an architectural support or base
    Then I spot a cross on the wall and I realize we're standing in a church. To my left, there's a pedestal filled with sand.
  19. flicker
    flash intermittently
    A colony of thin candles stands in the sand, a few of them flickering with yellow flames.
  20. placard
    a sign posted in a public place
    Just a few feet before the parked police car is the subway entrance, marked with two tall green lamps and a black placard with the numbers four and six in green circles.
  21. coincidence
    an accidental event that seems to have been arranged
    It can't be a coincidence that we've seen three police cars in less than an hour.
  22. garbled
    lacking orderly continuity
    There's the garbled sound of an announcement in the background.
  23. mischievous
    naughtily or annoyingly playful
    "My mom's always nagging me to spend my allowance on something useful," she says with a mischievous smile.
  24. beckon
    summon with a wave, nod, or some other gesture
    The man beckons us to follow him with one crooked finger.
  25. plod
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
    The conductor is walking away from us now, shaking his head and muttering to himself as he plods through the empty train car.
  26. sabotage
    destroy property or hinder normal operations
    It's just starting to hit me how close I came to sabotaging our mission.
  27. scowl
    frown with displeasure
    "I'm too hungry to think," Max says with a scowl.
  28. serene
    not agitated
    "My mom called. She's—how can I put this? Do you remember the T. rex in Jurassic Park? She makes him look serene. She's that kind of angry."
  29. barricade
    a barrier to impede the advance of an enemy
    We're pressed up against the back of a blue banner, a barricade between us and the street.
  30. teeming
    abundantly filled with especially living things
    Just when I was starting to feel like we were invisible in this teeming city, I realize how wrong l am.
Created on Thu Oct 25 21:09:49 EDT 2018 (updated Tue Oct 30 14:11:48 EDT 2018)

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