The Honest Truth: Chapters 6 ½–9 ½

by Dan Gemeinhart
Afflicted with recurring cancer, Mark is determined to go on the adventure of a lifetime — so he runs away from home and attempts to climb Mount Rainier. As Mark confronts the challenges of the mountain, his best friend Jessie faces her own struggle: whether or not to reveal Mark's secret.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3 ½, Chapters 4–6, Chapters 6 ½–9 ½, Chapters 10–13 ½
30 words 65 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. dread
    be afraid or scared of
    Then her mom asked her the question she dreaded.
  2. fleece
    a soft bulky fabric with deep pile
    I pulled my fleece jacket out of my backpack and slipped it on.
  3. girder
    a beam used as a main support in a structure
    The bridge came closer, step by step, through the darkness. The metal girders looked like dull gray clay in the rain.
  4. chatter
    click repeatedly or uncontrollably
    “That bus’ll be back any minute,” I said through chattering teeth to Beau.
  5. wedge
    force into a tight space
    My body already ached enough—I couldn’t sleep wedged between two rocks.
  6. churn
    be agitated
    The water roared underneath me. It churned black and white. It sounded loud and hungry.
  7. brim
    fill as much as possible
    She looked up into his eyes and was surprised to see tears there, brimming up and then spilling down his face.
  8. mope
    be apathetic, gloomy, or dazed
    Her mom did nothing but mope around and watch TV and drink a bottle of wine each night.
  9. frigid
    extremely cold
    I filled my lungs, and then the freezing water grabbed my body and did its frigid best to stop my heart.
  10. flail
    thrash about
    I flailed my arms wildly, trying to stroke toward the sandy shore.
  11. jut
    extend out or project in space
    A fallen log jutted out into the water from its end, and with one more desperate kick I surged closer and stretched out through the fear and choking cold and blackness.
  12. surge
    rise or move forward
    A fallen log jutted out into the water from its end, and with one more desperate kick I surged closer and stretched out through the fear and choking cold and blackness.
  13. shudder
    shake, as from cold
    My lungs heaved and shuddered from the struggle and from the frigid water.
  14. pelt
    attack and bombard with or as if with missiles
    Cold, hard rain pelted my face.
  15. determined
    strongly motivated to succeed
    In the morning I was stiff and sore and starving—but I was alive, and more determined than ever to finish what I’d started.
  16. toll
    value measured by what must be done to obtain something
    The days and the cold and the food and the journey had taken their toll on my body.
  17. amble
    walk leisurely
    Beau ambled beside me, tongue out, tail wagging.
  18. raspy
    unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound
    I’d planned on yelling, but my voice came out raspy and weak.
  19. blustery
    blowing in violent and abrupt bursts
    A blustery howl of wind hit me, and I actually had to shift my feet to keep from stumbling.
  20. smolder
    burn slowly and without a flame
    There was a Styrofoam coffee cup propped up next to the gearshift and a cigar smoldering in a metal ashtray sticking out of the dashboard.
  21. ranger
    an official responsible for managing an area of forest
    I could see someone in a park ranger uniform standing in the ticket window.
  22. groggy
    stunned or confused and slow to react
    “I need to give you money, right?” I asked groggily.
  23. casual
    natural and unstudied
    Wesley’s voice was low and casual.
  24. patter
    make light, rapid and repeated sounds
    The rain tapped and pattered on the roof, the windows, the hood.
  25. mournful
    expressing sorrow
    My chewing slowed down, down to the pace of the mournful country song from the speakers.
  26. twinge
    feel a sudden sharp, local pain
    My ears twinged at the sound of my home but not enough to pull me all the way out of my quiet.
  27. flinch
    draw back, as with fear or pain
    I almost flinched at the sound of my own name.
  28. grimace
    contort the face to indicate a certain mental state
    Wesley nodded. He grimaced. Shook his head.
  29. precipitation
    the falling to earth of any form of water
    The bigger news now was the storm. Coming down from the north. Freezing temperatures, high winds, lots of precipitation.
  30. severe
    very bad in degree or extent
    A winter storm in late spring, they said. Unusual. Severe. Dangerous.
Created on Thu Nov 15 14:23:48 EST 2018 (updated Thu Nov 15 14:39:35 EST 2018)

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