A Monster Calls: "The First Tale"–"Americans Don't Get Much Holiday"

by Patrick Ness
As Conor struggles to deal with his mother's terminal illness, he encounters a monster who demands that Conor tell him a truthful story.

This list covers The First Tale–Americans Don’t Get Much Holiday.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4

Here is a link to our lists for The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness.
15 words 1574 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. succumb
    be fatally overwhelmed
    By and by, the king’s wife succumbed to grief, as did the mother of the young prince.
  2. regent
    someone who rules during the absence of the monarch
    The queen, his step-grandmother, became regent in his place, and would handle all affairs of state until the prince was old enough to take over.
  3. countenance
    the human face
    Her countenance—despite the rumors—was still youthful and pleasing, and she endeavoured to carry on ruling in the manner of the dead king.
  4. endeavor
    attempt by employing effort
    Her countenance—despite the rumors—was still youthful and pleasing, and she endeavored to carry on ruling in the manner of the dead king.
  5. treachery
    an act of deliberate betrayal
    “The queen is responsible for this treachery!”
  6. vengeance
    harming someone in retaliation for something they have done
    It took even less time when they saw the great Green Man walking behind him, high as the hills, coming for vengeance.
  7. pantomime
    a performance using gestures and movements without words
    When he awoke, he acted out a pantomime should anyone be watching.
  8. dissipate
    go away, scatter, or disappear
    Conor looked wide-eyed from the monster to his backyard, which was reemerging from the dissipating mist.
  9. justification
    the act of defending or explaining by reasoning
    The justifications of men who kill should always be heard with skepticism, said the monster.
  10. skepticism
    doubt about the truth of something
    The justifications of men who kill should always be heard with skepticism, said the monster.
  11. ominously
    in a manner suggesting something bad will happen
    “Don’t touch him,” Harry said, calm and low, but so ominously that Sully immediately stepped back.
  12. charisma
    personal attractiveness that enables you to influence others
    “A bully with charisma and top marks is still a bully.”
  13. cataclysmic
    severely destructive
    His grandma’s eyes widened for just a second, as if she couldn’t believe he was asking a question so cataclysmically stupid.
  14. baffled
    perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements
    His father blinked, baffled. “What?”
  15. exasperated
    greatly annoyed; out of patience
    Conor made an exasperated sound and looked back at the broken clock.
Created on Tue Jan 15 09:14:39 EST 2019 (updated Fri Jul 18 11:09:10 EDT 2025)

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