I Am the Messenger: Part 3

by Markus Zusak
Ed Kennedy lives an ordinary life — but when he stops a robbery, he gets swept up in an extraordinary mission.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Parts 4–5

Here is a link to our lists for The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
15 words 291 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. peruse
    examine or consider with attention and in detail
    Marv peruses the menu.
  2. exasperation
    a feeling of annoyance
    We can’t hide our exasperation.
  3. reprehensible
    bringing or deserving severe rebuke or censure
    If you don’t understand that, all you really need to know is that it’s big, it’s bushy, and it’s downright reprehensible.
  4. suppress
    control and refrain from showing
    “Good luck, Ed,” he says, suppressing his amusement.
  5. consensus
    agreement in the judgment reached by a group as a whole
    The ref blows his whistle....“All right, let’s kill these blokes” is the general consensus, and the side runs on.
  6. meander
    move or cause to move in a winding or curving course
    We meander through the streets of town, and I try to guess where the next addresses will be.
  7. tumultuous
    characterized by unrest or disorder or insubordination
    The clues must be in the books, so now I shove the other ones to the side and focus on the three finalists....They look like the losers of a dramatic, tumultuous race, sitting on the floor.
  8. emphatic
    forceful and definite in expression or action
    Ritchie’s emphatic. "I am."
  9. shoddy
    cheap and poorly built
    “"Yeah, it’s a pretty shoddy old place” — he motions with his hand — “but it’s the best we can do right now.”
  10. rationalize
    defend, explain, or make excuses for by reasoning
    I rationalize that none of the physical things matter so much.
  11. balaclava
    a tight knit cap that covers the entire head and neck
    Maybe Daryl and Keith were given the balaclavas, and my mate from last night was given his black outfit and his cantankerous demeanor.
  12. cantankerous
    having a difficult and contrary disposition
    Maybe Daryl and Keith were given the balaclavas, and my mate from last night was given his black outfit and his cantankerous demeanor.
  13. abyss
    a bottomless gulf or pit
    I feel like I’m falling, but upward, into the abyss of sky above me.
  14. maul
    injure badly
    On the screen, we watch the footage of the Rose boys and their friends leaping onto me and mauling me on the street.
  15. futile
    unproductive of success
    I want to know why Bernie’s been told what he has and why they keep me in the dark. Yet I know it’s futile. They do it because they can.
Created on Wed Sep 11 15:27:46 EDT 2013 (updated Thu Jul 31 12:31:20 EDT 2025)

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