Eleven: Chapters 31–40

by Tom Rogers
Alex loves planes and dreams of getting a dog for his birthday. But September 11th, 2001—Alex's 11th birthday—becomes a day when he will experience both tragedy and hope.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–2, Chapters 3–8, Chapters 9–14, Chapters 15–30, Chapters 31–40
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. evict
    expel from one's property or force to move out
    They got evicted, so they trashed the place and bolted in the middle of the night.
  2. plummet
    drop sharply
    “Then at about 10:00 this morning, the truly unthinkable came to pass, as all one hundred ten stories of the South Tower of the World Trade Center completely collapsed, plummeting into the streets below...."
  3. smolder
    burn slowly and without a flame
    “Both collapses sent massive clouds of dust and debris roaring through the streets of lower Manhattan. All that remains of the Twin Towers is a smoldering pile of rubble that continues to burn fiercely at this hour, hampering rescue efforts...."
  4. rubble
    the remains of something that has been destroyed
    “Both collapses sent massive clouds of dust and debris roaring through the streets of lower Manhattan. All that remains of the Twin Towers is a smoldering pile of rubble that continues to burn fiercely at this hour, hampering rescue efforts...."
  5. hamper
    prevent the progress or free movement of
    “Both collapses sent massive clouds of dust and debris roaring through the streets of lower Manhattan. All that remains of the Twin Towers is a smoldering pile of rubble that continues to burn fiercely at this hour, hampering rescue efforts...."
  6. imminent
    close in time; about to occur
    “Other buildings around the World Trade Center have also been heavily damaged by the fires and the destruction of the Twin Towers. Fire officials tell us they believe the collapse of World Trade Center 7 is imminent...."
  7. bluff
    a high steep bank
    “Bobby always had a thing for planes. We used to build them together when he was a kid. We’d go up to the Palisades and fly them off the bluffs.”
  8. frail
    physically weak
    “Her?” Alex glanced at the house, with the frail little woman inside.
  9. aerial
    existing, living, growing, or operating in the air
    Out on the street, Mac guided the little gas-powered plane through a series of complicated aerial maneuvers.
  10. justify
    show to be right by providing proof
    When it came time to land, Mac stood back and let him have the controls. Alex justified his vote of confidence with a picture-perfect one-touch landing.
  11. skim
    move or pass swiftly and lightly over the surface of
    They watched as it flew straight down the length of the island, so low it seemed to barely skim the tops of the skyscrapers.
  12. suspension
    the act of hanging something from above so it moves freely
    The woman left him with a grateful nod, then fell back in with the crowd making its way across the George Washington Bridge, the massive suspension bridge connecting Manhattan to New Jersey.
  13. recede
    pull back or move away or backward
    He watched as it receded into the distance, growing smaller and smaller until it seemed to just float there, frozen in place, like a model plane hanging from a wire.
  14. twinge
    a sudden sharp feeling
    He felt a twinge of guilt; he had no business staring at planes when the ones who depended on him were still waiting.
  15. jostle
    make one's way by pushing or shoving
    Passengers jostled past him and climbed onto the bus, eager to get home.
  16. rouse
    cause to become awake or conscious
    Nunu roused as he lowered her to the ground. She rubbed her eyes with one hand and her nose with the other.
  17. skittish
    unpredictably excitable, especially of horses
    The dog hung back on the porch, skittish and unsure of himself. He kept approaching the doorway and then jumping back.
  18. beeline
    the most direct route
    Alex made a beeline for the bathroom because, well, they’d been gone a really long time.
  19. vacate
    leave behind empty; move out of
    Alex flicked off the TV, then motioned for Radar to vacate his dad’s lounge chair.
  20. slink
    move or walk stealthily
    Radar tucked his tail and slinked off the chair.
  21. pulverize
    destroy completely
    “Jordan was about to pulverize me when Radar snuck up behind him and growled.”
  22. expectant
    marked by eager anticipation
    Alex was about to drop a hot dog on the floor for him, but Radar caught it in mid-air and hoovered it down in one gulp, then looked expectantly at Alex to see what came next.
  23. dementia
    mental deterioration of organic or functional origin
    Before dementia clouded her mind, Dottie used to sit at the counter and watch for Bobby to come around that corner on his way home from work.
  24. conjure
    summon into action or bring into existence
    Mac stared out the window for the hundredth time that day, then closed his eyes and tried to conjure up the scene—Bobby, coming around the corner, stepping into the yellow glow of the street lamp, the light on his white shirt like a ray of sunshine.
  25. quizzical
    perplexed
    Dottie was standing in her nightgown in the middle of the living room, gazing around with a troubled, quizzical expression.
  26. vigil
    the rite of staying awake for devotional purposes
    Everywhere he looked people were watching, waiting.
    Sitting vigil.
  27. silhouette
    an outline of a solid object as cast by its shadow
    He could just make out the silhouette of a person, coming closer.
  28. husky
    deep and harsh sounding
    Finally, his dad cleared his throat and whispered huskily into Alex’s neck.
    “Hi, pal.”
  29. elation
    a feeling of joy and pride
    He should’ve felt relief, should’ve felt elation. But something was still bothering him.
  30. befuddled
    perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements
    Wrapped up in his tale, Alex didn’t seem to notice his parents’ befuddled, slightly horrified expressions as they tried to follow along.
Created on Sun Sep 08 20:36:39 EDT 2019 (updated Fri Sep 20 15:35:58 EDT 2019)

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