Half a World Away: Chapters 1–7

by Cynthia Kadohata
Troubled eleven-year-old Jaden and his parents journey to Kazakhstan to adopt a baby.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–10, Chapters 11–14, Chapters 15–18, Chapters 19–21
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. patent
    a document granting an inventor sole rights to an invention
    Edison had more than a thousand US patents. He had invented things left and right.
  2. fend
    try to manage without help
    From age four to eight, he'd had to fend for himself in group homes.
  3. prompt
    according to schedule or without delay
    When they reached the restaurant, they got out of the car in a rush and hurried in, partly because of the rain and partly because Catherine and her husband, Marty, were very prompt people.
  4. impulsively
    in a hasty way; without caution or planning
    Even though a shrink had told him not to speak impulsively, now Jaden said the first thing that came to mind.
  5. pry
    move or force in an effort to get something open
    After trying to pry his hands off the bedpost in his room to take him to a psychologist, Penni and Steve finally decided not to send him to more doctors for a while.
  6. stockpile
    have on hand
    The first year he was in America, Steve had given him plastic containers for the food he stockpiled under his bed.
  7. remnant
    a small part remaining after the main part no longer exists
    She handed him a container that he knew held the remnants of the pasta she'd ordered at dinner.
  8. pompous
    puffed up with vanity
    Jaden half smiled back, and Steve chuckled and said, "How in heaven's sake did you end up the sister of such a pompous, obtuse, pretentious whatever she is? I think she's humanoid, but I'm not sure."
  9. obtuse
    lacking in insight or discernment
    Jaden half smiled back, and Steve chuckled and said, "How in heaven's sake did you end up the sister of such a pompous, obtuse, pretentious whatever she is? I think she's humanoid, but I'm not sure."
  10. pretentious
    creating an appearance of importance or distinction
    Jaden half smiled back, and Steve chuckled and said, "How in heaven's sake did you end up the sister of such a pompous, obtuse, pretentious whatever she is? I think she's humanoid, but I'm not sure."
  11. indubitably
    in a manner or to a degree that could not be doubted
    "She most certainly did," Steve said. "Most certainly and indubitably."
  12. exasperated
    greatly annoyed; out of patience
    "Oh, Jaden!" Penni cried out. "Even if I get mad at you, I still love you. And I wasn't mad. I was exasperated."
  13. stimulation
    any information or event acting to arouse action
    "It's too much stimulation. We're going to Kazakhstan today! You know what Dr. Morgan used to say about overstimulating him."
  14. facilitator
    someone who makes progress easier
    Penni and Steve were supposed to bring gifts to give to the baby house director, numerous baby house workers, the interpreter, the driver, the adoption facilitator in Kazakhstan, and so on.
  15. idle
    not in action or at work
    Someone—maybe an interpreter—was sitting idly on a bench at a piano.
  16. clot
    change from a liquid to a thickened or solid state
    He tended to bleed a lot when hurt, so Penni had bought bandages that helped clot blood.
  17. frisk
    search by running the hands rapidly over the clothing
    At the airport the security lady frisked Jaden because he was wearing a baggy hoodie and baggy pants.
  18. bonding
    a close personal relationship that forms between people
    "Jaden, of course you have to go to Kazakhstan. You can't stay in Germany by yourself. Plus, you need to bond with the baby before we come home. The bonding period is not just for the parents but the whole family."
  19. sprawling
    spreading out in different directions
    They strolled around the sprawling airport.
  20. whim
    a sudden desire
    On a whim Steve bought caviar and crackers at a food shop.
Created on Thu Apr 02 12:55:20 EDT 2020 (updated Thu Apr 02 13:04:28 EDT 2020)

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