Nowhere Boy: Chapters 29–41

by Katherine Marsh
A fourteen-year-old Syrian refugee and a lonely thirteen-year-old American boy strike up a friendship when they unexpectedly meet in Belgium.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–17, Chapters 18–28, Chapters 29–41, Chapters 42–67
30 words 22 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. teem
    be full of or abuzz with
    Enormous snowflakes, illuminated by white lights, hung over the street, and the windows of the chocolate shops teemed with gold-foil-wrapped coins, dark-chocolate saints and what Ahmed guessed must be other Belgian Christmas treats.
  2. hijab
    a headscarf worn by Muslim women
    It was a relief, at least, to see a few women in hijabs.
  3. pang
    a sudden sharp feeling
    As the hairdresser snipped away, Ahmed felt a small pang.
  4. busk
    play music in a public place and solicit money for it
    Voices and footsteps blended into a soothing backdrop, overlaid with the strains of a busker’s violin.
  5. trill
    pronounce with a flutter of the tongue
    Just then, the door of the house opened and a woman in a red dress emerged, holding out a man’s hat.
    “Inspecteur Fontaine," she trilled playfully, waving it in his direction.
  6. wistful
    showing pensive sadness
    But at the same time, Max heard a small whoosh of breath, a little wistful sigh.
  7. gruff
    deep and harsh sounding as if from shouting or emotion
    At last, he heard the back door open and voices speaking French—first a girl’s, Farah’s, of course—then Max’s, then a gruffer boy’s voice he didn’t recognize.
  8. accentuate
    stress or single out as important
    As footsteps came his way, Ahmed straightened up, but he had been crouching for so long that when the large, sandy-haired boy stepped in front of him, he was still hunched and stiff. The boy drew himself up as if to accentuate the difference.
  9. hostile
    characterized by enmity or ill will
    He paused there, in part because the words caught in his throat, but also in the hope that Oscar would feel some pity. But the boy looked on with the same hostile expression.
  10. brawny
    possessing physical strength and weight; rugged and powerful
    Oscar crossed his brawny arms over his chest, then said something in French to Max.
  11. glower
    look angry or sullen as if to signal disapproval
    Farah glowered.
  12. sear
    burn slightly and superficially so as to affect color
    By that day on the beach, it was nearly August—the days were growing hotter, the sun searing his face as it reflected off the water.
  13. torrent
    an overwhelming number or amount
    While she unleashed a torrent of French, Ahmed turned to Max for an explanation.
  14. suppress
    control and refrain from showing
    Max’s lips twitched as he suppressed a laugh.
  15. endearment
    the act of showing affection
    He’d heard the French term of endearment before, but it was hard to imagine Oscar as a “little cabbage.”
  16. surname
    the name used to identify the members of a family
    He scrolled through the N’s until he reached the name “Nasser.”
    “It’s good he has a popular surname. What is his mother name?”
  17. naive
    marked by or showing unaffected simplicity
    She shook her head and resumed walking. “This is why the terrorists just waltz in here. Too many Europeans have this naive attitude: They’re just like us. But they’re not!”
  18. furrow
    make or become wrinkled or creased
    “How did they catch him?”
    Madame Pauline’s brow furrowed. “Who?”
    “Albert Jonnart. I mean, how did they know he was hiding someone?”
  19. diligently
    in a hard-working manner
    The morning flew by as Ahmed diligently copied everything on the board.
  20. unnerve
    disturb the composure of
    He found himself surrounded by girls. This might have unnerved him were it not for the flavorful steam rising up from his tray that was making his stomach rumble.
  21. dainty
    affectedly refined
    He stopped midbite, put down his spoon and daintily wiped his mouth with his napkin so they wouldn’t think he was a complete savage.
  22. stifle
    smother or suppress
    Ahmed switched off his headlamp just as the door flew open. A small woman in a white uniform swung a bucket and mop into him. He stifled a yelp.
  23. hearty
    showing warm and sincere friendliness
    “And we are safe,” his mom said, a little too heartily for Max to believe.
  24. sheepish
    showing a sense of shame
    Ahmed looked sheepishly around the cellar. Piles of paper—mostly used to practice French—were scattered across the floor next to a banana peel and a stack of comics Max had given him.
  25. disembodied
    not having a material form
    It felt strange to enter the house this way, to meet Madame Pauline, who for so long had been only a disembodied voice, to eat kiwi slices and meringue cookies with the others around the dining room table.
  26. listless
    marked by low spirits; showing no enthusiasm
    From Ahmed’s listless shrug, Max could tell he didn’t really believe him either.
  27. omen
    a sign of a thing about to happen
    As he gazed at the buds, they seemed like a good omen, a message from the universe that everything would be okay.
  28. aback
    by surprise
    Madame Legrand wrinkled her brow, clearly taken aback by the interruption.
  29. imperceptible
    impossible or difficult to sense
    Max quickly gathered up the books and papers on his desk, then, with an almost imperceptible shrug in Ahmed’s direction, followed his mother out of class.
  30. pretense
    the act of giving a false appearance
    By the afternoon, even Madame Legrand could no longer keep up the pretense that it was a normal day.
Created on Sun Apr 26 21:47:02 EDT 2020 (updated Tue May 05 16:06:41 EDT 2020)

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