My Side of the Mountain: List 2

by Jean Craighead George
Crowded by his parents and eight siblings in a New York City apartment, twelve-year-old Sam Gribley runs away to live by himself on his great-grandfather's abandoned farm in the Catskill Mountains.

This list covers "I Meet One of My Own Kind and Have a Terrible Time Getting Away"–"Frightful Learns Her ABC's."

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

Click here to explore our other lists in this mountainous trilogy.
15 words 925 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. peregrine
    a powerful falcon formerly used in falconry
    I was thinking about the duck hawk. This bird, I was sure, was the peregrine falcon, the king’s hunting bird.
  2. earthy
    of or consisting of or resembling the soil
    The May apples were ripe, and I stuffed on those as I went through the woods. They taste like a very sweet banana, are earthy and a little slippery.
  3. relish
    vigorous and enthusiastic enjoyment
    I also put the trout head on the hook and dropped it in the pool. A snapping turtle would view a trout head with relish.
  4. exertion
    use of physical or mental energy; hard work
    I edged up to another ledge, and lay down on it to catch my breath. I was shaking from exertion and I was tired.
  5. rumpus
    a noisy disturbance
    A rumpus arose in the darkness. Two bright eyes shone, and out through that hole that was no wider than a string bean came a weasel.
  6. scant
    less than the correct or legal or full amount
    He flew right out at me, landed on my shoulder, gave me a lecture that I shall never forget, and vanished under the scant cover of trillium and bloodroot leaves.
  7. stately
    refined or imposing in manner or appearance
    Presently, down he climbed, as stately as royalty, and off he marched, never looking back.
  8. residue
    matter that remains after something has been removed
    I understand that hickory sticks, boiled dry, leave a salty residue.
  9. niche
    a small concavity
    And so I went into salt production for several days, and chipped out a niche inside the tree in which to store it.
  10. provoke
    call forth to appear or occur
    I poked a stick in the hole at the base of the rock trying to provoke him.
  11. misshapen
    so badly formed or distorted as to be ugly
    She ate deer until she was misshapen.
  12. frayed
    worn away or tattered along the edges
    By now my two pairs of pants were threadbare and my three sweaters were frayed.
  13. personable
    pleasant in manner and appearance
    The Baron liked me for what I was, and I appreciated that. He was a personable little fellow.
  14. promptly
    with little or no delay
    I whistled for Frightful. She came promptly.
  15. maneuver
    a military training exercise
    I had been training her to the lure. That is, I now tied her meat on a piece of wood, covered with hide and feathers. I would throw it in the air and she would swoop out of the sky and catch it. She was absolutely free during these maneuvers, and would fly high into the air and hover over me like a leaf.
Created on Wed Jul 29 19:39:32 EDT 2015 (updated Fri Aug 01 10:46:28 EDT 2025)

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