The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez: Chapters 1–3

by Adrianna Cuevas
Twelve-year-old Nestor Lopez has a secret: he can communicate with animals. When the animals in his town begin mysteriously disappearing, Nestor must use his special abilities to investigate.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–7, Chapters 8–10, Chapters 11–14, Chapters 15–26
25 words 205 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. obnoxious
    causing disapproval or protest
    I grip Dad’s old army compass, willing myself not to launch it at the obnoxious raven heckling me from the bedroom window.
  2. drone
    talk in a monotonous voice
    I draw because it keeps me occupied sitting in new classrooms as the teacher drones on about equations I learned two schools ago.
  3. deployment
    the distribution of forces in preparation for battle or work
    The inbox of my email has its own overflowing folder of messages he's sent me over the last three months of his deployment.
  4. cryptic
    having a secret or hidden meaning
    Has he moved bases? Is he still in the Middle East? The cryptic combination of letters and numbers on this one tells me he's at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.
  5. tarmac
    a paved road or surface, especially at an airport
    Three months ago, Mom and I stood on a hot tarmac and stared at Dad’s back as he boarded a big-bellied airplane to Afghanistan.
  6. obituary
    a notice of someone's death
    My obituary will probably read, "Died of boredom in New Haven, Texas."
  7. scrawl
    write carelessly
    I'm stacking a third box on my tower when I notice writing scrawled on the back wall.
  8. ration
    a fixed portion that is allotted
    I shake my head and laugh. "Hardly. Abuela says it has to do with the ration cards they gave out in Cuba when Castro would let people buy only fish one day and beef the next."
  9. impale
    pierce with a sharp stake or point
    I look down to make sure I don't impale my shin with spines, but I almost give myself a concussion from the winding tree branches.
  10. concussion
    injury to the brain caused by a blow
    I look down to make sure I don't impale my shin with spines, but I almost give myself a concussion from the winding tree branches.
  11. meander
    move or cause to move in a winding or curving course
    As I meander down a hill, my worn sneakers slide on the dirt, sending small rocks skittering down the path.
  12. gape
    be wide open
    His head cranes toward the sky as his mouth gapes open.
  13. pester
    annoy persistently
    I hear a screech above and see Cuervito has returned to pester me.
  14. entourage
    the group following and attending to some important person
    Groaning, I pick up the pace toward school, my animal entourage following me and offering advice guaranteed to get me a month of detention.
  15. half-hearted
    feeling or showing little interest or enthusiasm
    My introductions are greeted with half-hearted waves and mumbles from kids slumped over in their desks.
  16. density
    the amount per unit size
    After lunch, I sit in my science class, amusing myself while the teacher rambles on about how to calculate density.
  17. acronym
    a word formed from the initial letters of several words
    Miss Humala drones on about MOVED, her acronym for finding density.
  18. uproot
    move forcibly from a homeland into a new foreign environment
    It's more like a tornado you know is going to make a direct hit at least every two years, uprooting and flinging you to an entirely new place against your will.
  19. oblivious
    lacking conscious awareness of
    He's oblivious to the three green peas resting in his curly black hair.
  20. hyperventilate
    breathe excessively hard and fast
    You meet a lot of kids when you go to so many different schools. But no matter the school, the groups are the same. There’s always the nose-pickers. The hyperventilating hand-raisers. The PE Olympians.
  21. ordnance
    large but transportable armament
    "My dad is. He's an explosive ordnance disposal specialist." Noticing Talib’s raised eyebrows, I explain. "That means he disarms bombs."
  22. disposal
    the act or means of getting rid of something
    "My dad is. He's an explosive ordnance disposal specialist." Noticing Talib’s raised eyebrows, I explain. "That means he disarms bombs."
  23. disarm
    remove offensive capability from
    "My dad is. He's an explosive ordnance disposal specialist." Noticing Talib’s raised eyebrows, I explain. "That means he disarms bombs."
  24. stifle
    smother or suppress
    "I got a blue ribbon on the tower-of-death ropes course as a six-year-old," I tell him, stifling a laugh.
  25. cackle
    emit a loud, unpleasant kind of laughing
    The pea-flicker has upgraded. He cackles at Talib, showing crooked teeth under cracked lips.
Created on Mon Feb 22 19:55:32 EST 2021 (updated Mon Mar 01 16:37:14 EST 2021)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.