Turtle in Paradise: Chapters 14–18

by Jennifer L. Holm
During the Great Depression, an eleven-year-old girl tackles challenges and finds adventure when she moves in with relatives in Key West, Florida.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–6, Chapters 7–9, Chapters 10–13, Chapters 14–18
25 words 66 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. culprit
    someone or something responsible for harm or wrongdoing
    “Ow!” I cry, and look down at the culprit: a thick stone, the size of Buddy’s head.
  2. stammer
    speak haltingly
    “Then what happened to the boat?” Beans asks.
    “I—I—I don’t know!” Pork Chop stammers.
  3. divvy
    separate into parts or portions
    All that’s left to eat is three bollos and half a Cuban sandwich, which we divvy up.
  4. forage
    collect or look around for, as food
    We spread out, foraging. When we meet back up, we toss what we’ve found into a pile: two empty cans, a rotting coconut, and a crab that’s been dead awhile, judging from the smell.
  5. brood
    think moodily or anxiously about something
    Pork Chop and Beans aren't speaking to each other. They sit on opposite sides of the shore, brooding.
  6. pelt
    cast, hurl, or throw repeatedly with some missile
    Raindrops pelt the flimsy shack like spitballs. The storm is scarier than anything I’ve ever been in before.
  7. churn
    be agitated
    Trees have been blown over and the ocean water is cloudy, the bottom churned up from the storm.
  8. debris
    the remains of something that has been destroyed
    There’s debris everywhere and the key looks smaller, as if it’s been swallowed up by the ocean.
  9. brash
    offensively bold
    The brash, cocky members of the Diaper Gang are gone, and in their place are scared kids who dream of being in their mothers’ arms.
  10. cocky
    overly self-confident or self-assertive
    The brash, cocky members of the Diaper Gang are gone, and in their place are scared kids who dream of being in their mothers’ arms.
  11. podium
    a platform raised above the surrounding level
    As I make my way to the podium, flashbulbs go off, blinding me.
  12. bluster
    act in an arrogant, overly self-assured, or conceited manner
    “You’d believe a horse killer over us?” Beans blusters.
  13. wryly
    in a humorously sarcastic or mocking manner
    "Maybe we can trade Buddy for Smokey,” Aunt Minnie says, and grins wryly.
  14. recount
    narrate or give a detailed account of
    I’m at Pepe’s, drinking a leche with Johnny Cakes and the writer fella, recounting our adventure.
  15. lope
    run easily
    Slow Poke is loping down the lane.
  16. falter
    be or become weak, unsteady, or uncertain
    Her smile doesn’t falter, but her voice trembles a little.
  17. content
    satisfied or showing satisfaction with things as they are
    Except now she’s reading a new fashion magazine that I bought her and Smokey’s sitting on her lap, content as can be.
  18. sappy
    very sentimental or emotional
    A Hollywood writer couldn’t have imagined a sappier scene.
  19. grim
    harshly uninviting or formidable in manner or appearance
    Beans sets his cap low and nods grimly. “Leave it to us,” he says.
  20. bewildered
    extremely confused and uncertain what to do
    “Cuba? What are you talking about?” she asks, bewildered.
  21. blurt
    utter impulsively
    “Aunt Sadie! He took Turtle’s part of the treasure and hopped a boat to Cuba!” Beans blurts out. "He’s a no-good crook!”
  22. anguish
    suffer great pains or distress
    She whirls around, her face anguished, and collapses right in the middle of the muddy lane, tears running down her face.
  23. gruff
    blunt and unfriendly or stern
    “They belong to the family,” my aunt says in a gruff voice. “So you're going to have to stay here if you want to play with them. Your mother, too.”
  24. shabby
    showing signs of wear and tear
    I look back at the little Conch house. It will never be the Bellewood, with its modern attractive exterior and Venetian mirrored cabinet. But it doesn’t seem quite so small or shabby to me anymore.
  25. rickety
    inclined to shake as from weakness or defect
    I can see past the rickety porch and the tin roof and know it’s built just like its people, to sway in a storm and not break.
Created on Thu Sep 09 20:56:13 EDT 2021 (updated Mon Sep 20 13:29:09 EDT 2021)

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