Paradise on Fire: List 1

by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Haunted by the memories of a fire that killed her parents, fifteen-year old Addy must lead her friends to safety after encountering a forest fire during a summer wilderness program.

This list covers "Flying Blind."

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4
20 words 147 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. cocky
    overly self-confident or self-assertive
    Jay has a high-top fade with precision cuts on the sides. His brows bushy, his eyes brown, he’s the cocky know-it-all type.
  2. unnerve
    disturb the composure of
    I stare out the window. Pancake clouds float. Mountain clouds burst, scatter as the plane flies through them. Seeing the open air unnerves me, reminds me of something—what?
  3. lanky
    tall and thin and having long slender limbs
    Across the aisle, lanky, curly-haired Dylan, his finger stabbing the air, talks down at Kelvin, A’Leia, and DeShon.
  4. makeshift
    done or made using whatever is available
    Then I roll my sweater into a makeshift pillow and close my eyes. I don’t open them when the attendant asks, “Drinks? Water? Coke?”
  5. skeptical
    marked by or given to doubt
    “Or an L, elevated trains like in Chicago,” Jay tells a skeptical Kelvin. “I’ve seen photos.”
    “I’ve never been to Chicago,” responds Kelvin. “Never been anywhere but Philly and here.”
  6. exasperated
    greatly annoyed; out of patience
    “Nothing,” adds Jay. “Just another place we’ve never been.”
    “What does it matter?” asks Nessa, exasperated.
  7. topography
    precise detailed study of the surface features of a region
    “Don’t forget, maps can have streams, valleys, mountains,” calls the driver. “Topography. It keeps you from getting lost.”
  8. sassy
    improperly forward or bold
    “One what? A Black kid?”
    “No, I mean a city kid. A kid who didn’t know they belonged in the wild.”
    I want to say something smart, sassy.
  9. loll
    hang loosely or laxly
    Tongue lolling, bright, beady eyes—I swear this dog grins.
  10. beady
    small, round, and shiny
    Tongue lolling, bright, beady eyes—I swear this dog grins.
  11. crest
    reach a high point
    “It’s morning twilight. The sun is beneath the horizon. When the sun crests, clouds and sky will shine, glimmering orange-yellow.”
  12. venture
    proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
    “Good boy,” Leo pats his head. To me, he says, “Never venture unprepared. I always keep a pack with emergency supplies.”
  13. emphatically
    in a forceful manner; with emphasis
    He’s daring me, and before I can reply, he turns, saying emphatically, “The Lookout.”
  14. conjure
    summon into action or bring into existence
    “What do you think of this?” Leo sweeps his hand through the air, like he’s a magician conjuring a world.
  15. craggy
    rugged and lined or rough-textured
    Staring at thick, twisted tree roots, I scan upward, seeing green extending higher, glowing against craggy granite and rock.
  16. intuition
    instinctive knowing, without the use of rational processes
    “How’d you know?”
    He knows what I’m asking. His hand touches my shoulder. “Intuition. Most folks think the environment they’re born into is the only way to live. You never know until you’ve been somewhere, seen something different.”
  17. sanctuary
    a shelter from danger or hardship
    “Bibi tells me in Nigeria, there used to be a festival in an eagle sanctuary. Most of the eagles have disappeared, so there’s no celebration anymore.”
  18. tundra
    a vast treeless plain where subsoil is permanently frozen
    “The wilderness—rain forests, deserts, Arctic tundra—need protecting, too. Fuels like coal, oil, and gas make the world hotter. See here?” Leo pats a tree trunk. His fingers flick, and bark crackles, falls. “Drought stresses it. Makes it vulnerable to fire...."
  19. vulnerable
    susceptible to attack
    “The wilderness—rain forests, deserts, Arctic tundra—need protecting, too. Fuels like coal, oil, and gas make the world hotter. See here?” Leo pats a tree trunk. His fingers flick, and bark crackles, falls. “Drought stresses it. Makes it vulnerable to fire...."
  20. relentless
    never-ceasing
    My hand scrapes the bark. Spiders scurry between cracks. But it’s the black beetles that relentlessly chew.
Created on Tue Jan 11 20:36:03 EST 2022 (updated Mon Jan 24 09:10:57 EST 2022)

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