Paradise on Fire: List 2

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 "Discovery."

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4
20 words 59 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. cackle
    emit a loud, unpleasant kind of laughing
    “Side mesh,” says Jamie, “makes the boots breathable.”
    “Breathable? They’re A-L-I-V-E,” Jay cackles as if the boots were Frankenstein.
  2. warren
    a series of underground tunnels occupied by rabbits
    “A rabbit warren. Underground are passageways and burrows.”
    My mind maps. I blink, imagining complex tunnels.
  3. quip
    make jokes or witty remarks
    “This is stupid. I get it. Nature. We don’t have to stay out all day.”
    “This is the adventure,” quips Jay. “If you’re not down with it, why’d you come?”
    DeShon’s face is grim.
  4. grim
    harshly uninviting or formidable in manner or appearance
    “This is stupid. I get it. Nature. We don’t have to stay out all day.”
    “This is the adventure,” quips Jay. “If you’re not down with it, why’d you come?”
    DeShon’s face is grim.
  5. trudge
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
    Everybody’s sweating now. Nessa trudges like the rest of us. Kelvin’s breath is more even.
  6. awestruck
    having a feeling of mixed reverence and wonder and dread
    But the trees don’t make a canopy; rather, the sky is open and sun shines like God’s or an angel’s light.
    “It’s like a church,” says Kelvin, awestruck.
  7. insistent
    demanding attention
    Hanging from the cracked ceiling are light bulbs with slow, twirling blades. Smoke spreads, spiraling outward. I hear insistent whispers, scuffling. “Smother it.” Mama’s voice. “Smother it.”
  8. searing
    extremely hot
    Coughs, crying. More coughs. I cover me and Maya with the blanket. If I don’t see the flames, maybe they’ll disappear. But I feel them. Searing, suffocating heat.
  9. guttural
    relating to or articulated in the throat
    Pop screams, long, low, guttural.
    Gasping, crying, I wake. Nightmares from the Bronx won’t leave me alone.
  10. kibble
    pellets of coarsely ground grain used as animal feed
    Every day, outside my cabin while it’s still chilly darkness, Ryder greets me. We go to the main house kitchen. Leo brews coffee. I fix Ryder his kibble.
  11. muse
    reflect deeply on a subject
    “Topographical maps show everything,” I say, musing out loud.
  12. aerial
    existing, living, growing, or operating in the air
    “Google Earth does it. Using satellites. Better than a plane or eagle view,” he explains. “Aerial perspective makes everything smaller but allows you to see the whole. Seeing the whole is important to understand what’s happening to our home...."
  13. deforestation
    the removal of trees
    “Deforestation happens everywhere. But it’s trees that clean carbon emissions and provide oxygen.”
  14. emission
    a substance that is released
    “Deforestation happens everywhere. But it’s trees that clean carbon emissions and provide oxygen.”
  15. parcel
    an extended area of land
    The video starts in 1980 and then, like a horrific, crazy race, the dates go up and the green on the map goes down. By 2020, HUGE parcels of land disappear.
  16. horrendous
    causing fear or dread or terror
    As the planet warms, fires have become more horrendous.
  17. likelihood
    the probability of a specified outcome
    “Illegal deforestation makes it worse. Land that has been cleared for development—cattle grazing, clearing for lumber—increases the likelihood of burning. Another stress.”
  18. manipulate
    skillfully utilize, process, or operate on
    “You mean it?” Except for Bibi, no one’s ever told me I’m excellent at anything before.
    “You can map in three-D, manipulate space. Engineers do it, surgeons do it. Mathematicians. Also architects and artists like Michelangelo.”
  19. gingerly
    in a manner marked by extreme care or delicacy
    “Watch Ryder.”
    Ryder’s stepping gingerly, lowers his nose to the dirt.
  20. misshapen
    so badly formed or distorted as to be ugly
    “See the whole,” I murmur. From on high, it would just look like the forest had an empty space, a misshapen wound snaking through thick growth. A close-up map can show the healing.
Created on Tue Jan 11 20:47:23 EST 2022 (updated Fri Jan 21 15:25:11 EST 2022)

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