A Kind of Spark: Chapters 1–6

by Elle McNicoll
After hearing a story about women in her Scottish village being tried as witches during the 16th century, eleven-year-old Addie starts to draw parallels between history and her own present-day experiences of being bullied for autism.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–9, Chapters 10–14, Chapters 15–21
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. utterly
    completely and without qualification
    "This handwriting is utterly disgraceful."
  2. diminished
    made to seem smaller or less, especially in worth
    I read different word combinations to calm down, to process the shouting and the ripping. I find a word that I like. “Diminished.”
  3. clamor
    utter or proclaim insistently and noisily
    People talk so loudly to their friends, who are right next to them. They get too close, they push and clamor, and it makes my neck hot and my heart too quick.
  4. engrossed
    giving or marked by complete attention to
    He moves back to his desk and I become engrossed in the book.
  5. auburn
    (of hair) colored a moderate reddish-brown
    She has auburn hair that she dyes blond and only sensible piercings.
  6. rebuke
    censure severely or angrily
    "Nina." Dad rebukes her gently.
  7. clamber
    climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling
    She clambers into the kitchen, ducking through the window.
  8. instinctive
    unthinking
    Keedie looks at me and grins. I instinctively grin back.
  9. exhilarated
    filled with joy or excitement
    My hands flap freely and joyfully; I’m able to stim without anyone telling me not to. Keedie whoops and sings. We reach the bottom, breathless and exhilarated.
  10. imploringly
    in a pleading manner
    “Real witches, miss?” I stare at her imploringly, desperate to hear more.
  11. wring
    twist and compress, as if in pain or anguish
    My hands are wringing. She isn’t explaining quickly enough for my wired mind.
  12. notion
    a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
    “Then you”—Ms. Murphy points at Audrey with her pen—“might have been accused of being a witch, my girl.”
    Audrey does not look entirely thrilled by this notion.
  13. concede
    admit or acknowledge, often reluctantly
    “There’s no way to survive that.”
    “No,” Ms. Murphy concedes. “It was a tricky way of trying people.”
  14. inconspicuous
    not prominent or readily noticeable
    “The only way for the women in this village to be safe was for them to be as inconspicuous as possible.”
    “What does that mean?” Emily asks.
    I want to tell her it means being ordinary and unremarkable, but I don’t.
  15. levitate
    be suspended in the air, as if in defiance of gravity
    “Did lots of women in Juniper die, miss?” I ask, hovering above my seat. Practically levitating.
  16. flush
    turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame
    “What’s wrong, Addie? You look a little flushed.”
  17. grim
    filled with melancholy and despondency
    “Not all about it,” I admit grimly. “Just a little bit about it.”
  18. intently
    with strained or eager attention
    Sometimes I read so intently, I forget to eat.
  19. pore
    direct one's attention on something
    Mr. Allison doesn’t mind me eating my lunch in the library, as long as I am tidy, so I carefully chew my sandwich—chicken and mayo on brown bread—as I pore over an Eyewitness book about Edinburgh.
  20. genuinely
    in accordance with truth or fact or reality
    She sounds as if she genuinely wants to know.
  21. frantic
    marked by uncontrolled excitement or emotion
    My brain is a little too frantic to mask properly at the moment.
  22. bemused
    perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements
    Some bemused murmurings follow her opening statement, and I hear Keedie let out a long sigh.
  23. explicitly
    in a clearly expressed manner
    “I don’t think we can remove the children unless they’re explicitly breaking the law, Lisa,” Mr. Macintosh says, looking uncomfortable.
  24. trepidation
    a feeling of alarm or dread
    Mr. Macintosh’s eyes close in exhausted trepidation for a moment before he gestures for me to continue.
  25. plaque
    a tablet that commemorates a person or achievement
    “A memorial. A plaque or a statue that commemorates the people who were unjustly sentenced to death.”
  26. tarnish
    place under suspicion; make less respected
    “I don’t think,” Mr. Macintosh finally says, but he won’t look at me, “that a memorial for some witches would be a good addition to the village. We have a shot at becoming a tourist spot, young lady, and we don’t want anything that might tarnish the village reputation.”
  27. warrant
    show to be reasonable or provide adequate ground for
    “Also, this village could do with a bit more to say for itself. We have that plaque by the park that says Bonnie Prince Charlie rode through with his soldiers. Actually, it says he might have come through here. If that warrants a bloody plaque, and being constantly talked about, then why doesn’t this?”
  28. resign
    accept as inevitable
    “She’s not upset,” Keedie says, hanging her coat up. “She’s resigned. That’s what happens when you get constantly treated like dirt in this place.”
  29. grapple
    work hard to come to terms with or deal with something
    One evening, Keedie was having trouble with the dinner Mrs. Craig had made. I remember disliking it too. Even Nina was grappling with it, and Nina never likes to displease grown-ups.
  30. convulse
    shake uncontrollably
    Keedie’s whole body was convulsing with sobs.
  31. hearty
    without reservation
    Keedie laughs heartily at this.
  32. scoff
    laugh at with contempt and derision
    “Oh,” he scoffs, and shakes his head. “This is such silliness, Adeline. And, quite honestly, I’m not sure who has put you up to this, but it’s already been rejected.”
  33. antic
    a playful, attention-getting act done for fun and amusement
    “It’s cruel to use your sister for your antics, Keedie.”
  34. autism
    a condition involving social and communication difficulties
    “When grown-ups don’t like what we have to say, they blame our autism and say we don’t know our own minds.”
  35. dregs
    the most worthless or undesirable part of something
    “It’s not a competition! She’s a person, not a prop. She’s vulnerable, and you put her on the internet for all the dregs of humanity to point and stare at.”
Created on Tue May 10 15:54:21 EDT 2022 (updated Mon May 23 09:12:42 EDT 2022)

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