A Kind of Spark: Chapters 7–9

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
35 words 13 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. dampen
    lessen in force or effect
    While the idea of seeing new places and learning new information can seem irresistible, the reality of classmates pushing and shoving, loud traffic noises, and an unfamiliar routine often dampens the day.
  2. flounce
    walk in an emphatic or exaggerated way
    Audrey laughs heartily and stands next to me at the back of the line, while Emily flounces off.
  3. acute
    extremely sharp or intense
    “I have”—I flick through my mental thesaurus—“acute senses.”
    “Cute senses?”
    “Acute.”
    “What does that mean?”
    “Like...really sharp senses. They pick things up easily. I could smell her apple juice.”
  4. derision
    contemptuous laughter
    Emily and Jenna cast glances back at the two of us, our laughter drawing their attention. Emily screws up her face and makes a noise of derision.
  5. assess
    estimate the nature, quality, ability or significance of
    Jenna looks surprised, her eyes flickering over Audrey. Assessing her.
  6. gnarly
    rough and misshapen and full of knots
    Ms. Murphy and Mr. Patterson stop at a stocky tree with thick, gnarly branches.
  7. splay
    widen or spread apart
    Mr. Patterson splays out his arms and looks into all our faces, some bored and some curious.
  8. sullen
    showing a brooding ill humor
    Tired and sullen, just wanting to be left alone.
  9. cordially
    in a politely friendly manner
    “Well, we know that now,” Ms. Murphy says cordially, nodding. “But hundreds of years ago, people believed all sorts of different things.”
  10. rapt
    feeling great delight and interest
    “But”—he seems thrilled to have our rapt attention—“vigilante justice was popular in Juniper. Who can tell me what that means?”
  11. coarse
    rough to the touch
    Jean, washing her coarse hands and cleaning the worn sole of her boot, none the wiser to the cruel accusations and remarks that are being cast around in the village, to the powerful ears of the kirk elders.
  12. parish
    a local church community
    She would beg for money all around the parish and was thought to be an imbecile.
  13. disdainful
    having or showing arrogant superiority
    “Why didn’t they just say it was all made up?” asks Jenna, her face puzzled and a little disdainful.
  14. crude
    not carefully or expertly made
    Mr. Patterson goes into detail, describing crudely made thumbscrews, whipping, and other forms of torture.
  15. ghastly
    shockingly repellent; inspiring horror
    I move further and further away from the group, hoping that the sound of the gushing river will drown out his horrible words. Remove the ghostly, ghastly images from my head.
  16. frenzy
    state of violent mental agitation
    Mr. Patterson is almost in a frenzy, enthused by his own story.
  17. vigilante
    a person who takes the law into his or her own hands
    “While hanging was more common in England than Scotland—here witches were more likely to be burned—the Juniper residents decided to use this very tree to carry out their vigilante sentence.”
  18. bellow
    make a loud noise, as of an animal
    The mask slips away and I’m making a hoarse, bellowing sound.
  19. bleat
    talk whiningly
    “No, of course not,” he bleats.
  20. overwhelm
    overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli
    “Addie, you’re not in trouble at all. Did you just get overwhelmed? Overstimulated?”
  21. grisly
    shockingly repellent; inspiring horror
    “It’s a very grisly story,” Mr. Patterson says, looking apologetic.
  22. intrigue
    cause to be interested or curious
    “And she’s been really intrigued by this term’s project,” Dad says.
  23. compassion
    a deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering
    “Wars, famine. Witch trials. You have to detach yourself from it all.”
    “She’s trying,” Dad says in response. “And we really don’t want Addie to lose her compassion.”
  24. empathy
    understanding and entering into another's feelings
    “It’s quite refreshing. I know most children with autism don’t have a lot of empathy, so it’s good to see.”
  25. sheepishly
    in a manner showing embarrassment or shame
    He nods slowly, smiling sheepishly.
  26. cognitive
    relating to or involving the mental process of knowing
    “It’s not a matter of Addie being a little more sensitive or a little more emotional. She is dealing with a different neurological reality. A cognitive difference. She needs structure, support, and understanding.”
  27. antiquated
    so extremely old as seeming to belong to an earlier period
    “She couldn’t have told the guest speaker not to throw around antiquated terms?”
  28. wary
    openly distrustful and unwilling to confide
    “She was the worst. She always played favorites with the other kids, so I’d let her have it every now and then.”
    “Oh, Keedie.” Mum exhales wearily. “No wonder she’s wary of Addie.”
  29. imperceptibly
    in a manner that is difficult to discern
    The three of us sway imperceptibly to the song.
  30. defiantly
    in a rebellious manner
    “You shouldn’t be driving that,” I tell my sister defiantly.
  31. gallivant
    wander aimlessly in search of pleasure
    “Addie, you can’t just run off gallivanting after school.”
  32. relent
    give in, as to influence or pressure
    “Both of you, in the car. Now.”
    We exchange a look and finally relent.
  33. legacy
    anything handed down by someone or something in the past
    “Good to know that years after we left that primary school, Keedie’s legacy still lives on.”
  34. admonish
    scold or reprimand; take to task
    “Let her eat, Addie,” Nina admonishes quietly.
  35. doublespeak
    language that conceals or misrepresents the truth
    I can read a book in a day, memorize anything, feel things so strongly. But the doublespeak and the secret looks? I’m not sure I’ll ever decipher them.
Created on Tue May 10 15:55:39 EDT 2022 (updated Mon May 23 09:12:52 EDT 2022)

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