Ice Magic: Chapters 4–8

by Matt Christopher
When middle schooler Pie Pennelli is told by the Byrd twins that his recent hockey game had exactly the same moves and score as the one they'd played on a toy the night before, he is unsure what to think about this possible magic.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–8, Chapters 9–13
30 words 19 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. calico
    having patches colored differently and usually brightly
    A calico cat was at his feet, sitting on its haunches and looking at Pie with large, yellow eyes.
  2. haunch
    the upper part of the leg of an animal, often used for food
    A calico cat was at his feet, sitting on its haunches and looking at Pie with large, yellow eyes.
  3. glint
    a momentary flash of light
    “I heard that you and the twins are really crazy about magic,” Terry said, an amused glint in his eyes.
  4. gruff
    blunt and unfriendly or stern
    “You dumb cat, if I have to get a leash for you I will,” he said gruffly.
  5. smoldering
    showing scarcely suppressed anger
    He heard his name yelled and saw Terry Mason speeding by him, his eyes smoldering.
  6. clamber
    climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling
    Quickly, Pie clambered to his feet and sprinted down center ice, trying to ignore Terry’s flaming look.
  7. deflect
    turn aside and away from an initial or intended course
    A pass to a Hawk at the right of the Penguins’ goal was deflected by left defenseman Frog Alexander.
  8. irritable
    easily annoyed
    Terry hadn’t been doing so well himself, and Pie figured it was because the irritable center had been trying to dribble the puck to the goal and shoot it in without any help. “The terrible” Mason was disgusted with his wingmen and was trying to win the game by himself.
  9. neutral
    not supporting or favoring either side in a dispute
    Dribbling the black pellet with care, he swung around in a semicircle and started back across the blue line, then across the neutral zone into Penguin territory.
  10. unflinching
    showing courage and determination in the face of danger
    The blue eyes met his and held unflinchingly.
  11. suit
    be agreeable or acceptable to
    So, Pie thought, the great Terry “the terrible” Mason doesn’t want to play on the same line with me anymore. Suits me fine. I don’t exactly enjoy playing with him either.
  12. presumably
    by reasonable assumption
    Jody was sketching a weird-looking monster holding a huge cup supposedly representing an ocean. On the surface of the cup were several fish lying flat on their side, presumably dead.
  13. scrawl
    write carelessly
    POLLUTION was scrawled on the monster's headdress.
  14. grudgingly
    in a reluctant manner
    Grudgingly, she agreed. “Okay. I understand perfectly. I’m a girl, and you prefer playing with a boy. It’s perfectly logical—to a boy, I guess.”
  15. inquisitive
    showing curiosity
    A face was there, and a pair of large, inquisitive eyes was staring down at them.
  16. frank
    characterized by directness in manner or speech
    “You’re almost better than Jody,” he said frankly.
  17. inclined
    having a preference, disposition, or tendency
    “Even though we’re twins,” she said, “I firmly believe that I’m inclined to be more athletic than he is.”
  18. necessarily
    in such a manner as could not be otherwise
    “And you think that game will be just like the game we’re playing Saturday?”
    “Not necessarily.”
  19. baffled
    perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements
    He’s baffled, Pie thought. He doesn’t believe in magic, so he doesn’t know what to think about me, the twins, or their toy hockey game.
  20. severe
    very strong or vigorous
    The rubber disk took a severe battering, then skittered across the ice into Penguin territory.
  21. scoff
    laugh at with contempt and derision
    “Your ankle!” Terry scoffed. “You know what’s the matter with you? You haven’t learned how to keep your balance yet, and you’re trying to cut corners going eighty miles an hour! Well, you can’t do that, Pie! You have to learn to keep your balance first!”
  22. rigid
    incapable of compromise or flexibility
    But after a while he realized that he might as well have stayed off the ice as stick rigidly to that rule.
  23. snare
    catch in or as if in a trap
    The puck skidded to the side, and Pie, speeding down the ice near the boards, cut in and snared it.
  24. grim
    filled with melancholy and despondency
    The Seal just stole that puck from me and took off. That’s all there was to it. The guy was just lucky he had open ice ahead of him. A thing like that doesn’t happen often.
    And it’s a good thing it doesn’t, Pie thought grimly.
  25. prompt
    urge, encourage, or motivate someone to act
    “Let’s have some teamwork this period,” Coach Hayes prompted as Line 1 got on the ice to start off the second period.
  26. hamper
    prevent the progress or free movement of
    Pie, feeling his oversize skates hampering his speed, kicked the ice accidentally with the toe of his skate and fell flat on his stomach.
  27. benefactor
    a person who helps people or institutions
    Pie felt a hand grab his arm and help him to his feet.
    He didn’t see who his benefactor was until the guy had sped away on his skates.
  28. churn
    be agitated
    Now the Seals’ defensemen were after him, arms and legs churning as they swept upon him like vultures.
  29. obscure
    make unclear or less visible
    The goalie reached for it, and for a second his huge glove obscured the flying missile.
  30. reluctantly
    with a certain degree of unwillingness
    “I don’t know whether I should tell you this,” he said reluctantly.
Created on Mon May 08 10:57:20 EDT 2023 (updated Thu May 11 13:39:46 EDT 2023)

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