I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919: Chapters 1–6

by Lauren Tarshis
In this nineteenth book of the historical fiction I Survived series, twelve-year-old Carmen Grasso finds her horse licking Boston's giant leaky molasses tank just before an explosion.

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

words only definitions & notes
  1. rubble
    the remains of something that has been destroyed
    A gigantic wave had crashed in to the streets—a swirling, raging monster moving faster than a train. It turned buildings to rubble. It smashed wagons and motorcars and tossed trucks into the harbor.
  2. monstrous
    abnormally large
    The monstrous wave was made of a thick brown syrup: molasses. For years, millions of gallons of sticky molasses had been stored in a building-sized metal tank.
  3. loom
    appear very large or occupy a commanding position
    The hideous tank loomed over Carmen’s neighborhood, blotting out the sun.
  4. roiling
    (of a liquid) agitated vigorously; in a state of turbulence
    The molasses hovered in the air like a black, roiling cloud.
  5. whinny
    make a characteristic sound, of a horse
    Horses whinnied in fear.
  6. glum
    showing a brooding ill humor
    But today Tony was in a rotten mood. He walked glumly, skinny shoulders slumped.
  7. slump
    assume a drooping posture or carriage
    But today Tony was in a rotten mood. He walked glumly, skinny shoulders slumped.
  8. hazy
    indistinct in outline
    Carmen had only one memory of that terrible day—dim and hazy like a dream.
  9. gutter
    a channel at the edge of a street for carrying off surface water
    Carmen gripped The Wonderful Wizard of Oz harder as Tony kicked a rotten apple core into the gutter.
  10. practically
    almost; nearly
    Sometimes she could practically smell the sweet Italian breezes, a mix of lemons and flowers and the sea.
  11. bustle
    move or cause to move energetically or busily
    There was always something new to see in this bustling city.
  12. waft
    be driven or carried along, as by the air
    Most nights the delicious smells of Mrs. Grasso’s cooking wafted under their door.
  13. mare
    an adult female horse
    Rosie was a horse, an old mare who lived at the stable where Papa worked.
  14. hideous
    so extremely ugly as to be terrifying
    It took only a few minutes to get to the tank, which rose up over them like the mountains in Carmen’s village back in Italy. Except the tree-covered mountains were beautiful. The tank was hideous—brown-painted steel covered with syrupy slime.
  15. licorice
    candy flavored with a dried plant root, usually black or red
    The molasses tasted sweet, but with a bitter, black- licorice aftertaste.
  16. queasy
    causing or fraught with or showing anxiety
    Plus, being this close to the tank gave her a queasy feeling. She tried not to look at the dead flies stuck in the goopy puddles on the ground.
  17. infest
    occupy in large numbers or live on a host
    The North End was infested with vicious stray dogs that roamed in packs.
  18. grisly
    shockingly repellent; inspiring horror
    If you got bitten, you’d die a grisly death if you didn’t get rabies shots stabbed right into your stomach.
  19. smother
    envelop completely
    What if a worker had fallen in and was drowning, being smothered by the disgusting, bitter goo?
  20. nicker
    a soft sound made by a horse
    Instantly, Carmen felt calmer as she breathed in the smell of hay and horses and heard the loud nicker of hello from Rosie.
  21. stall
    a compartment where an animal is confined and fed
    Rosie poked her white head over the door of her stall, flicking her ears and snorting softly.
  22. typhoid
    infection marked by intestinal inflammation and ulceration
    The flu wasn’t really a killer, like typhoid or polio or rabies.
  23. tinge
    color lightly
    He looked like a shivering ghost, deathly pale, lips tinged blue.
  24. rasp
    speak in a harsh, grating voice
    "Papa?" Carmen rasped, dropping down to her knees.
  25. rickety
    inclined to shake as from weakness or defect
    She pulled a rickety chair over to the bed and sat down.
  26. hack
    cough spasmodically
    And then came the cough, a hacking, wheezing cough like nothing Carmen had ever heard. It sounded like little bombs were exploding in Papa’s lungs.
  27. churning
    (of a liquid) agitated vigorously; in a state of turbulence
    Her mind kept drifting back to the flood after the earthquake, when Carmen clung to Papa’s back as they were caught in the churning sea.
  28. tattered
    worn to shreds; or wearing torn or ragged clothing
    At the end of the bed, Tony’s other little sister, Marie, was curled up under a tattered blanket.
  29. epidemic
    a widespread outbreak of an infectious disease
    The epidemic spread through Boston and across the country—and the world. Tens of millions had died so far.
  30. flush
    turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame
    Carmen flushed, and smiled a little.
Created on Tue May 23 09:56:39 EDT 2023 (updated Tue May 23 12:18:13 EDT 2023)

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