The Boy Who Met a Whale: Chapters 16–24

by Nizrana Farook
On the island of Serendib, twelve-year-old Razi has not been in the water since his father died in a fishing accident, but then he meets a young stranded sailor who needs his help.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–15, Chapters 16–24, Chapters 25–36
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. keen
    express grief verbally
    The whale groaned, that keening sound that Razi couldn’t quite hear.
  2. involuntarily
    against your will
    Without warning, the whale jumped clean out of the water. Razi screamed involuntarily and Shifa rocked toward the other side of the boat.
  3. barnacle
    marine crustacean with feathery food-catching appendages
    Clusters of barnacles pockmarked the enormous body soaring powerfully over them.
  4. cleft
    a split or indentation in something
    She leaned over the boat to look at the several clefts on its back.
  5. sheer
    complete and without restriction
    The sheer size of the animal was mind-boggling.
  6. frolic
    play boisterously
    He turned to see Maalu frolicking in the water near him.
  7. cheeky
    offensively bold
    A whole pod of them, this time a different species, with rectangular heads and small, cheeky eyes. Maybe thirty of them, swimming serenely in the great ocean without a care in the world.
  8. hue
    the quality of a color determined by its dominant wavelength
    The water was a clear sapphire around them, the pod of whales speckling it in hues of silver.
  9. exhilarated
    filled with joy or excitement
    He had never been more exhilarated in his life, but the tears came thick and fast at the same time.
  10. abate
    become less in amount or intensity
    Shifa didn’t say anything, but after a minute when his tears didn’t abate she leaned over and hugged him tightly.
  11. cower
    show submission or fear
    Most people would cower at that, but not Zheng. The time he’d been thrown in a cage to fight an enraged hippo definitely ranked higher on the scariness scale.
  12. correspond
    be compatible, similar, or consistent
    The map showed an oval landmark with ridges running through it, but nothing of the sort corresponded to anything they could see.
  13. erosion
    condition in which the earth's surface is worn away
    “Do you think whatever that oval is supposed to be could have been destroyed?” said Razi. “Some sort of natural event—I don’t know, erosion or rust or something.”
  14. proportion
    relation with respect to comparative quantity or magnitude
    Whatever it is, it looks quite big, though. I mean, when you look at it in proportion to the size of the islet, it’s not tiny.
  15. advisable
    worthy of being recommended or suggested; prudent or wise
    It’s just that I think it would be advisable to stay, that’s all.
  16. copse
    a dense growth of trees, shrubs, or bushes
    Shifa didn’t look convinced but she helped bring in the boat and wedge it under the cliff in a copse of coconut trees.
  17. guffaw
    laugh boisterously
    Marco looked startled, then guffawed loudly.
  18. implication
    a meaning that is not expressly stated but can be inferred
    Despite Shifa’s outburst, she didn’t seem to have taken in the full implication of Marco’s words and he didn’t want to make it worse by telling her that, in reality, Marco had left them there to die.
  19. complexion
    the coloring of a person's face
    Shifa’s normally rosy complexion drained of color.
  20. foothold
    a place that provides support for standing or climbing
    Shifa went in front and Razi followed, using the same footholds that she did.
  21. maneuver
    move skillfully, as around obstacles or into a position
    He maneuvered himself slightly so that he was in a better position to carry out his plan.
  22. churning
    (of a liquid) agitated vigorously; in a state of turbulence
    He went down again, staying in the murky, churning depths until he was sure the boat had continued on its way.
  23. murky
    dark or gloomy
    Zheng opened his eyes underwater. It was dark and murky down there, just like his insides.
  24. determination
    firmness of purpose
    He struck out with renewed determination and swam toward the cliffs.
  25. feeble
    lacking bodily or muscular strength or vitality
    “Razi!” he called out, his voice feeble and drowned out by the crashing waves.
  26. relentless
    never-ceasing
    They were soon cold, wet, and hungry, and the rain poured relentlessly around them, pooling at their feet and preventing them from moving.
  27. judder
    shake or vibrate rapidly and intensively
    At the foot of the cliff, the boat juddered violently as the wind battered it.
  28. patter
    rain gently
    The rain pattered down around them as Razi struggled with how to explain.
  29. sodden
    wet through and through; thoroughly wet
    The storm petered out later that evening, leaving everything dripping and sodden.
  30. stipple
    produce a mottled effect
    The sun had dipped too, leaving a trail of stippled oranges and purples on the horizon.
  31. recede
    pull back or move away or backward
    The water had receded from the islet and the boat was once again resting on the sand beneath the coconut trees.
  32. canopy
    the uppermost layer of branches and foliage in a forest
    They curled up on either side of the boat, looking up at the stars through the trailing canopy of coconut branches.
  33. moor
    secure with cables or ropes
    Shifa took out the basket, spade, and waterproof sheet to reduce the weight and together they struggled around the island with the boat and moored it with the rope.
  34. wizened
    lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness
    The turtle was massive, the length of a grown man. She had a thick wizened head and a black leathery shell.
  35. stifle
    smother or suppress
    Razi stopped short and stifled a scream.
  36. delirious
    experiencing hallucinations
    “What did he say? Follow the turtle?”
    Shifa shrugged. “He must be delirious. Quick, let’s get him to the boat.”
  37. unintelligible
    not clearly understood or expressed
    His eyes were glazed and unfocused. He pointed again and again and said something unintelligible.
  38. exasperated
    greatly annoyed; out of patience
    “We have...go now. What...you doing?”
    “I know where it is! I know where the treasure is buried!” he yelled, slipping and sliding down the muddy cliff.
    Shifa looked exasperated.
  39. bask
    expose oneself to warmth and light, as for relaxation
    The turtle continued basking in the sun, completely ignoring the children.
  40. diadem
    an ornamental jeweled headdress signifying sovereignty
    This is exactly how I felt when we unearthed a sultana’s hidden diadem too.
Created on Thu Dec 07 16:13:53 EST 2023 (updated Mon Dec 11 09:29:08 EST 2023)

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