Caterpillar Summer: Part One

by Gillian McDunn
Because her mom must travel to teach a summer course, eleven-year-old Catherine Gladwell finds herself in North Carolina, meeting her maternal grandparents for the first time, looking after her seven-year-old brother, and trying to create sweet Gingerbread Island memories.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Part One, Part Two, Parts Three–Four, Part Five
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. biome
    major ecological community with distinct climate and flora
    She might be studying plants of the tundra biome when her mind questioned whether his teacher was calling him Henry, which he hated.
  2. hustle
    move or cause to move energetically or busily
    When the dismissal bell rang, Cat slid her backpack to her shoulder and hustled double-time to the steps at the entrance.
  3. wilt
    become limp
    Cat stretched out her hand to receive the daily treasure. The dandelion was wilted, but she turned it gently, like it was made of gold.
  4. chaotic
    completely unordered and unpredictable and confusing
    The last day of school was chaotic and Chicken didn’t like being off schedule.
  5. rummage
    search haphazardly
    She rummaged in his backpack, reaching past crumpled papers until her fingers found the edges of a plastic fin.
  6. vintage
    old but having enduring appeal or importance; classic
    Toy Boat’s shelves were crowded with vintage action figures and other old toys.
  7. shift
    the time period during which you are at work
    Mom wrote books, taught illustration to college students, and picked up shifts at the Russian bakery. She always said three jobs plus two kids equaled one busy life.
  8. impulsive
    determined by chance or whim rather than by necessity
    He was impulsive enough to be dangerous, and fast enough to travel far before anyone noticed he was gone.
  9. bustle
    move or cause to move energetically or busily
    It wasn’t much of a tourist destination, but it still bustled with shoppers and traffic.
  10. checkered
    patterned with alternating squares of color
    Chicken jumped from square to square across the checkered linoleum floor.
  11. linoleum
    a floor covering made from linseed oil, cork, and resin
    Chicken jumped from square to square across the checkered linoleum floor.
  12. murky
    cloudy, dirty, and difficult to see through
    Chicken’s favorite place on Clement was the fish market. He didn’t like the smell, so he pinched his nose shut as they stood on the sidewalk and viewed the murky tanks.
  13. scrabble
    grope, scratch, or feel searchingly
    A single lobster scrabbled in its tank, its claws banded in blue.
  14. brawl
    quarrel or fight noisily, angrily or disruptively
    Below, a tank of crabs brawled. A fat crab climbed across the others like it was their king.
  15. produce
    fresh fruits and vegetable grown for the market
    In the produce market, short bananas dangled above glossy eggplant and bumpy avocados.
  16. smirk
    a smile expressing smugness or scorn instead of pleasure
    Outside the bookstore, a statue of a gnome-like clown guarded the bargain books with a wide smirk.
  17. antic
    a playful, attention-getting act done for fun and amusement
    The book made her brother giggle. As he read, he pointed at Chicken’s antics and Caterpillar’s expressions.
  18. vinyl
    shiny, tough, and flexible plastic
    The kitchen had a fake-marble vinyl floor and butter-colored counters.
  19. wince
    make a face indicating disgust or dislike
    “Hey, sweet Caterpillar.”
    Cat winced. She’d asked Mom to stop calling her that.
  20. bleat
    cry plaintively like a sheep or goat
    The foghorns on the Golden Gate Bridge bleated their different tones.
  21. shuttle
    public transport plying back and forth between two points
    They had ten minutes until the airport shuttle van arrived.
  22. encyclopedia
    a reference work containing articles on various topics
    She left yesterday’s papers in a pile, but saved a notebook, a zipper case of pencils, and Chicken’s heavy shark encyclopedia.
  23. neutral
    having no personal preference
    Cat kept an eye on the adults to see how they were reacting. Square Glasses seemed okay, and Blond Beard was neutral, still focused on his phone. Scarf Lady probably wasn’t a fan.
  24. practically
    almost; nearly
    She was practically touching the window with her forehead.
  25. descend
    move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
    When the plane started descending, Mom stirred in her seat.
  26. terminal
    station where vehicles load or unload passengers or goods
    He giggled and took big steps off the plane and down the Jetway. Cat and Mom had to hurry to keep up. But his burst of energy ran out. As soon as they stepped into the terminal, he sank to the floor.
  27. sprawl
    sit or lie with one's limbs spread out
    He sprawled on the floor.
  28. rile
    disturb, especially by minor irritations
    The more riled up he got, the harder it was for him to calm down.
  29. hoist
    raise
    Mom hoisted Chicken higher. He wasn’t easy to carry, even for someone as tall as Mom.
  30. crane
    stretch, so as to see better
    She craned her neck to look around.
  31. totter
    move without being stable, as if threatening to fall
    Luggage tottered down the ramp and slid onto the carousel.
  32. stroke
    a loss of consciousness from the lack of oxygen in the brain
    "Manjula got some bad news late last night. Her mom had a stroke and is in the hospital.”
  33. deciduous
    shedding foliage at the end of the growing season
    “Trees, trees, trees. I never knew there were so many shades of green.”
    “Deciduous,” said Chicken, eyes still on his book.
  34. hull
    the frame or body of a ship
    “Not the gingerbread you eat. Gingerbread is the name for the carving and scrollwork that decorated the hulls of pirate ships,” said Mom.
  35. chortle
    laugh quietly or with restraint
    “The cookiecutter shark is part of the dogfish family and loves warm water. It takes circular bites out of its prey so it looks like a cookie cutter has been pushed into the other fish all over. It likes a snack,” he chortled.
  36. ruffle
    disturb the composure of
    “It sounds like it could fall in the ocean at any second.”
    Mom smiled. “It’s a swing bridge! No need to get your feathers ruffled.”
  37. willowy
    slender and graceful
    Macon stood to the side, not willowy at all—more like a brick with the corners chopped off.
  38. rugged
    (of terrain) rough or very uneven
    The Atlantic Ocean was different from the Pacific—no pretty cliffs or rugged coast, just white sand rolling into green waves that glowed in the sun.
  39. crow
    express pleasure verbally
    “I found the special thing,” he crowed.
  40. hesitate
    pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
    ‘‘Let’s go, let’s go!”
    Mom hesitated.
Created on Mon Mar 18 17:01:49 EDT 2024 (updated Tue Mar 19 16:31:38 EDT 2024)

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