And Then, Boom!: List 5

by Lisa Fipps
In this novel in verse, preteen Joe Oak is abandoned by his mother and loses his beloved grandmother, but kindness from friends, family, and strangers helps him get back on his feet again.

This list covers vocabulary from "Just a Fraction"–"Take Care of Yourself."
Here are links to our lists for the book: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5, List 6
25 words 13 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. fraction
    a small part or item forming a piece of a whole
    I’m grateful to Mrs. Swan
    for giving me all the snacks,
    even though it’s just a fraction
    of what I need.
  2. inventive
    marked by independence and creativity in thought or action
    We have to get inventive with chicken,
    so I’ve been practicing all week.
  3. cower
    show submission or fear
    The dogs cower around the corner.
    I open the freezer to get some ice for my toe, and
    water gushes out.
  4. zoom
    move along very quickly
    As I limp outside,
    the Luckies zoom past me and start barking.
  5. matted
    tangled in a dense mass
    Her hair’s matted, her eyes are puffy,
    and she’s wrapped in a blanket as if she’s cold,
    but it’s eighty-seven degrees out.
  6. bawl
    cry loudly
    She just starts bawling and can’t stop,
    so Miss Blye calls for an ambulance.
  7. collapse
    break down, literally or metaphorically
    As I step on the makeshift stairs,
    they collapse.
  8. skitter
    move or skip quickly across a surface
    I feel critters skitter over my hands.
  9. sturdy
    substantially made or constructed
    Then I fill each box with a bag
    and stack them,
    making stairs just sturdy enough that
    I can climb them to get out.
  10. bear
    put up with something or somebody unpleasant
    I convince myself it’s just like eating leftovers.
    ’Cause I can’t bear to think
    I’m eating trash.
  11. gobble
    eat hastily without proper chewing
    Doesn’t look so great,
    but you guys gobble it down.
  12. scamper
    run or move about quickly or lightly
    She scampers into my closet and
    curls up in the corner.
  13. warp
    bend or twist out of shape
    I head to the back door but remember the heat’s warped it shut.
  14. pace
    walk with slow or fast steps
    I pace.
  15. predict
    make a guess about what will happen in the future
    As my leg goes through a rusty spot in the glider,
    The Turd collapses
    and becomes a big pile of poo, just like Hakeem predicted.
  16. throb
    pulsate or pound with abnormal force
    As I stand up, my ankle throbs.
  17. moat
    ditch dug as a fortification and usually filled with water
    Duck and Dawg whimper
    as they dog-paddle in a puddle turned moat
    around The Overripe Banana.
  18. debris
    the remains of something that has been destroyed
    I breathe a sigh of relief just as
    the wind picks back up and
    debris starts flying.
  19. deafening
    loud enough to cause temporary hearing loss
    The tornado’s deafening, rumbling roar,
    part jet, part train,
    vibrates inside my chest,
    and my ears pop.
  20. splinter
    a small thin sharp bit of wood, glass, or metal
    I hug the tree tighter,
    feel sharp splinters slide underneath my fingernails as I dig my fingers into the wet bark.
  21. survive
    continue to live through hardship or adversity
    I survived the tornado to almost die
    when the dogs lick me to death.
  22. insulation
    material reducing transmission of sound, heat or electricity
    Bits of insulation hang like leaves from trees.
  23. paramedic
    a person trained to give emergency medical treatment
    Survivor!
    a paramedic calls out as she runs toward me.
  24. wince
    draw back, as with fear or pain
    I wince when she touches my ankle.
  25. dent
    make a depression into
    They wriggle and whimper the whole way
    as he carries them to his pickup;
    the hail dented it all over like a golf ball.
Created on Thu May 08 03:42:02 EDT 2025 (updated Tue Jun 10 11:49:56 EDT 2025)

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