The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Spring: List 1

by Betty G. Birney
Young Eben, who lives in a small farming community, longs to experience the wonders of the world. But can he discover seven "wonders" in his own hometown, Sassafras Springs?

This list covers vocabulary from "How It Started"–"Day One: I Go Searching."

Here are links to our lists for the book: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5
15 words 159 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. whittle
    cut small bits or pare shavings from
    Pa whittled on a stick and I was staring hard at a drawing in a book.
  2. satisfaction
    the state of being gratified
    I didn’t give him the satisfaction of a comeback.
  3. scandal
    a disgraceful event
    “Wouldn’t that be a scandal! Leaving your pa alone with all this work. Leaving the farm to go to rack and ruin.”
  4. dusky
    lighted by or as if by twilight
    A lopsided moon popped up in the dusky sky, but it didn’t shed light on any Wonders.
  5. arouse
    call forth, as an emotion, feeling, or response
    We all sat silent, even Aunt Pretty, until Pa asked, “Does that book tell what a Wonder really is?”
    I thumbed through the pages, back to the introduction. “Here it is. It says, ‘a marvel; that which arouses awe, astonishment, surprise, or admiration.’”
  6. reckon
    judge to be probable
    My mind was racing. “A train ticket? When?”
    “Reckon there’s time right before harvest.”
  7. metallurgy
    the science and technology of ores and alloys
    He was traveling downstate to attend the College of Mines and Metallurgy. Didn’t that sound like a fine place — folks sitting around studying gold and silver all day!
  8. crane
    stretch, so as to see better
    I craned my neck and glimpsed the very top of Redhead Hill, trying to imagine how much higher Silver Peak Mountain would be.
  9. parable
    a story told by Jesus to convey his religious message
    “Better you go home and study that Sunday school lesson. Book of Mark, Chapter four, Verse thirty. The Parable of the Mustard Seed. Study that, Eben, instead of bothering folks for Wonders.”
  10. dawdle
    take one's time; proceed slowly
    “I don’t have some fancy pyramid. But if you want to see the greatest Wonder of this world or any other, well, just follow me. Don’t dawdle, now!”
  11. seminary
    a school for training ministers or priests or rabbis
    Papa was an educated man, been to seminary.
  12. congregation
    group that habitually attends a particular place of worship
    It would have been a scandal if his congregation found out, but they were desperate to cure me.
  13. rafter
    one of several parallel sloping beams that support a roof
    I dreamed that I was floating in the air, right up near the rafters of the room.
  14. miracle
    a marvelous event brought about by a divine being
    That night at bedtime I heard Mama tell Papa, “She made it through the day! That doll has worked a miracle.”
  15. remedy
    a medicine or therapy that cures disease or relieves pain
    When Mama put a piece of flannel cloth on my chest with the kerosene and turpentine remedy on it, I made her put one on Miss Zeldy, too.
Created on Sun Aug 31 11:18:42 EDT 2025 (updated Mon Oct 13 19:55:57 EDT 2025)

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