Ida B: Chapters 1–8

by Katherine Hannigan
Fourth grader Ida B. Applewood enters an angry "Black Period" when unfortunate circumstances change her life beyond her control. With the help of a kind teacher, a loyal cat and dog, her loving parents, and her own resilience, Ida B comes to have a better outlook on life.


Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–8, Chapters 9–15, Chapters 16–19, Chapters 20–23, Chapters 24–32
15 words 23 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. revulsion
    intense aversion
    I was working on Rufus, who had a mix of slobber and crumbs all over him, and Lulu was giving him a look of the utmost revulsion, when I realized that not one of those trees had said anything back to me.
  2. forbearance
    a delay in enforcing rights or claims or privileges
    And after I took a minute to give my patience and forbearance a chance to recover my mouth from the rudeness that was itching to jump out of it, I would just say this: “There’s more than one way to tell each other things, and there’s more than one way to listen, too....”
  3. peeve
    cause to be annoyed, irritated, or resentful
    Well, I got tired of feeling like I was alone in that particular crowd, and I was peeved about Paulie T.’s pleasure at my expense.
  4. ruckus
    the act of making a noisy disturbance
    It was a wild ruckus outside with leaves and branches blowing by and Lulu hiding under the bed trying to pretend she wasn’t scared, just curious about those dust balls.
  5. wheedle
    influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
    If I’m in the orchard, the older apple trees will tell me, “You’d better get a move on, Ida B” or “Go on now and see what your daddy wants.”
    But the brook always whines and wheedles: “Don’t go, Ida B, don’t go. Nobody’s callin’ and they can wait, anyway. Stay, Ida B. Stay and play.”
  6. impenetrable
    not admitting of passage into or through
    So I was thinking I would save a lot of time and energy if I could figure out a way to keep my face clean, and The Soap Mask is what I came up with. “An impenetrable wall of disinfectant for your face.”
  7. groundbreaking
    introducing new ideas or creative methods
    Next thing, we were all driving into town and they were so quiet and tense it just seemed like it was not a good time to speak, let alone talk about my groundbreaking, earth-shattering invention.
  8. engulf
    flow over or cover completely
    I believed the doctor was telling me that The Soap Mask, minus the dish soap, was still an excellent idea worth exploring, so I was encouraged. And she was saying that the flashes of flame that kept engulfing my face from the inside out would soon be extinguished with a real simple solution.
  9. abiding
    unceasing
    This was when my daddy would tell me deep and abiding truths.
  10. caretaker
    a custodian who is hired to manage something or someone
    “But I want you to remember this: We don’t own the earth. We are the earth’s caretakers, Ida B.”
  11. rambunctious
    noisy and lacking in restraint or discipline
    “Ida B, can you spell ‘rambunctious’ and use it in a sentence?”
  12. maximize
    make as big or large as possible
    I believe good plans are the best way to maximize fun, avoid disaster, and, possibly, save the world.
  13. wallop
    a strong effect or forceful consequence
    I could feel a wallop of rude and ornery coming up my throat and fighting to get out of my mouth.
  14. flit
    move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
    On the morning three days after that unreliable punk Paulie T. had given me his not-to-be-trusted-in-a-million-and-a-half-years warning about trouble heading my way, though, there was none of the usual Mama and Daddy chirping or flitting about.
  15. somber
    serious and gloomy in character
    “Why are you sad? What’s going on?”
    But Mama just said, slow and somber like the wind on a rainy day, “Oh, Ida B.”
Created on Sat Oct 11 13:42:47 EDT 2025 (updated Fri Dec 19 17:59:10 EST 2025)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.