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Front 1

Meticulously (adverb):

Back 1

in a way that shows extreme or excessive attention to details

Always meticulously neat, six-year-old Little Man never allowed dirt or tears or stains to mar anything he owned”

Front 2

Exasperation (noun):

Back 2

the state of being irritated or annoyed
“‘You keep it up and make us late for school, Mama’s gonna wear you out,’ I threatened, pulling with exasperation at the high collar of the Sunday dress that Mama had made me wear for the first day of school—as if that event were something special”

Front 3

Disposition (noun):

Back 3

a mood, tendency, or inclination
“Stacey cut me a wicked look and I grew silent. His disposition had been irritatingly sour lately”

Front 4

Raucous (adjective):

Back 4

disagreeably harsh or strident

“Christopher-John’s whistling increased to a raucous, nervous shrill”

Front 5

Pensively (adverb):

Back 5

suggestive of sad thoughtfulness

I let the matter drop and trudged along in moody silence, my brothers growing as pensively quiet as I”

Front 6

Emaciated (adjective):

Back 6

wasted away; very thin

When the fields ended and the Granger forest framed both sides of the road with long overhanging branches, a tall, emaciated-looking boy popped suddenly from a forest trail and swung a thin arm around Stacey”

Front 7

Penchant (noun):

Back 7

a strong liking or preference for something

“I knew that he could not see the soiled covers or the marred pages from where he sat, and even though his penchant for cleanliness was often annoying, I did not like to see his disappointment when he saw the books as they really were”

Front 8

Monotonous (adjective):

Back 8

Spoken or sounded in one unwavering, dull tone

“Suddenly I grew conscious of a break in that monotonous tone and I looked up”

Front 9

Formidable (adjective):

Back 9

causing fear, dread, or apprehension
“In our excitement, we had taken no notice of the other man standing quietly at the side of the road. But now, gazing upward at the most formidable-looking being we had ever encountered, we huddled closer to Papa”

Front 10

Gloat (verb):

Back 10

to observe or think about something with triumphant and often malicious satisfaction or delight

More than once Mama scolded us, telling us to get down to business. Each time she did, we set our faces into looks of great seriousness, resolved that we would be adult about the matter and not gloat in our hour of victory”

Front 11

Nauseous (adjective):

Back 11

Sick to one’s stomach with an urge to vomit

“Once the truth had been disclosed, I waited with dry throat and nauseous stomach for Mr. Morrison to say something”

Front 12

Feign (verb):

Back 12

To give a false appearance or impression; to pretend

Taking his cue I nudged Christopher John and Christopher-John nudged Little Man and the three of us forced ourselves to stare into the fire in feigned disinterest”

Front 13

Ploy (noun):

Back 13

A tricky move or strategy

“But why?” asked Little Man forgetting our ploy [their act to feign disinterest

Front 14

Subdued (adverb):

Back 14

Lacking in intensity or strength

“‘T.J., however was surprisingly subdued when he settled into the wagon; I suppose at three-thirty in the morning even T.J.’s mouth was tired”

Front 15

Malevolently (adverb):

Back 15

having, showing, or arising from intense often vicious spite or hatred
“His dark eyes flashed malevolently as he pushed me in front of him through the crowd”

Front 16

Aloof (adjective):

Back 16

removed or distant, either emotionally or physically

“His eyes, which showed a great warmth as he hugged and kissed now, often had a cold, distant glaze, and there was an aloofness in him which the boys and I could never quite bridge”

Front 17

Indignant (adverb):

Back 17

Filled with anger caused by something unfair or cruel

Alright!” I cried, indignant at his casual reaction to the coat”

Front 18

Despondently (adverb):

Back 18

Feeling or showing hopelessness; gloom

“Stacey sat across from Papa looking despondently at the broken leg” (169).

Front 19

Condemn (verb):

Back 19

To express an unfavorable judgment on something or someone b) to pronounce to be guilty

The truck door swung open and Kaleb Wallace stepped out, pointing a long, condemning finger at Mr. Morrison

Front 20

Poised (adjective):

Back 20

Teetering or wavering; on the brink of doing something

“Mama looked at Papa, her lips still poised to speak. Then she said no more; but the worry lines remained creased upon her brow”