Black Star, Bright Dawn: Chapters 16–20

by Scott O'Dell
Due to her father’s injury, 18-year-old Bright Dawn takes his place in the Iditarod, the annual dogsled race in Alaska. Below zero weather, hungry wolf packs, exhaustion, and a thinning sled dog pack test all her wits throughout this grueling, 1,179 mile trek.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–9, Chapters 10–15, Chapters 16–20
15 words 24 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. drowsy
    half asleep
    I pushed back my hood and untied my hair, but I still felt drowsy.
  2. treacherous
    dangerously unstable and unpredictable
    I knew this treacherous stretch of sea ice.
  3. adrift
    afloat on the surface of a body of water
    Was it another island adrift like the one we were on?
  4. haunch
    the upper part of the leg of an animal, often used for food
    They were sitting calmly on their haunches, waiting to be fed, except for Black Star.
  5. blubber
    an insulating layer of fat under the skin of some animals
    I built a fire and cooked the dogs a hot meal of blubber and fish.
  6. lofty
    of imposing height; especially standing out above others
    On both sides of us rose lofty eewoonucks. I found a place among them that gave us shelter from the wind.
  7. horizon
    the line at which the sky and Earth appear to meet
    Around midnight, the coast was a dark line on the horizon.
  8. crest
    the top line of a hill, mountain, or wave
    Heavy seas slanted across the sound. Waves broke in foaming crests.
  9. ration
    the food allowance for one day
    I cooked a small meal for the dogs. They were not on the trail pulling a sled at ten miles an hour, so they didn't need full rations.
  10. sheen
    the visual property of something that shines
    It was while a silver sheen covered the ice and the water that I heard the sound.
  11. moor
    secure with cables or ropes
    The ice made creaking sounds as waves broke over the edge where the boat was moored.
  12. skiff
    a small boat propelled by oars or by sails or by a motor
    My father's skiff was not meant for two grown people, a seven-foot sled, and seven dogs.
  13. scour
    examine minutely
    He scoured the village and found a sled and five dogs.
  14. sportsmanship
    fairness and courtesy in following the rules of a game
    $2,500! I had never heard of the Sportsmanship Award.
    "It is given for the best display of sportsmanship during the race," she said.
  15. fanciful
    indulging in or influenced by the imagination
    My mother's eyes clouded over. Was she thinking about the day her high school geography class had gone to Womengo on a field trip? The day she had first seen my father at the Trading Post, the morning he was telling one of his fanciful tales, the time when she had fallen in love with him, with his red cheeks, his broad shoulders, his rich, rumbling voice?
Created on Wed Dec 17 19:16:45 EST 2025 (updated Mon Feb 02 16:56:47 EST 2026)

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