The Very, Very Far North: Introduction–Chapter 3

by Dan Bar-el
A friendly young polar bear named Duane moves to the Far North and meets several new friends, including an owl, a musk ox, and a puffin. Duane’s charming attitude of childlike wonder seems to turn every day into an adventure for him and his new friends.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Introduction–Chapter 3, Chapters 4–6, Chapters 7–9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11–Conclusion
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. meridian
    an imaginary great circle on the surface of the earth
    If you head north, really north, to the north part of north, where parallels and meridians tangle, where compasses get confused and chronometers lose confidence, and then once you reach that north, you go just a little bit farther north, that’s where you’ll find Duane and his friends.
  2. lackadaisical
    idle or indolent especially in a dreamy way
    But it was summertime, so in a drowsy, lackadaisical frame of mind, Duane followed the shoreline of the Cold, Cold Ocean, paying no attention to anything other than the sound of the gentle lapping water.
  3. hull
    the frame or body of a ship
    ...the tall wooden ship that had run aground was old. Only one of the three masts remained unbroken, and none still held its sails. The hull listed to one side, and a very large, splintery gash marred the bow.
  4. curt
    brief and to the point
    “Most certainly,” said the owl with a curt nod.
  5. imposition
    an uncalled-for burden
    And besides, wouldn’t it be an imposition? Duane felt he wasn’t anything more than an uninvited guest or a well-intentioned intruder.
  6. resolute
    firm in purpose or belief
    “I’ll take it,” said Duane, resolute. “Thank you, See-See.”
  7. whim
    a sudden desire
    He intended on popping in to say goodbye to C.C., who had been very helpful, but instead, on a whim, he had one last rummage.
  8. woeful
    of very poor quality or condition
    The owl and the polar bear stood silently, as if to pay respect to the clock’s woeful, abandoned state.
  9. haughty
    having or showing arrogant superiority
    There are those who would say he sounded snobbish or haughty or self-important.
  10. excursion
    a journey taken for pleasure
    “Will this be a social excursion, Duane?”
  11. expansive
    of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scope
    Duane sometimes had difficulty understanding the musk ox, who once explained that his formal education gave him an expansive vocabulary.
  12. aback
    by surprise
    “Oh?” said the musk ox, taken aback by Duane’s unusually forceful voice.
  13. coax
    influence or persuade by gentle and persistent urging
    But for now, he wondered if this was where he would part company with Handsome or whether he could coax the musk ox into continuing on as one half of their exploring team.
  14. traverse
    journey across or pass over
    “I would climb mountains and traverse dangerous cliff paths. I would poke my head into dark caves and push over heavy boulders.”
  15. refinement
    the quality of excellence in thought and manners and taste
    A musk ox of his refinement cannot spend the day traipsing up and down, getting his fur all sweaty and unmanageable.
Created on Thu Jan 08 20:06:47 EST 2026 (updated Tue Jan 20 12:07:04 EST 2026)

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