An Elephant in the Garden: Part Three

by Michael Morpurgo
In the midst of WWII, Lizzie, Karli, and their mother are forced to flee their home to escape the bombings. But theirs is an extraordinary trek to safety because of their two traveling companions: Marlene, an orphaned elephant, and Peter, a Canadian navigator whose plane was shot down over enemy territory.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four
15 words 17 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. vindictive
    showing malicious ill will and a desire to hurt
    I never thought people could be that angry, that vindictive.
  2. flak
    artillery designed to shoot upward at airplanes
    “We were hit by flak over the city...."
  3. exodus
    a journey by a large group to escape from a hostile environment
    The more we looked around the more we were sure that, like so many others, they had left to join the great exodus westwards, taking with them what they could.
  4. ravenous
    extremely hungry
    Karli and I were under strict instructions from her not to talk to him at all, even when we were sitting down with him to eat at the kitchen table, but that did not stop us from sneaking a look at him from time to time as he was eating—he was obviously as ravenous as we were.
  5. ingratiate
    gain favor with somebody by deliberate efforts
    "Sooner or later they will come looking, and I shall turn you in. Meanwhile, you will not ingratiate yourself with my children...."
  6. confrontation
    a hostile disagreement face-to-face
    I remember standing there in Aunt Lotti’s kitchen watching this confrontation, and feeling very confused.
  7. ardent
    characterized by intense emotion
    All my life she had made herself out to be this ardent pacifist, always speaking out against the war—
  8. rift
    a personal or social separation
    —after all, there had been a huge rift in our family because of it...
  9. adamant
    impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, or reason
    “The children are too tired to move on,” said Mutti. She was adamant.
  10. gingerly
    in a manner marked by extreme care or delicacy
    We clung to one another, hardly able to keep our balance, as we made our way gingerly across the ice towards them.
  11. haunch
    the upper thigh and back of the hip in human beings
    Peter sat back on his haunches, his hands over his face.
  12. berate
    censure severely or angrily
    Tears soon gave way to laughter though as Mutti berated Karli.
  13. exasperated
    greatly annoyed; out of patience
    She was back to being an exasperated mother.
  14. reluctant
    not eager
    I could see Peter was reluctant to go on.
  15. rucksack
    a bag carried by a strap on your back or shoulder
    We all had full rucksacks, and a rolled-up blanket strapped on top of each of them.
Created on Sat Jan 24 19:52:30 EST 2026 (updated Tue Mar 10 14:43:38 EDT 2026)

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