The Secret Library: Chapters 24–39

by Kekla Magoon
With a puzzling map from her beloved grandfather, 11-year-old Dally finds the library of secrets. Here she learns many family secrets, has fantastic adventures, and discovers much more about her own identity.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–15, Chapters 16–23, Chapters 24–39, Chapters 40–54
15 words 8 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. shoal
    a sandbank in a stretch of water that is visible at low tide
    “The shoals near Bermuda?” Jack looked trepidatious. “Isn’t that the place where ships and...well, lots of ships disappear?”
  2. ambient
    completely enveloping
    Dally gazed up at the glittering stars. It was incredible how much she could see, even compared to being on a sailboat at sea with Grandpa. The ambient light of her modern world had dimmed the entire sky.
  3. sextant
    an instrument for measuring angular distance
    “This is a sextant,” Eli said, taking it from Pete. “When you’ve been sailing a long time, like we have, you can tell a lot with just your eyes. But this little fella can tell you exactly.”
  4. tenuous
    weak or unstable
    Dally was getting the picture now. “You don’t want to tell the crew about the treasure because of what they might do?”
    “Their respect is tenuous at best,” Eli said.
  5. rife
    excessively abundant
    The Bermuda shoals had had some of the most beautiful water Dally had ever seen. Clear and glittering blue, rife with colorful corals, darting fish, leaping dolphins, undulating jellyfish.
  6. dashiki
    a loose and brightly colored African shirt
    Marcus headed for the grill area, where a couple of guys in Soul Center T-shirts were flipping burgers and brats and corncobs still in their husks. Beyond them, a portly fellow in a dashiki stood over a boiling vat of seasoned water.
  7. nuance
    a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude
    “Adventure Club,” Dally said simply. There was no point in beating around the bush. This version of her mother wasn’t much for subtlety or nuance.
    Her mother’s eyes clouded. “Oh,” she said. “This again?”
  8. ironically
    contrary to plan or expectation
    “What happened to taking the treasure and sailing away together?” Dally asked. They were already speaking softly, but she lowered her voice even further on the word treasure.
    “Ironically,” Pete said, “pirates happened.”
  9. gaffe
    a socially awkward or tactless act
    It had been four years, Dally recalled, according to the secret spine. “It just doesn’t feel like that long, I guess,” she explained, in hopes of covering her gaffe. “I really liked sailing with you.”
  10. gallows
    an instrument from which a person is executed by hanging
    Few prisoners had escaped the gallows in the harbor’s storied history, but the ones who had succeeded did so through cleverness, not force.
  11. lithe
    moving and bending with ease
    Eli had put on some weight over the years, and he moved like he was uncomfortable carrying it. The lithe, confident stride that had defined him when they’d met had given way to a strange sort of waddle.
  12. lark
    any carefree episode
    Some were dressed fancy, delighting in the goods as spectators, and chattering as though it was all a grand lark.
  13. Underground Railroad
    secret aid to help people escape slavery in the U.S.
    It certainly was more pleasant to believe that she’d have followed a conductor on the Underground Railroad, and maybe even become one herself, leading people to freedom like Harriet Tubman or Zebediah—
    Dally’s runaway train of thought screeched to a halt.
  14. deferential
    showing courteous regard for people's feelings
    “Beg pardon, master, but that’s Mr. Brunning’s boat,” Buck said, his tone balanced somewhere between sharp and deferential.
  15. revelation
    an enlightening or astonishing disclosure
    She fought her excitement at this new revelation, the thrill of the library and the adventures suddenly matched by the thrill of having a fellow traveler.
Created on Sat Jul 18 15:14:08 EDT 2026 (updated Tue Aug 11 11:03:49 EDT 2026)

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