Julie of the Wolves: Part III

by Jean Craighead George
In this classic novel, an Eskimo girl lost in the arctic wilderness must fight for survival while she grapples with her sense of identity. Learn these words from the Newbery Medal winner by Jean Craighead George.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Part I, Part II, Part III

Here are links to our lists for other works by Jean Craighead George: My Side of the Mountain, On the Far Side of the Mountain, Frightful's Mountain
15 words 69 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. brandish
    move or swing back and forth
    Hand tightening on the antler club, brandishing it, growling, she flung herself upon him...
  2. abeyance
    temporary cessation or suspension
    Holding him in abeyance with the antler, she glanced around the ruins of her home and took stock of the damage.
  3. deviate
    cause to turn away from a previous or expected course
    She walked a straight line to the ocean, for the pools had frozen and she could follow her compass without deviating.
  4. bravado
    a swaggering show of courage
    Colliding again, they pawed the ground and then peacefully trotted away. Miyax wondered who they were fighting over, for not a female was to be seen. All the bravado and glamour seemed lost on the grass and the sky.
  5. cumbersome
    difficult to handle or use, especially because of size or weight
    Nevertheless, when she had eaten she picked up her pack, tugged on her cumbersome drag, and moved on; for the thundering animals told her she was along the migration path and she did not want to camp in the middle of a caribou love nest.
  6. disquieting
    causing mental discomfort
    The next call, however, was disquieting. The wolf seemed to be saying there was danger in the air.
  7. larder
    a small storeroom for storing foods or wines
    She marveled at how valuable these simple things were, how beautiful and precious. With them she could make a home, a larder, a sled, and clothes.
  8. wrest
    obtain by seizing forcibly or violently, also metaphorically
    With a grin she reached in her pocket, found a strip of caribou hide, and thrust it at him. Kapu snatched it, and with one pull not only wrested it from her, but sent her sprawling on her back.
  9. improvise
    perform without preparation
    Then she glided and shifted her weight, gracefully executing a combination of steps which the bent woman had danced long ago at seal camp. When she came to the refrain, however, she did not do the dance about evil spirits, but improvised — as Eskimos do at this point.
  10. hardy
    able to survive under unfavorable weather conditions
    A willow ptarmigan, the chicken of the tundra, clucked behind her and whistled softly as it hunted seeds. The Arctic Circle had been returned to its permanent bird resident, the hardy ptarmigan.
  11. meander
    move or cause to move in a winding or curving course
    The craft tipped its wings and zigzagged across the sky. When it continued to zag she realized the pilot was following a meandering river where game wintered.
  12. floe
    a flat mass of ice drifting at sea
    In the Arctic, all artifacts are preserved for ages. Even throwing them into the oceans does not work a change, for the water freezes around them, and in the ice floes they come back on the shores.
  13. totem
    emblem consisting of an object such as an animal or plant
    She took her carving from her pocket, and got down on her knees. Singing softly in Eskimo, she told him she had no bladder for his spirit to dwell in, but that she had his totem. She asked him to enter the totem and be with her forever.
  14. temperate
    mild or free from extremes
    And the women never tanned hides anymore; all skins for the tourist trade must go to Seattle to be tanned correctly for the temperate climates where most were shipped.
  15. resonant
    serving to evoke powerful memories, images, or emotions
    Kapugen’s voice was resonant and warm and seemed to come from the seashore at Nunivak where the birds sang and the sea was framed with the fur of his parka.
Created on Mon Aug 21 17:02:00 EDT 2017 (updated Thu Jul 31 19:12:45 EDT 2025)

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