Crenshaw: Chapters 13–17

by Katherine Applegate
As his family struggles financially, Jackson deals with hardship with the help of his imaginary friend, a giant cat named Crenshaw.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–12, Chapters 13–17, Chapters 18–40, Chapters 41–52

Here are links to our lists for other works by Katherine Applegate: Home of the Brave, Wishtree, The One and Only Ivan
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. flummox
    be a mystery or bewildering to
    “I am positively flummoxed as to why your family felt the need for a dog,” said Crenshaw, eyeing her suspiciously.
  2. panache
    distinctive and stylish elegance
    “Why not a cat? An animal with some panache? Some pizzazz? Some dignity?”
  3. dignity
    the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect
    “Why not a cat? An animal with some panache? Some pizzazz? Some dignity?”
  4. stubborn
    refusing to change one's mind or ways; difficult to convince
    “You always were a stubborn child.”
  5. slick
    make smooth
    With his fur slicked down, I could make out the delicate bones of his legs.
  6. posture
    characteristic way of bearing one's body
    He had excellent posture.
  7. mirth
    great merriment
    “Humans laugh with their mouths, dogs with their tails. Either way, it makes for pointless mirth.”
  8. snare
    catch in or as if in a trap
    She snared it between her teeth to play tug-of-war.
  9. smirk
    smile in a mocking or condescending way
    “We smirk,” Crenshaw said. “We sneer. Rarely, we are quietly amused.” He licked his paw and smoothed a spike of fur near his ear. “But we do not laugh.”
  10. sneer
    smile contemptuously
    “We smirk,” Crenshaw said. “We sneer. Rarely, we are quietly amused.” He licked his paw and smoothed a spike of fur near his ear. “But we do not laugh.”
  11. unravel
    become undone
    “It’s been a long time since you left me behind. Perhaps things have changed. Perhaps the fabric of the universe has unraveled just a tad.”
  12. nuzzle
    gently rub or push one's nose or face against something
    Aretha ran over to nuzzle Robin’s hand.
  13. slump
    assume a drooping posture or carriage
    I slumped against the wall.
  14. hallucination
    an object perceived during a delusional episode
    Still, a much bigger part of me felt certain that I needed this hallucination—this dream—this thing—to disappear.
  15. volition
    the act of making a choice
    “Imaginary friends don’t come of their own volition. We are invited. We stay as long as we’re needed. And then, and only then, do we leave.”
  16. marionette
    a figure operated from above with strings by a puppeteer
    His long, whiskery brows moved like strings on a marionette.
  17. extract
    remove, usually with some force or effort
    “Look,” Crenshaw said as he extracted his claws from my quilt, “I can’t go until I help you. I don’t make the rules.”
  18. bleat
    cry plaintively like a sheep or goat
    A foghorn bleated in the distance.
  19. odorous
    emitting an unpleasant smell
    “Balderdash. Is this because I hissed at that odorous dog?”
  20. amphibious
    operating or living on land and in water
    “Mmm. They’re amazing bedtime snacks, too,” murmured Crenshaw. “Come to think of it, I wouldn’t mind a little amphibious morsel.”
  21. morsel
    a small amount of solid food; a mouthful
    “Mmm. They’re amazing bedtime snacks, too,” murmured Crenshaw. “Come to think of it, I wouldn’t mind a little amphibious morsel.”
  22. predator
    any animal that lives by preying on other animals
    I could see he was in full predator mode.
  23. mode
    how something is done or how it happens
    I could see he was in full predator mode.
  24. instinct
    inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to stimuli
    The frog twitched, and Crenshaw froze, pure muscle and instinct.
  25. tenderness
    warm compassionate feelings
    He looked at me, and to my surprise, I saw tenderness in his eyes.
  26. streak
    move quickly in a straight line
    When I ran to the window, all I saw was a blur of black and white, streaking through the moon-tipped grass.
  27. armadillo
    a burrowing mammal whose body is covered with strong plates
    Her stuffed armadillo, Spot, was in her lap.
  28. rummage
    search haphazardly
    I rummaged around in the brown paper bag.
  29. beady
    small, round, and shiny
    A bald doll poked out of the top, sizing me up with blank and beady eyes.
  30. tattered
    worn to shreds; or wearing torn or ragged clothing
    I opened the book. Its pages were soft, its cover tattered.
Created on Fri Aug 31 17:36:37 EDT 2018 (updated Thu Sep 06 14:54:55 EDT 2018)

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