The Last Last-Day-of-Summer: Chapters 26–35

by Lamar Giles
Cousins Otto and Sheed, also known as the Legendary Alston Boys, are used to dealing with unusual happenings in the town of Fry, Virginia. When a mysterious stranger freezes time on the last day of summer vacation, the young sleuths embark on their strangest and most dangerous adventure yet.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–9, Chapters 10–17, Chapters 18–25, Chapters 26–35, Chapters 36–41

Here is a link to our lists for Spin by Lamar Giles.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. wane
    become smaller
    Sheed dozed in the bushes next to Petey, whose confidence waned with every passing—or nonpassing—second.
  2. mar
    cause to become imperfect
    TimeStar stared at the last letter in his futuristic FLUX flare fizzling out completely, leaving unmarred sky and unmoving clouds behind.
  3. summation
    a concluding statement that presents the main ideas
    Otto flipped his pad open, striking out prior summations and jotting new ones.
  4. preposterous
    inviting ridicule
    It’s as if donuts don’t exist in the future (preposterous) and I love donuts.
  5. eldritch
    suggesting the operation of supernatural influences
    The unofficial and true story involved a Bog Monster following him and Sheed home after they uncovered an eldritch patch of swamp deep in the Gnarled Forest.
  6. snivel
    cry or whine with snuffling
    Tears streamed down Otto’s cheeks. He sniveled, crying in a way that hadn’t been acceptable since he was a real little kid.
  7. sear
    become superficially burned (also figurative)
    Up the hill he ran, snatching Sheed’s discarded bike, and he pedaled toward town with no particular destination in mind, half blind from searing tears.
  8. keen
    demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
    There was a horrid ache in his chest from TimeStar’s sharp confession and his own keen deductions.
  9. apparatus
    equipment designed to serve a specific function
    Through the open park gates he rode, shooting between the twisty slide and swing set. Little kids were frozen midstride between one fun apparatus and another.
  10. patter
    make light, rapid and repeated sounds
    The sweaty hulk backed away, a light rain of perspiration pattering on the wooden floor.
  11. ghoulish
    suggesting the horror of death and decay
    Mr. Flux examined the device, which looked tiny and toylike in his ghoulishly stretched hands.
  12. lavish
    bestow or expend profusely
    By the time Mr. Golden finished lavishing him with praise, even the “nerds” were bullying Petey.
  13. slander
    an abusive attack on a person's character or good name
    Physical harm was not Donny’s greatest skill. His verbal violations were heavyweight punches. His shouted slander, kung-fu kicks. His boorish barbs, poison blow darts.
  14. boorish
    ill-mannered and coarse in behavior or appearance
    Physical harm was not Donny’s greatest skill. His verbal violations were heavyweight punches. His shouted slander, kung-fu kicks. His boorish barbs, poison blow darts.
  15. barb
    an aggressive remark directed at a person
    Physical harm was not Donny’s greatest skill. His verbal violations were heavyweight punches. His shouted slander, kung-fu kicks. His boorish barbs, poison blow darts.
  16. usage
    the act of employing
    Mr. Golden, still getting maximum usage from his beloved Grade Sorter, raved about the design to one of his former classmates, the director of a big city think tank in Richmond, Virginia.
  17. coveted
    greatly desired
    On the teacher’s recommendation, they were interested in having Petey take a coveted summer intern position.
  18. intern
    someone who works for an expert to learn about a job
    On the teacher’s recommendation, they were interested in having Petey take a coveted summer intern position.
  19. catwalk
    a narrow pathway high in the air
    He searched between all of his holographic projectors mounted in the catwalks above the stage, and under auditorium seats, and in the bandstand.
  20. reclaim
    reassert one's right or title to
    For once, Petey fought back, attempting to reclaim what was his.
  21. rove
    move about aimlessly or without any destination
    The doors at the back of the auditorium opened, and the roving yearbook photographer roamed in, needing a picture of the drama club.
  22. immortalize
    be or provide a memorial to a person or an event
    The photo of that moment was immortalized in the yearbook picture Otto and Sheed would discover many years later.
  23. venture
    proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
    “Whatever strange magic infects this county you live in made my birth possible. But it also trapped me. I couldn’t leave! Every time I tried to venture into the world beyond Logan, I’d hit an invisible wall at the county border.”
  24. apt
    being of striking appropriateness and relevance
    “An apt analogy, Rasheed. Yes, I was a bird, trapped behind glass. Except humans can see birds, and help birds if they so choose. Humans couldn’t see me because I was in the Clock Watcher dimension. No matter how much I screamed and begged.”
  25. analogy
    drawing a comparison in order to show a similarity
    “An apt analogy, Rasheed. Yes, I was a bird, trapped behind glass. Except humans can see birds, and help birds if they so choose. Humans couldn’t see me because I was in the Clock Watcher dimension. No matter how much I screamed and begged.”
  26. slavish
    abjectly submissive; characteristic of a servant
    I began to understand that the Clock Watchers interacted with the human dimension all the time, but in slavish ways that reflected their unique natures.
  27. specter
    a ghostly appearing figure
    Mr. Flux said, “I told you I could see the people in this county when I was in my specter-like state. You were no exception. What I observed, well, it was downright criminal. Those adventures you two go on, you’re the heart of your team, Rasheed. He’s the brain—no offense to your smarts—I respect both. He does not. He’s often rude to you. Dismissive. Haughty, even.”
  28. haughty
    having or showing arrogant superiority
    Mr. Flux said, “I told you I could see the people in this county when I was in my specter-like state. You were no exception. What I observed, well, it was downright criminal. Those adventures you two go on, you’re the heart of your team, Rasheed. He’s the brain—no offense to your smarts—I respect both. He does not. He’s often rude to you. Dismissive. Haughty, even.”
  29. sullen
    showing a brooding ill humor
    The Clock Watchers sitting on stools, at tables, and in booths were sullen, hunched over bowls of ice cream.
  30. futile
    producing no result or effect
    For once, his luck held, Petey and TimeStar were still in the basement workshop, discussing their own futile strategies, looking as depressed as the ice cream shop Clock Watchers.
  31. woeful
    affected by or full of grief or sadness
    His voice was too low, drowned by clinking spoons and woeful moans.
  32. disgruntled
    in a state of sulky dissatisfaction
    A disgruntled Minute Man with poor aim flung a maraschino cherry in the general direction of Otto’s head.
  33. confer
    have a meeting in order to talk something over
    The Second Guessers huddled together, conferred, then broke with a simultaneous clap.
  34. proprietor
    someone who owns a business
    Missus Nedraw, the proprietor of the Rorrim Mirror Emporium, had been the answer, proof that all was not lost.
  35. fervently
    with strong emotion or zeal
    The Golden Hours nodded fervently.
  36. jut
    extend out or project in space
    She jutted her chin toward TimeStar. “Where’s his Sheed? The way you two are, how’s grown-up you not with grown-up him?”
  37. knack
    a special way of doing something
    She stepped closer, still touching his arm, and whispered, “Don’t tell Leen about Old Sheed. You know how she gets.”
    Otto actually didn’t know how Leen got, beyond her knack for building strange, dangerous machines.
  38. minion
    a servile or fawning dependent
    Sheed screamed, pinching his wrist where Mr. Flux’s minion had pricked him with her terrifying needle.
  39. affix
    attach to
    A Stitch in Time stood tall, snaking the yellow measuring tape over her shoulder and jabbing the offending needle into the pumpkin-shaped pincushion affixed to her wrist.
  40. legion
    a large military unit
    Inside the clock tower, the legions of Clock Watchers scrambled, panicked.
Created on Fri Apr 12 16:33:03 EDT 2019 (updated Thu Apr 25 09:46:38 EDT 2019)

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