Ruby Holler: Chapters 6–17

by Sharon Creech
Twins Dallas and Florida have been in and out of foster homes their entire lives—will they be able to trust their unconventional new guardians and find a home in Ruby Holler?

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–17, Chapters 18–25, Chapters 26–45, Chapters 46–66

Here are links to our lists for other works by Sharon Creech: Walk Two Moons, The Unfinished Angel
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. mangy
    affected with a skin disease causing itching and hair loss
    “Not going,” Florida said. “That last place you sent us had more fleas than a mangy dog, and a zillion snakes—”
  2. wince
    draw back, as with fear or pain
    “A hundred zillion,” Florida said. “And lizards, and that guy—that guy was crazy. That guy was a lunatic.” Mrs. Trepid winced. “Perhaps that last placement was ill advised—”
  3. respectable
    deserving of esteem
    Mr. Trepid handed the Rutabago pamphlet to Florida and the Kangadoon one to Dallas. “We have a very, very nice and respectable couple—”
  4. survey
    look over carefully or inspect
    Dallas saw himself climbing a tall, tall tree in Kangadoon and perching on a branch high above the hills. He had a spyglass and was surveying the ocean, on the lookout for pirates.
  5. juvenile
    of or relating to children or young people
    She felt that the only reason they’d survived this long without turning into cowardly wimps or juvenile delinquents was because they’d had each other.
  6. delinquent
    a young offender
    She felt that the only reason they’d survived this long without turning into cowardly wimps or juvenile delinquents was because they’d had each other.
  7. wade
    walk through relatively shallow water
    In the room next door, Dallas counted the wails of the train. He saw himself in Kangadoon, wading barefoot along the shore.
  8. cringe
    draw back, as with fear, pain, or embarrassment
    Dallas cringed, then closed his eyes and tried to picture other hills, rolling ones, green ones.
  9. flank
    be located at the sides of something or somebody
    Florida and Dallas stared out the window at the winding road ahead and at the tall leafy trees flanking the road and at the stretches of wild grass with blue and red and yellow flowers blooming in thick clumps.
  10. hanker
    desire strongly or persistently
    “You got a snake pit?”
    “A snake pit?” Tiller said. “You hankering after a slimy snake pit?”
  11. loft
    floor consisting of open space at the top of a house
    Sairy motioned to the wooden ladder. “It’s a loft. See? Up there—it’s kind of open to everything down below. I hope you don’t mind. All our kids slept up there together. I’m sorry we don’t have separate rooms for you.”
  12. airy
    open to or abounding in fresh atmosphere
    Florida and Dallas scrambled up the ladder into the light, airy loft.
  13. wispy
    thin and weak
    “She was wispy, like a princess, and she was extremely smart, and she could do just about anything—she could paint and she could sing like nobody you’ve ever heard in your life and—”
    “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Florida said.
  14. vague
    lacking clarity or distinctness
    A vague little memory popped into her head.
  15. bustle
    move or cause to move energetically or busily
    She was beaming and bustling around the cabin in a way he hadn’t seen in a long time.
  16. tarp
    a sheet of waterproofed canvas
    Tiller removed a tarp from the center of the boat. “Those seats need redoing, and that trim, and there’s a couple of leaks, and it needs a fair amount of sanding and varnishing.”
  17. varnish
    cover with a hard, lustrous finish
    Tiller removed a tarp from the center of the boat. “Those seats need redoing, and that trim, and there’s a couple of leaks, and it needs a fair amount of sanding and varnishing.”
  18. rickety
    inclined to shake as from weakness or defect
    “Wait a minute,” Florida said. “So I’ve got to rebuild this boat we’re going down the river in?”
    “We. We’re going to fix up this rickety heap. You and me.”
  19. extravagant
    recklessly wasteful
    “You mean like you go in a store and you buy it—new? Nobody’s used it before?”
    “That’s what I mean. Does that sound too extravagant?”
  20. pioneer
    one the first colonists or settlers in a new territory
    “How about that lantern then? Want to show me how to light that thing? It’s so cool that you don’t have real lights and stuff. It’s like pioneers.”
  21. crotchety
    having a difficult and contrary disposition
    “I don’t know,” Tiller said. “I’m feeling crotchety. I want those blasted kids to leave and for us to get back to our life, and why don’t you come on the river with me, and then I’ll go with you in search of that bird thing in Kangadoon?”
  22. frenzy
    state of violent mental agitation
    "...Pretty soon the whole barnyard was splattered with red paint, and all of the animals were in a frenzy, and my pa came out wanting to know what the devil was going on and—”
  23. ramble
    continue talking or writing in a purposeless manner
    Tiller was surprised that he’d rambled on, telling Florida about the long-forgotten red-paint incident.
  24. flutter
    the act of moving back and forth
    “Uh-huh,” Dallas said, but a flutter in the trees distracted him. “Whoa!” he said. “You see that bright blue bird?”
  25. distract
    draw someone's attention away from something
    “Uh-huh,” Dallas said, but a flutter in the trees distracted him. “Whoa!” he said. “You see that bright blue bird?”
  26. mantel
    a shelf that projects from the wall above a fireplace
    A row of tiny wooden birds perched on the fireplace mantel, and a fleet of miniature boats rested on top of the bookcase.
  27. fleet
    a group of steamships operating under the same ownership
    A row of tiny wooden birds perched on the fireplace mantel, and a fleet of miniature boats rested on top of the bookcase.
  28. wicker
    work made of interlaced slender branches or twigs
    Dallas lifted a cloth off a wide wicker basket. Inside were short pieces of tree limbs.
  29. amble
    walk leisurely
    Tiller ambled around the side of the house. “What’s going on?” he said.
  30. whittle
    cut small bits or pare shavings from
    “Tiller, I think Dallas might want to help you fix this porch. And maybe we ought to do some whittling tonight. Got any extra knives?”
  31. mite
    a slight but appreciable amount
    “Heck, I don’t know,” Dallas said, staring into the blackness. “I feel a mite bad. You know, that Sairy bought me all that stuff and I’m not even going to use it, and she’s going to have to go all alone all the way to Kangadoon.”
  32. aloft
    high up in or into the air
    “Hey Tiller! Sairy!” Dallas called. “Lookee here—we chopped down that tree that was in the way—did it all by ourselves—and you didn’t even have to waste your time teaching us how to use this thing.” Dallas held the axe aloft, triumphantly.
  33. oblivious
    lacking conscious awareness of
    Dallas, oblivious to Florida’s warnings, raced up to the barn. “Come on! It’s so cool!”
  34. dumbfounded
    as if rendered speechless with astonishment and surprise
    Tiller was dumbfounded. “Florida, do you mean to tell me you’ve never seen a rocker?”
  35. saunter
    walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
    He patted the nearest tree and sauntered off down a trail.
Created on Mon Apr 15 21:23:02 EDT 2019 (updated Thu Jul 11 10:52:59 EDT 2019)

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