Mockingbird: Chapters 27–39

by Kathryn Erskine
When her older brother Devon dies, fifth-grader Caitlin Smith has trouble connecting to her life in Virginia without her closest guide.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–13, Chapters 14–26, Chapters 27–39
25 words 435 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. reaction
    a response that reveals a person's feelings or attitude
    She screams. This is not the reaction I expect.
  2. muffled
    being or made softer or less loud or clear
    Her hand covers her mouth. Why? That comes out as a muffled crying moan.
  3. arrest
    take into custody
    Dad puts his arms up like he’s being arrested.
  4. wrench
    twist or pull violently or suddenly
    Before we can add anything to the chest Dad first has to put wood filler where the holes are from when he wrenched out the screws and threw the chest on the floor on The Day Our Life Fell Apart.
  5. manage
    be successful; achieve a goal
    At reading buddies time I manage not to scare my buddy. I keep my voice down. And I smile.
  6. grit
    clench together
    I am breathing hard and I want to jump out of my skin but I grit my teeth and shake my hands harder and turn and run away and I hear screaming and I don’t know if it’s music class or Mia or me.
  7. disturbing
    causing distress or worry or anxiety
    We’re all special in different ways, she says. Special IS good.
    Not if it’s disturbing. How come she called me disturbing? And guess what? She disturbs me!
  8. spectrum
    an ordered array of the components of an emission or wave
    I know from art class that a spectrum is all the colors of the rainbow. It’s more like a prism than a line. Or maybe a fat line with lots of colors.
  9. capable
    having ability
    You’re around here. Very high functioning. Very smart. Very capable.
  10. hooligan
    a rowdy, violent, and typically youthful troublemaker
    I’m breaking you boys up! Josh—Josh! You and Nelson are on that side of the gym and the rest of you hooligans are on this side!
  11. brace
    prepare for something unpleasant or difficult
    I brace myself because when a bunch of girls is whispering that usually means someone will squeal or scream so I need to be prepared.
  12. inappropriate
    not in keeping with what is correct or proper
    Emma is complaining loudly about Mr. Mason, saying, That was SO inappropriate, even though there’s No Talking In The Hall.
  13. groove
    a long narrow furrow cut by a natural process or a tool
    DAY-doe, he says, and it’s a groove in a piece of wood.
  14. cardinal
    crested North American songbird having bright red plumage
    I draw them and also a dogwood—the state tree AND flower—with a cardinal in it—the state bird. Everyone thinks cardinals are red but actually that’s just the male.
  15. lurch
    move abruptly
    He lurches out of the driveway and I’m thrown off the backseat.
  16. ulcer
    an inflammatory lesion resulting in decay of tissue
    They are all talking LOUD about anything. I hear security system and school board and babysitter and nightmares and ulcer and high fiber.
  17. clench
    hold in a tight grasp
    Dad clears his throat and his hands clench and unclench the steering wheel.
  18. swerve
    turn sharply; change direction abruptly
    We swerve on the road a little.
  19. pry
    move or force in an effort to get something open
    I’m helping him stay up, Josh says as I try to pry his hands off of Michael.
  20. margin
    the blank space that surrounds the text on a page
    I think drawings in the margins would be good.
  21. squawk
    make a harsh, abrupt noise
    The microphone squawks and I jump again.
  22. dedication
    a ceremony in which something is given to a goal or purpose
    Thank you for coming to this very special dedication ceremony.
  23. rustle
    make a dry crackling sound
    The auditorium is silent except for the rustling of the principal’s jacket as he turns away from the microphone and then the slow squeak squeak squeak of his shoes as he walks over to Mrs. Brook’s side of the stage.
  24. podium
    a platform raised above the surrounding level
    Mrs. Brook is at the podium and she talks but I don’t know what she says until I hear her talking to me.
  25. tackle
    seize and throw down an opponent player carrying the ball
    I watch him run and tackle Josh and they both laugh and roll in the grass.
Created on Sun Jan 26 15:32:27 EST 2014 (updated Tue Aug 01 14:25:46 EDT 2023)

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