Gathering Blue: Chapters 1-5

by Lois Lowry
In Kira's village, those who are weak or disabled are usually abandoned and left to die. Lame in one leg, Kira is saved only because the village's Council of Elders wishes to exploit her gift for weaving.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1-5, Chapters 6-11, Chapters 12-17, Chapters 18-23

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. supple
    capable of moving or bending freely
    If she could find help, though help was unlikely, it wouldn’t take long to build a cott, especially not this time of year, summer-start, when tree limbs were supple and mud was thick and abundant beside the river.
  2. diminish
    decrease in size, extent, or range
    For everyday work, Kira helped in the weaving shed, picking up the scraps and leavings, but her twisted leg diminished her value as a laborer and even, in the future, as a mate.
  3. deter
    turn away from as by fear or persuasion
    Perhaps the simple fact of seeing her there at work would deter the women who hoped to drive her away.
  4. curt
    speaking in a terse, rude, or abrupt way
    Here and there, people acknowledged her presence with a curt nod; but they were busy, all of them at their daily work, and pleasantries were not part of their custom.
  5. malevolence
    the quality of threatening evil
    No one else had ever survived such a clawing, and the scar reminded everyone of Vandara's courage and vigor as well as her malevolence.
  6. assess
    estimate the nature, quality, ability or significance of
    One woman was soon to give birth; perhaps that would happen tonight, and the others would attend her, muffling her cries and assessing the value of the infant.
  7. reverent
    feeling or showing profound respect or veneration
    Quickly, remembering the procedure that she had seen at every ceremony, Kira arranged her hands in a reverent position, cupped together, fingertips below her chin, as she arrived at the table and looked respectfully toward the Worship-object on the stage.
  8. flattery
    excessive or insincere praise
    Vandara oozed compliments designed to strengthen her case, and Kira glanced at the chief guardian to see if he was swayed by the flattery.
  9. elite
    a group or class of persons enjoying superior status
    He was still a boy, no older than Kira herself, but already he had been singled out for his great gifts, and the carvings that came from his skilled hands were much in demand among the elite of the village.
  10. audible
    heard or perceptible by the ear
    She heard Jamison repeat the words of her thoughts as if they had been audible.
  11. vindictive
    showing malicious ill will and a desire to hurt
    But she could still hear Vandara’s voice, shrill with vindictive accusation: “She eats a lot.”
  12. reiterate
    say, state, or perform again
    Again the guardian who was her defender reiterated that exceptions could be made.
  13. wrest
    obtain by seizing forcibly or violently, also metaphorically
    She wrested her arms free of the guards’ grasp and faced the Council of Guardians.
  14. scavenge
    collect discarded or refused material
    It had been a useless stray, underfoot, scavenging everywhere for food.
  15. filch
    make off with belongings of others
    I filched ’em from your cott before the burning.
Created on Mon Feb 16 19:28:03 EST 2015 (updated Wed Jul 30 14:38:52 EDT 2025)

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