Aru Shah and the End of Time: Chapters 1–7

by Roshani Chokshi
When 12-year-old Aru Shah lights a cursed lamp in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, she releases an ancient demon. Now she must find a way to stop the demon and rescue her friends and family.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–15, Chapters 16–23, Chapters 24–33, Chapters 34–44
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. don
    put on clothes
    She would don her crisp scarlet vest with its three honeybee buttons.
  2. curator
    the custodian of a collection, as a museum or library
    “It’s not quite a lamp,” her mother, renowned curator and archaeologist Dr. K. P. Shah, had told her the first time she showed it to Aru.
  3. inevitably
    in such a manner as could not be otherwise
    Aru would stand at the entrance, her gaze resting on her favorite statues—Lord Indra, the king of the heavens, wielding a thunderbolt; Lord Krishna, playing his flutes; the Buddha, sitting with his spine straight and legs folded in meditation—before her eyes would inevitably be drawn to the diya in its glass case.
  4. haughty
    having or showing arrogant superiority
    That night Aru had stayed awake dreaming of narrow winding streets and gardens so fancy that even their flowers looked haughty.
  5. oust
    remove from a position or office
    Every weekend, while she waited for her mom to come home, she would concoct a story: her mother was a spy, an ousted princess, a sorceress.
  6. condescending
    characteristic of those who treat others with arrogance
    She’d mastered that delicate condescending eyebrow everyone else had, and she deliberately mispronounced the names of stores where she bought her clothes, like the French Tar-Jay, and the German Vahl-Mahrt.
  7. kameez
    a long tunic worn by people from South Asia
    Aru had worn what she thought was her prettiest outfit: a bright blue salwar kameez flecked with tiny star-shaped mirrors and embroidered with thousands of silver threads.
  8. unfurl
    unroll, unfold, or spread out
    A shadow unfurled from the lamp, its spine arching and reaching.
  9. shard
    a broken piece of a brittle artifact
    She heaved herself up on her elbows, eyes seeking the lamp. But it was gone. There was no sign that it had even been there except for the glass shards on the floor.
  10. wizened
    lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness
    A voice boomed from the hollow of the elephant. Deep and rough and wizened.
  11. revile
    spread negative information about
    “Because I shall have you know that whole cities revile me. They say my name like a curse.”
  12. relent
    give in, as to influence or pressure
    Finally, the bird relented. It hung its head. Its wings drooped.
  13. uppity
    arrogant or self-important
    “I’m not just any bird, you uppity hero. I am—” the bird spluttered, then stopped.
  14. ineptitude
    unskillfulness resulting from a lack of training
    “It’s temporary,” said the bird. “Provided you aren’t riddled with ineptitude.”
  15. illustrious
    widely known and esteemed
    The pigeon paused, then said, “Though such an illustrious name should not be uttered by a child, you may call me Subala.”
  16. allay
    lessen the intensity of or calm
    “Excellent. All my fears have been allayed,” said Boo drily.
  17. forge
    make something, usually for a specific function
    “You have a sibling because you share divinity. You’re a child of the gods because one of them helped forge your soul. That doesn’t make a difference to your genetics. Genetics might say that you’re never going to be taller than five feet. Your soul doesn’t care about that. Souls don’t have height, you know.”
  18. dwindle
    become smaller or lose substance
    “Well, we must go to the Otherworld, of course. Not quite what it used to be. It dwindles with humanity’s imagination, so I suspect it is currently the size of a closet. Or perhaps a shoe box.”
  19. tableau
    any dramatic scene
    When Aru blinked, she even saw a wooden arrow zoom across the tableau.
  20. reproachful
    expressing disapproval, blame, or disappointment
    In fact, her gaze was a little reproachful, as if Aru had arrived late.
  21. blunt
    characterized by directness in manner or speech
    By the end of it, Aru had felt like she was wading through a steam of post-recess middle school body odor. Which was, to put it bluntly, the worst.
  22. elude
    be incomprehensible to
    “Let’s hope you inherited some talents, since irony evidently eluded you.”
  23. preen
    clean with one's bill
    Perched on a myrtle tree, Boo began to preen himself.
  24. celestial
    relating to or inhabiting a divine heaven
    “The Lord of Destruction is surrounded by a celestial sphere that can only be shattered by an immortal device like those weapons.”
  25. gingerly
    in a manner marked by extreme care or delicacy
    Mini pushed her glasses a little higher up her nose, and then reached in front of her. Gingerly, like the air might bite her.
  26. eddy
    a miniature whirlpool or whirlwind
    Sometimes there would be cold spots in the water. And sometimes there were swirling eddies of warmth, a bit of sun-drenched water ribboning around her.
  27. indignant
    angered at something unjust or wrong
    An indignant squeak followed when Aru gripped the knob a little tighter.
  28. cavernous
    being or suggesting a large dark enclosed space
    All she could see at first was a cavernous ceiling arching above her.
  29. threshold
    a region marking a boundary
    “Makara! Guardian of the thresholds between worlds!”
  30. generic
    relating to or applicable to an entire class or group
    So Aru had thought it was just one of those generic warnings parents gave to kids, like Don’t go outside without sunscreen or you’ll burn!
  31. absolve
    excuse or free from blame
    The fact that it had been “destined” to happen didn’t really absolve her of blame.
  32. roil
    be agitated
    Aru’s guilt was beginning to roil in her stomach. To the point where she thought she might throw up.
  33. acrophobia
    a morbid fear of great heights
    “Did I ever tell you I have acrophobia?”
    “You’re scared of spiders?”
    “No! That’s arachnophobia. I’m scared of heights!”
  34. stupefy
    make someone dazed or foolish
    Perhaps sensing that the conversation was moving from stupid to stupefying, Mini piped up.
  35. prim
    exaggeratedly proper
    “You’ll have me,” said Boo primly.
  36. materialize
    come into being; become reality
    The monkey demigod Hanuman materialized in his throne.
  37. somberly
    in a serious and solemn manner
    “The Sleeper is right on our heels,” said Boo somberly.
  38. unanimous
    in complete agreement
    “According to the rules,” said Urvashi, smiling cruelly, “it must be unanimously agreed by the Guardians in residence that we believe they are semidivine. I do not believe. And if they’re only children, they shouldn’t bother.”
  39. solemn
    dignified and somber in manner or character
    He fluttered to his former throne, his face as pinched and solemn as a pigeon could look.
  40. respectively
    in the order given
    The first three—Yudhistira, Arjuna, and Bhima—were the sons of the god of death, the god of the heavens, and the god of the wind, respectively.
Created on Tue Jun 18 14:23:02 EDT 2019 (updated Tue Jul 02 14:28:53 EDT 2019)

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