Stargirl: Chapters 16–25

by Jerry Spinelli
Stargirl Caraway lives life on her own terms, but when she moves to a new town her unique personality rubs others the wrong way. As the school year goes on, Stargirl is torn between staying true to herself and fitting in.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Porcupine Necktie–Chapter 7, Chapters 8–15, Chapters 16–25, Chapter 26–More Than Stars

Here are links to other works by Jerry Spinelli: Maniac Magee, Milkweed
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. confront
    be face to face with
    I felt heavy, as if I were moving through water, as if I were confronting much more than a tenth-grade girl with an unusual name.
  2. gaudy
    tastelessly showy
    I faced the gaudy sunflower on her canvas bag—it looked hand-painted—and at last my eyes fell into hers.
  3. treason
    a crime that undermines the offender's government
    “I would’ve kicked her off long ago. It was treason.”
  4. waver
    move hesitatingly, as if about to give way
    It came toward me, wavering over the pebbled driveway.
  5. crevice
    a long narrow opening
    I could feel the tiny tongue mopping the crevices of my left ear.
  6. smitten
    marked by foolish or unreasoning fondness
    You were smitten with me. You were speechless to behold my beauty. You had never met anyone so fascinating. You thought of me every waking minute. You dreamed about me.
  7. barren
    providing no shelter or sustenance
    To the person who expects every desert to be barren sand dunes, the Sonoran must come as a surprise.
  8. promenade
    a public area set aside as a pedestrian walk
    Then she took my arm as if we were strolling down a promenade and she said, “Scream, Leo.”
  9. sarcasm
    witty language used to convey insults or scorn
    I’m ignoring your sarcasm.
  10. dilapidated
    in a state of decay, ruin, or deterioration
    The only notable presence was a tall, dilapidated saguaro, a bundle of sticks, in worse shape than Archie’s Senor.
  11. commotion
    confused movement
    Even just sitting here, like this, our bodies are churning, our minds are chattering. There’s a whole commotion going on inside us.
  12. immobilize
    to hold fast or prevent from moving
    I could immobilize my arms and legs, but inside me it was rush hour in downtown Phoenix.
  13. pang
    a sudden sharp feeling
    I felt a pang of jealousy, that she could be sitting next to me and not know it.
  14. gloat
    dwell on with satisfaction
    Whenever we passed her, she tilted toward us with a gloating smirk on her face.
  15. repent
    feel sorry for; be contrite about
    Unless he repents, nobody speaks to him for the rest of his life.
  16. blurt
    utter impulsively
    After staring stupidly at him for a long time, I blurted, “She cheers for the other team!”
  17. primitive
    characteristic of an earlier ancestral type
    For those few seconds we’re something more primitive than what we are about to become. We have just slept the sleep of our most distant ancestors, and something of them and their world still clings to us.
  18. predator
    any animal that lives by preying on other animals
    The pipe bowl, like some predator, or seducer, drew down the flame.
  19. derelict
    worn and broken down by hard use
    Shortly we were standing before the derelict giant.
  20. dignitary
    an important or influential person
    Archie always spoke to him with respectful formality, as to a judge or visiting dignitary.
  21. masochistic
    deriving pleasure from being abused or dominated
    Glendale, the team we had lost to, got bitter, masochistic attention on the roadrunner with scores in foot-high numerals, as they continued to win and move through the tournament.
  22. rapture
    a state of being carried away by overwhelming emotion
    We listened in rapture, and so, I half believed, did the tumbleweed and cacti, the desert, the mountains, all listening to the girl in the long falling skirt.
  23. introverted
    shy, reserved, or inward looking
    My sense of humor had always measured up to everyone else’s; but timid, introverted me, I showed it sparingly: I was a smiler.
  24. slogan
    a favorite saying of a sect or political group
    ‘Let Lunch Come to You!’ That’s my slogan.
  25. pester
    annoy persistently
    But finally, after much pestering from me, she did tell me how she knew what was going on in people’s lives.
  26. prospector
    someone who explores an area for mineral deposits
    “I search through fillers like a prospector digging for gold,” she said.
  27. offhand
    with little or no preparation or forethought
    Offhand, I couldn’t think of one, except the plywood roadrunner.
  28. grope
    search blindly or uncertainly
    I groped for the right words.
  29. wrest
    obtain by seizing forcibly or violently, also metaphorically
    One of the little girls managed to wrest the banana roadster away from Peter Sinkowitz.
  30. bawl
    cry loudly
    Someday he’s going to love this picture of himself bawling while a little girl rides off on his toy.
  31. obsessed
    having excessive or compulsive concern with something
    Sounds like you’re saying I’m obsessed with other people.
  32. swoon
    pass out from weakness or physical or emotional distress
    On his back porch, we talked of a thousand things and laughed and swooned in pipesmoke and ate pizza.
  33. cringe
    draw back, as with fear, pain, or embarrassment
    They said she thought she was some kind of saint—I cringed at that—and that she was better than the rest of us.
  34. morale
    a state of individual psychological well-being
    To see one of their own priming the opposition did something to the team’s morale that hours of practice could not overcome.
  35. seething
    in constant agitation
    Unlike Stargirl, I was aware of the constant anger of our schoolmates, seething like snakes under a porch.
  36. kinship
    a close connection marked by common interests or character
    I felt a sudden, strange kinship with Hillari Kimble: I understood why she had commanded Stargirl not to sing to her.
  37. slink
    move or walk stealthily
    I managed to avoid her by taking different routes between classes, but she found me after school, came shouting after me as I tried to slink away: “Leo! Leo!”
  38. impose
    inflict something unpleasant
    But the rest was silence, a second desert imposed upon the one I already lived in, where “Hi” was as rare as rain.
  39. gumption
    fortitude and determination
    Forced to face her, forced to talk, I felt my gumption rising.
  40. pout
    a disdainful grimace
    Stargirl’s face went through a series of expressions, ending with a pout and a sudden sobby outburst: “I’m not connected!”
Created on Tue Mar 03 19:43:57 EST 2015 (updated Tue Jul 17 09:59:42 EDT 2018)

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