Race to the Sun: Chapters 8–15

by Rebecca Roanhorse
Seventh-grader Nizhoni, her brother, and her best friend must pass a series of difficult tests and travel to the House of the Sun in order to defeat ancient monsters.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–15, Chapters 16–24, Chapters 25–35, Chapters 36–46
40 words 116 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. emanate
    proceed or issue forth, as from a source
    The aroma is emanating from a round foil take-out container with a white cardboard top that reads PASTA PALACE.
  2. distinct
    clearly or sharply defined to the mind
    “You think I’m lying,” I say, feeling distinctly worm-buttish again.
  3. listless
    marked by low spirits; showing no enthusiasm
    I take another bite, but I don’t feel much like eating anymore. My shoulders slump, and I poke listlessly at a ravioli.
  4. corral
    a pen for cattle
    He’s putting out little cardboard cutouts of a hogan and a Popsicle-stick corral full of cotton-ball sheep. In front of his display is a sign that says: TRADITIONAL DINÉ (AKA NAVAJO) HOUSE.
  5. sanctity
    the quality of being holy
    The librarian is staring at us, finger to her lips.
    "Sorry,” I whisper.
    “My apologies,” Davery adds. "No matter the emergency, there's no excuse to disturb the sanctity of the library.”
  6. tome
    a large and scholarly book
    This part of my middle school library is nothing to write home about. Two long shelves of outdated encyclopedias, a few dusty donated tomes, and three aging desktop computers.
  7. nonchalantly
    in a composed and unconcerned manner
    “So,” Davery says nonchalantly, “if you’re googling Spider Woman, does that mean you’re coming back during lunch period for Ancestor Club?”
  8. pueblo
    a Native American village in the southwestern United States
    He excitedly points to his display, and now I notice his Navajo sheep camp sits next to three others made by different kids: a Pueblo plaza scene, a Lakota tipi, and a Haudenosaunee longhouse.
  9. fleeting
    lasting for a markedly brief time
    “No offense, Davery, but it’s not normal for seventh-graders to be so obsessed with their ancestors.” I think fleetingly of what Mr. Yazzie said about young people no longer learning the stories, and I wince at my words.
  10. backstop
    a structure to prevent a ball from traveling out of a field
    Near the backstop behind home plate, I think I spy Adrien Cuttlebush, the bully who gave Mac a black eye.
  11. sluggish
    lacking energy, quickness, or alertness
    I may not be as good at team sports as I want to be, but I’m a pretty good long-distance runner. I don’t get tired easily, and it feels good once my blood starts moving and I shake off that initial sluggishness.
  12. dolly
    a wheeled handcart for moving heavy objects
    Close behind, Mr. Rock is rolling a trunk on a dolly.
  13. comply
    act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes
    “...she recognized me from the beginning. Takes after her mother—a real fighter. But if her father asks her to come along peacefully, she’ll comply.”
  14. compromise
    expose or make liable to danger, suspicion, or disrepute
    “You know the police won’t take my side. Not in this town. And Principal Peterson’s already compromised. Nobody’s going to believe me when someone like Mr. Charles tells them I’m lying.”
  15. sheepish
    showing a sense of shame
    “It’s my big brother’s,” he says sheepishly.
  16. drawl
    speak in a slow and drawn out way
    “Well, if it isn’t Nizhonee Baloney,” Adrien drawls in that irritating voice he has, deliberately mispronouncing my name.
  17. malevolent
    wishing or appearing to wish evil to others
    “Ow!” one of the boys says as the malevolent sprinkler rips across his chest with a pointy blast.
  18. sprawling
    spreading out in different directions
    Another sprinkler pops out of the ground just as his heel hits the edge, and Adrien Cuttlebush goes sprawling on his back into the fresh mud around home base.
  19. terra cotta
    clay fired for pottery and building material, or the finished object
    Plenty of people mill about, some in business clothes and some in tourist T-shirts, all crisscrossing the terra-cotta tile floor.
  20. veritable
    being truly so called; real or genuine
    Bags of Hot Cheetos hang from plastic clips on the side. Cans of soda pop are stacked on the lower shelves. A veritable rolling feast of junk food is sitting inches from my face.
  21. waylay
    wait in hiding to attack
    A man in an Amtrak uniform hurries past and I reach out to get his attention. “Excuse me, sir,” I say, “but do you know where the cart lady went?”
    He frowns down at me, annoyed at being waylaid.
  22. hysteria
    excessive or uncontrollable fear
    “Mac?!” I shout, looking left and right, hysteria rising from my gut.
  23. lurch
    move abruptly
    I look out the window one last time, just as the train lurches forward, and to my utter astonishment, there he is.
  24. scuttle
    move about or proceed hurriedly
    Adrien’s head swivels toward me, his eyes meeting mine, and that horrible sensation—my monster detection—springs to life. The hair on the back of my neck rises, and a chill like the trail of an ice cube scuttles down my spine.
  25. vista
    the visual percept of a region
    From here until we hit Gallup, in about three and a half hours, it should be just wide-open vistas of juniper, red rocks, and windy mesas.
  26. mesa
    flat tableland with steep edges
    From here until we hit Gallup, in about three and a half hours, it should be just wide-open vistas of juniper, red rocks, and windy mesas.
  27. compatriot
    a person from your own country
    "Did Mr. Charles have any compatriots? Helpers?”
  28. abalone
    a large edible marine gastropod with an ear-shaped shell
    White shell, blue turquoise, abalone, and jet,
    Two to remember, one to forget.
  29. progenitor
    an ancestor in the direct line
    The last, take from the progenitor’s debt.
  30. seethe
    be in an agitated emotional state
    A talking stone, a field of knives, a prom of thorns, a seethe of sand.
    Thoughts take form, form becomes true.
    To defeat the trials, you must know you.
  31. suffice
    be adequate, either in quality or quantity
    Who will pay the lost ones’ price?
    Blood and flesh will not suffice.
    A dream must be the sacrifice.
  32. vigil
    a purposeful surveillance to guard or observe
    “The Merciless One keeps vigil true.
    Heir of lightning, overdue.
    What once was old is now brand-new.
    Only then will you be you.”
  33. wistfully
    in a pensively sad manner
    “We ran away from our home.” He looks out the window wistfully and mutters, “I hope we can go back soon.”
  34. soliloquy
    speech you make to yourself
    I listen for a while, but I’ve heard Mac’s Cheeto flavor comparisons before. So has Davery, as a matter of fact, but he’s too polite to point that out. The rocking motion of the train and the droning of Mac’s soliloquy are making me drowsy.
  35. lull
    make calm or still
    But the lulling movement of the train proves too much, and before I know it, I’m drifting into a dream.
  36. gilded
    having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
    I’m in a sun-warmed pile of leaves, crisp and gilded in the yellow hues of fall.
  37. extricate
    release from entanglement or difficulty
    I extricate my hand from the puppy’s mouth and head inside.
  38. pendant
    an adornment that hangs from a piece of jewelry
    I automatically reach for the turquoise pendant around my neck, but I can’t touch it, because now I’m wearing a puffy orange jacket, zipped all the way to my chin.
  39. headstrong
    habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition
    “Of course you are. Because you’re just like her. Your mother was so headstrong. Never listened. I told her not to get married so young and have babies.”
  40. serene
    not agitated
    My grandma just keeps peeling her potatoes, looking serene.
Created on Thu Jan 30 10:04:56 EST 2020 (updated Tue Feb 04 10:14:08 EST 2020)

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