Race to the Sun: Chapters 25–35

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 57 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. lush
    produced or growing in extreme abundance
    But now we’re flying over a lush valley. I can see cornstalks growing in tidy rows near a stream, and the smooth red-rock walls are decorated with drawings.
  2. tentatively
    in a hesitant manner
    “Is she nice?” I ask tentatively. With a name like Spider Woman, it is highly possible that nice is not one of her qualities.
  3. abashed
    feeling or caused to feel uneasy and self-conscious
    “Watch your anger, Mac,” Mr. Yazzie says. “The water responds to it.”
    Mac looks both abashed and pleased. And then a little scared.
  4. resilient
    recovering readily from adversity, depression, or the like
    “I am a very resilient horned toad, but even I have limits. One of them is not being able to survive a fall like that.”
  5. scoff
    laugh at with contempt and derision
    “Nonsense,” Mr. Yazzie scoffs.
  6. traumatize
    inflict an emotional wound or shock upon
    "Perhaps you shouldn’t wake him,” Davery says. “He’s probably traumatized after what he went through with Mac.”
    “I’m traumatized, too!” Mac mutters. "You don’t see me napping.”
  7. wring
    twist and compress, as if in pain or anguish
    I wring my hands nervously.
  8. skeptical
    marked by or given to doubt
    "You kids want to buy a rug?” she asks skeptically.
  9. loom
    a textile machine for weaving yarn into a textile
    The walls are covered with rugs of all sizes and colors. A large weaving loom sits in the middle of the living room, surrounded by three smaller ones, and behind them, attached to the wall, is the biggest TV I've ever seen.
  10. vigorously
    in an energetic manner
    Davery and I exchange a look, and Mac nods vigorously, but I’m thinking of the whole eating-children thing.
  11. assortment
    a collection containing a variety of kinds of things
    I frown, looking around the trailer. The fading couch, the heaps of wool and assortment of looms, the dishes piled next to the sink.
  12. demote
    assign to a lower position; reduce in rank
    Within seconds, he’s nicked himself, and Davery takes over the slicing while Spider Woman finds Mac a Band-Aid and demotes him to stirring the beans.
  13. formidable
    extremely impressive in strength or excellence
    “Quite a formidable team,” Spider Woman says, giving us all a nod of approval.
  14. hunker down
    take shelter
    Davery and I pick plain old sleeping bags in a green camping color with a red plaid lining, and we roll them out and hunker down on the floor.
  15. patter
    a quick succession of light rapid sounds
    Spider Woman wakes us up bright and early. So early that when she opens the blinds to let the morning sunlight in, there’s no sunlight. Even worse, I can hear the soft patter of rain.
  16. wield
    handle effectively
    “Hey, I don’t make the rules. All wannabe heroes have to go through four trials. I suppose the Sun wants to make sure you’re worthy of wielding his weapons.”
  17. dissipate
    cause to separate and go in different directions
    The rain has started to dissipate, and the gray clouds look thin and wispy as the sun starts to rise.
  18. wispy
    thin and weak
    The rain has started to dissipate, and the gray clouds look thin and wispy as the sun starts to rise.
  19. astray
    away from the right path or direction
    “There’s danger all around, and people have been known to disappear after going astray.”
  20. dwindle
    become smaller or lose substance
    We start fast-walking and then running as the colors dwindle to Easter-egg versions of themselves.
  21. gorge
    a deep ravine, usually with a river running through it
    "There!” Davery says, pointing across the gorge.
  22. impulsive
    characterized by undue haste and lack of thought
    "Mac acted impulsively, as usual,” Davery says. "He didn't listen to Spider Woman, or to you. It sucks that he's gone, but he did it to himself.”
  23. tasteful
    in keeping with what is considered appropriate and stylish
    Not surprisingly, the gym is decorated for a school dance. Rainbow-striped crepe-paper streamers hang tastefully from the beams and are taped up in flowerlike clusters along the walls.
  24. liberal
    given or giving freely
    Giant poster-board picture frames, hand-painted and liberally sprinkled with glitter, invite kids to pose for photos with their friends.
  25. terse
    brief and to the point
    “Don’t accept any gifts, either,” he warns me tersely.
  26. naive
    marked by or showing unaffected simplicity
    Davery gives me a Don’t be naive look.
  27. restrained
    marked by avoidance of extravagance or extremes
    “I only wish Mac were here with us.”
    “Who?” Davery asks, taking a more restrained bite of his oatmeal cookie.
  28. curlicue
    a round shape formed by a series of concentric circles
    I reach the first mirror, a nice tall glass in a dark mahogany frame with elaborate curlicues carved into the wood.
  29. assess
    estimate the nature, quality, ability or significance of
    “We aren’t looking our best,” he agrees.
    I turn to the side, assessing myself.
  30. beckon
    summon with a wave, nod, or some other gesture
    She waves—at me?—and beckons....
  31. trudge
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
    I hear the crunch of footsteps behind me and whip around to see who it is. A figure, bundled up against the cold, is trudging determinedly toward me.
  32. elements
    violent or severe weather
    Under the trees, there’s a little bit of shelter from the elements.
  33. abate
    become less in amount or intensity
    The snow has abated and the wind has calmed and there’s almost a warm welcoming glow where the moonlight cuts through the pines.
  34. accentuate
    stress or single out as important
    Her brown eyes are accentuated with black eyeliner and thick mascara, and her fingernails are painted blue and bitten down to the quick.
  35. colicky
    suffering from acute abdominal pain
    My dad is still talking to her, something about Mac being colicky, but he hasn’t turned the corner and can’t see us yet.
  36. bewilderment
    confusion resulting from failure to understand
    My dad peers down at the baby with a sleepy and confused expression. And then he looks up at the door, bewilderment on his face.
  37. fend
    try to manage without help
    I owe him a serious apology for throwing a tantrum, but it’s not every day you see your mom leave you as a baby to fend for yourself.
  38. faceted
    having many different sides
    Davery points to a mirror a few dozen feet away. It's faceted around the edges, the sunlight bouncing off the diamond shapes and making it sparkle.
  39. impart
    transmit, as knowledge or a skill
    “Don't tell me. You’re one of the Holy People, right?” Mr. Yazzie did say they were everywhere, and a talking deer is no weirder than a horned toad advisor.
    But the doe doesn’t answer.
    “Well, go ahead. Impart your wisdom or whatever.”
  40. whim
    a sudden desire
    Leaving us wasn’t something she’d done on a whim. She had to sacrifice everything to try to keep us safe. She was being selfless, not selfish.
Created on Thu Jan 30 10:06:12 EST 2020 (updated Tue Feb 04 11:32:16 EST 2020)

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