The Landry News: Chapters 1–7

by Andrew Clements
Extra! Extra! Read all about it! The publication of a student newspaper has unexpected consequences in this novel by award-winning author Andrew Clements.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–14, Chapters 15–20

Here are links to our lists for other works by Andrew Clements: Frindle, Things Not Seen
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. dependable
    consistent in performance or behavior
    She dressed in a brown plaid skirt and a clean white blouse every day, dependable as the tile pattern on the classroom floor.
  2. urge
    push for something
    So in closing, we again urge you to take steps to see that our son [or daughter] is not put into Mr. Larson’s classroom.
  3. guarantee
    an unconditional commitment that something will happen
    And if your mom didn’t know enough to write a letter to the principal, you were pretty much guaranteed to get Mr. Larson.
  4. erupt
    start suddenly
    Over the years, Mr. Larson had taught himself how to ignore the chaos that erupted in his classroom every day.
  5. accumulate
    collect or gather
    Room 145 was like a giant educational glacier, with layer upon layer of accumulated materials.
  6. collage
    a paste-up of pieces to form an artistic image
    The bulletin boards were like huge paper time warps—shaggy, colorful collages.
  7. avalanche
    a slide of large masses of snow, ice and mud down a mountain
    Every few months—especially when it was hot and humid—the weight of the built-up paper would become too much for the staples, and a slow avalanche of clippings would lean forward and whisper to the floor.
  8. almanac
    an annual publication arranged according to the calendar
    There were racks of almanacs, nature books, world records books, old encyclopedias, and dictionaries.
  9. scramble
    an unceremonious and disorganized struggle
    Still, every class period there would be a scramble to see which small group of friends would take possession of the dome.
  10. chaotic
    completely unordered and unpredictable and confusing
    Even though it was chaotic and cluttered, Mr. Larson’s class suited Cara Landry just fine.
  11. private
    concerning one person exclusively
    It was a small private space, like her own little office, where Cara could just sit and read, think, and write.
  12. editorial
    an article giving opinions or perspectives
    It was in the editorial section.
  13. attitude
    a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings
    I don’t know about you, but that would definitely help my attitude toward school.
  14. bristle
    react in an offended or angry manner
    His face reddened, and his short blond hair seemed to bristle all over his head.
  15. inappropriate
    not suitable for a particular occasion or use
    Without raising his voice he said, “There is a kind of writing that is appropriate in school, and there is a kind that is INappropriate.”
  16. flinch
    draw back, as with fear or pain
    Her face was as pale as his was red, and she was biting her lower lip, but she didn’t flinch.
  17. hubbub
    loud confused noise from many sources
    The hubbub and confusion of the scene was a welcome distraction, and during the next ten minutes buses one, two, and three filled up and pulled away with their noisy loads.
  18. impressed
    deeply or markedly affected or influenced
    Ed was impressed. “Okay, okay ... all that makes sense.
  19. lurch
    move abruptly
    As the bus lurched forward again, Cara lowered her voice and said, “Can you guys keep a secret?”
  20. self-pity
    excessive or overly indulgent sorrow over one's own troubles
    But when he opened the kitchen door and stepped into the empty house, the self-pity kicked in again.
  21. thunderstruck
    as if struck dumb with astonishment and surprise
    Karl was thunderstruck, and he turned and stumbled back to where his own family had set up their picnic on the beach.
  22. sympathy
    sharing the feelings of others, especially sorrow or anguish
    He was expecting some sympathy, but he should have known better.
  23. accusation
    an assertion that someone is guilty of a fault or offense
    Cara flinched at the accusation, but she jumped to defend herself.
  24. hunch
    round one's back by bending forward
    Cara’s thin shoulders hunched together as she sat on the dinette chair, looking at the paper, waiting for the sobs to begin in her mother’s bedroom.
  25. detached
    showing lack of emotional involvement
    She became a ferocious reporter—aloof, remote, detached.
  26. lash out
    attack, especially in speech or writing
    She turned a cold, hard eye on her classmates and teachers, saw their weaknesses and silliness, and used her strong language skills to lash out.
  27. apologize
    acknowledge faults or shortcomings or failing
    The principal made Cara go and apologize to the cafeteria workers.
  28. sheaf
    a package of several things tied together
    Now as Cara sat at the kitchen table looking through the sheaf of fourth-grade editions, she had trouble imagining herself writing all this.
  29. skulk
    lie in wait or behave in a sneaky and secretive manner
    All day long she had skulked around, making sure that wherever she was, Mr. Larson wasn’t.
  30. churning
    moving with or producing or produced by vigorous agitation
    Mr. Larson reached for his thermos for the tenth time that day and remembered for the tenth time that it contained nothing but last Friday’s coffee, as cold as the palms of his hands and as bitter as his churning stomach.
  31. exhale
    expel air
    It was as if the whole class had taken a deep breath and held it. And now they were starting to exhale, Cara first.
  32. tremor
    an involuntary vibration, as if from illness or fear
    Lowering her hand, Cara spoke carefully, at first with a little tremor in her voice.
  33. crisis
    an unstable situation of extreme danger or difficulty
    The lead story on page one was about the meeting on the Middle East crisis, the second lead story was about the murder rate in Chicago compared to New York City, and then there were about three other smaller stories, including one about the oldest horse on the Chicago police force.
  34. tension
    a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense
    The tension in the classroom was gone, and the familiar hum of noise returned, increasing rapidly.
  35. makeshift
    done or made using whatever is available
    She sat down in her makeshift office, her heart racing.
Created on Sun May 10 18:23:44 EDT 2015 (updated Wed Aug 15 16:15:50 EDT 2018)

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