The War That Saved My Life: Chapters 1–7

by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
During World War II, ten-year-old Ada and her brother are sent from London to the countryside, where Ada experiences freedom and kindness for the first time.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–15, Chapters 16–25, Chapters 26–34, Chapters 35–46
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. topple
    fall down, as if collapsing
    Mam’s arm, grabbing mine, yanking me so I toppled off my chair and fell hard to the floor.
  2. scald
    burn with a hot liquid or steam
    I took a deep swallow, and felt the hot liquid scald a trail clear down to my gut.
  3. imp
    one who is playfully mischievous
    Jamie had a mop of dirt-brown hair, the eyes of an angel, and the soul of an imp.
  4. dread
    be afraid or scared of
    I dreaded being alone.
  5. venture
    proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
    But the one time I did venture outdoors, Mam found out, and beat me until my shoulders bled.
  6. thrash
    move or stir about violently
    He thrashed once, and then he lay helpless, looking at me.
  7. coax
    influence or persuade by gentle and persistent urging
    I coaxed him into going out to play, and I waved to him from the window.
  8. wallop
    hit hard
    The butcher walloped him, right on the street, and then marched him home to Mam and told her off.
  9. tinge
    color lightly
    The light was tinged pink, and a faint blue haze seemed to rise off the buildings, so that everything seemed prettier than it did later in the day.
  10. haze
    dust or smoke in the air that causes reduced visibility
    The light was tinged pink, and a faint blue haze seemed to rise off the buildings, so that everything seemed prettier than it did later in the day.
  11. subside
    wear off or die down
    The roar of pain in my ankle subsided into a deep throbbing ache.
  12. vibrant
    (of colors) bright and striking
    The buildings ended and suddenly there was green. Green everywhere. Bright, vibrant, astonishing green, floating into the air toward the blue, blue sky. I stared, mesmerized. “What’s that?”
  13. mesmerized
    having your attention fixated as though witchcraft
    The buildings ended and suddenly there was green. Green everywhere. Bright, vibrant, astonishing green, floating into the air toward the blue, blue sky. I stared, mesmerized. “What’s that?”
  14. curdle
    go bad or sour
    Hot sun poured through the windows until the air seemed to curdle.
  15. quay
    wharf usually built parallel to the shoreline
    Finally we stopped at a quay, but a bossy woman standing there wouldn’t let us out.
  16. scowl
    frown with displeasure
    The iron-faced woman scowled and barked orders everyone ignored.
  17. shabby
    showing signs of wear and tear
    A girl right in front of me—the shabbiest, nastiest-looking girl I’d ever seen—was using a sink in front of my sink, which seemed odd.
  18. appalled
    struck with dread, shock, or dismay
    Mam had a mirror. It hung high on the wall and I never bothered with it. I stared into this one, appalled.
  19. callus
    a skin area that is thick or hard from continual pressure
    The dirty calluses on my knees stood out beneath my faded skirt, which suddenly seemed grubby and too small.
  20. grubby
    thickly covered with ingrained dirt
    The dirty calluses on my knees stood out beneath my faded skirt, which suddenly seemed grubby and too small.
  21. indeterminate
    not capable of being ascertained
    His shirt had faded into an indeterminate color and his fingernails were rimmed in black.
  22. wholesome
    characteristic of physical or moral well-being
    Men and women from the village filed past, looking to see if we were sweet and pretty and wholesome enough to take home.
  23. retort
    answer back
    “My bit don’t extend to a pack of dirty street rats,” an old man retorted.
  24. cajole
    influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
    The iron-faced woman cajoled the remaining villagers.
  25. scuttle
    move about or proceed hurriedly
    The woman’s mouth dropped into a soundless O. She scuttled away, and went off with somebody else’s brother.
  26. rampant
    occurring or increasing in an unrestrained way
    The house sat pushed back from the trees, in a small pool of sunlight, but vines snaked up the red brick chimney and bushes ran rampant around the windows.
  27. billow
    rise and move, as in waves
    Her hair billowed around her thin face like a frizzy yellow cloud. “...don’t know a thing about them,” she was saying.
  28. impudent
    improperly forward or bold
    “Don’t be impudent,” the iron woman scolded.
  29. exasperated
    greatly annoyed; out of patience
    The iron woman, exasperated, hissed between her teeth. “Oh, really! Well, it doesn’t matter.”
  30. posh
    elegant and fashionable
    “Posh, this place,” Jamie said.
    I nodded. It was a fine place. I didn’t care if Miss Smith was awful. We were used to that with Mam.
Created on Thu Aug 13 20:51:44 EDT 2020 (updated Thu Aug 27 13:20:41 EDT 2020)

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