The Tiger Rising: Chapters 1–14

by Kate DiCamillo
Twelve-year-old Rob and his new friend, Sistine, discover a caged tiger in the woods.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. abiding
    unceasing
    The Kentucky Star sign was composed of a yellow neon star that rose and fell over a piece of blue neon in the shape of the state of Kentucky. Rob liked the sign; he harbored a dim but abiding notion that it would bring him good luck.
  2. sullen
    showing a brooding ill humor
    So as he waited for the bus under the Kentucky Star sign, and as the first drops of rain fell from the sullen sky, Rob imagined the tiger on top of his suitcase, blinking his golden eyes, sitting proud and strong, unaffected by all the not-thoughts inside straining to come out.
  3. swagger
    walk with a lofty proud gait
    And then Norton came swaggering back and leaned over Billy and grabbed hold of Rob’s hair with one hand, and with the other hand, ground his knuckles into Rob’s scalp.
  4. lurch
    move abruptly
    They were still out in the country, only halfway into town, when the bus lurched to a stop.
  5. ignorant
    uneducated in general; lacking knowledge or sophistication
    “I’m from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,” Sistine said, “home of the Liberty Bell, and I hate the South because the people in it are ignorant. And I’m not staying here in Lister. My father is coming to get me next week.”
  6. defiantly
    in a rebellious manner
    She looked around the room defiantly.
  7. array
    an impressive display or assortment
    He didn’t look at Mr. Phelmer. He stared instead at the paneled wall behind the principal’s head. It was covered with an astonishing array of framed pieces of paper—certificates and diplomas and thank-you letters.
  8. contagious
    (of disease) capable of being spread by infection
    “Here’s the situation, Rob. Some of the parents—I won’t mention any names—are worried that what you’ve got there might be contagious, contagious meaning something that the other students could possibly catch.”
  9. buoy
    uplift or give encouragement to
    He went to math class and civics and science, his heart light, buoyed by the knowledge that he would never have to come back.
  10. sneer
    smile contemptuously
    “I bet,” Sistine sneered at him. “I bet you know.”
  11. fresco
    a mural done with watercolors on wet plaster
    “It’s in Italy,” said Rob. “The pictures are painted on the ceiling. They’re frescoes.”
  12. leprosy
    communicable disease characterized by wasting of body parts
    “Hey, disease boy!” Norton shouted. “We know what you got. It’s called leprosy.”
  13. tattered
    worn to shreds; or wearing torn or ragged clothing
    And so he took her to the motel room, and there, Sistine stood and stared at the unmade beds and the tattered recliner.
  14. wary
    marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
    She put her hands on her hips. It was a gesture that Rob had already come to recognize and be wary of.
  15. exertion
    use of physical or mental energy; hard work
    They ran together, and Rob felt his heart move inside him—not from fear or exertion but from something else.
Created on Mon Apr 26 19:11:12 EDT 2021 (updated Tue Apr 27 08:56:50 EDT 2021)

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