Paradise on Fire: List 3

by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Haunted by the memories of a fire that killed her parents, fifteen-year old Addy must lead her friends to safety after encountering a forest fire during a summer wilderness program.

This list covers "Training"–"Trapped."

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4
35 words 52 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. catwalk
    a narrow pathway high in the air
    “Sure you are. We’ll start with the low ropes, then the catwalk, then we do the high ropes, and we end with everyone’s favorite, the zip line,” says Dylan.
  2. tether
    tie with a rope
    As if I had asked, Jamie says, “It’s okay, you’ll be safe. You’ll be in a harness, tethered the whole time.”
  3. rappel
    lower oneself with a rope coiled around the body from a mountainside
    “To get down, I rappel.” Dylan’s knees push off—he flies backward, then swings forward, his hands grasping the rope lower. He kicks back, lowers his grip, over and over, until he’s on the ground, smug, cocky.
  4. smug
    marked by excessive complacency or self-satisfaction
    “To get down, I rappel.” Dylan’s knees push off—he flies backward, then swings forward, his hands grasping the rope lower. He kicks back, lowers his grip, over and over, until he’s on the ground, smug, cocky.
  5. crevice
    a long narrow opening
    I’m flying, my body light, sweeping through air. Looking down, I see crevices. I’m unafraid. I won’t fall. I’m flying like an eagle.
  6. tentative
    hesitant or lacking confidence; unsettled in mind or opinion
    “Come on, A’Leia,” I yell.
    Tentative, A’Leia steps off and zooms, screaming, “I’m going to die.”
  7. writhe
    move in a twisting or contorted motion
    Pop collapses. He screams, growls. Mama pats his flames with a dish towel, her hands. Pop writhes, twists, and turns. He won’t stay still.
  8. yearn
    desire strongly or persistently
    “Mama!” I yell, yearning, trying to escape her grasp. Trying to rescue Maya.
  9. tenement
    a run-down apartment house barely meeting minimal standards
    It doesn’t make sense. A forest has no connection to a city. A cabin is way different than a tenement building.
  10. canter
    go at a smooth three-beat gait, of horses
    “Press your legs into Blaze’s sides.” (Jamie is the official riding instructor.) “You’re trotting. Now see if you can get Blaze to canter.”
  11. rein
    direct by or as if by straps used to control a horse
    “Rein her in. Slow, slow.”
    Kelvin tightens the reins. Blaze slows to a trot, then a walk.
  12. grimace
    contort the face to indicate a certain mental state
    For the first time, Leo grimaces.
    I expect him to say “Wilderness is best. Nothing beats cooking over an open fire.” Instead, he says, “There’s no place like home.”
  13. wistful
    showing pensive sadness
    “Wish we had more snakes in the city,” he says, wistful.
  14. definitive
    clearly formulated
    “Let’s draw here.” Me and Leo share a box of colored pencils. I like how we both draw the same area, then compare. “Later, we’ll make a definitive set, Addy. We can mail back and forth.”
  15. undergrowth
    the brush beneath taller trees in a wood or forest
    Panicked, I look at the towering trees, the brown undergrowth. Fire. I can’t imagine it.
  16. foresee
    realize beforehand
    Some say the world will end in fire / Some say in ice... / I hold with those who favor fire. "Robert Frost. A poet. He must’ve foreseen global warming.”
  17. soot
    black powder formed when fuel such as wood or coal is burned
    I push my hand into the soot and dirt.
  18. avert
    prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening
    If this were a maze, I think, the fire pit would be the END. The uncovered surprise. But instead of treasure, we averted disaster.
  19. sarcastic
    expressing or expressive of ridicule that wounds
    “You’re an expert now?” Dylan asks, sarcastic.
    “He is since I taught him,” Leo boasts.
  20. foreboding
    a feeling of evil to come
    Foreboding grips me. Something’s not right.
  21. chortle
    laugh quietly or with restraint
    “Never thought I’d be in a sleeping bag on the ground,” chortles Kelvin.
  22. tremor
    shaking or trembling
    We hear a tremoring, a rush of flapping wings. Then a shriek.
  23. acrid
    strong and sharp, as a taste or smell
    Outside the tent, the acrid smell is stronger. Jay’s fire is dead. I look north, south, east, then west. Through the forest, lining the mountain range, I see layers of color: orange, yellow, red, topped by gray smoke. Fire.
  24. groggy
    stunned or confused and slow to react
    “Fire!” I scream. I lift the tent’s flap. “Nessa, get up. Fire!”
    I rush to each of the tents, yelling. Everyone’s confused, groggy.
  25. petrify
    cause to become stunned or immobile, as with fear or awe
    We’re all standing, petrified, watching the fire roar and advance.
  26. cringe
    draw back, as with fear, pain, or embarrassment
    “You don’t know everything, Addy.”
    I cringe. How to explain Leo’s taught me a lot? Or how maps are a second language for me?
  27. dumbfounded
    as if rendered speechless with astonishment and surprise
    Kelvin coughs, doubling over, gasping, “Can’t—breathe.”
    “Asthma,” says A’Leia.
    Dumbfounded, we stare.
  28. ravenous
    extremely hungry
    I tremble. I remember this. Fire’s alive, a thickening, ravenous monster. Quieter, it appears to pause, retreat. Then it roars, more explosive than ever, and leaps.
  29. taunt
    harass with persistent criticism or carping
    Flames have skipped closer to us. Taunting, tantalizing.
    Jamie, Dylan, and the others stumble back behind the dead campfire.
  30. tantalize
    harass with persistent teasing or baiting
    Flames have skipped closer to us. Taunting, tantalizing.
    Jamie, Dylan, and the others stumble back behind the dead campfire.
  31. waver
    be unsure or weak
    Dylan’s stopped. Waiting for us. “Come on,” he yells, desperate.
    I’m wavering, ready to break down. Nessa’s, Jay’s, and DeShon’s lives matter.
  32. mirage
    optical illusion in which hot air distorts distant objects
    Through the flames, Jamie looks like a mirage. A shaky illusion. She’s too close, too close to the booming fire, trying to break through.
  33. plateau
    a relatively flat raised area of land
    Eagle’s Ridge’s side is craggy, uneven. It’s over four hundred feet until the bottom. But there’re plateaus, ledges to rest on.
  34. taut
    subjected to great tension; stretched tight
    DeShon nods at Jay, then kicks off the edge and swings a third of the way down. Jay, taut and grim-faced, anticipates when to loosen or tighten the rope.
  35. anticipate
    realize beforehand
    DeShon nods at Jay, then kicks off the edge and swings a third of the way down. Jay, taut and grim-faced, anticipates when to loosen or tighten the rope.
Created on Tue Jan 11 21:04:18 EST 2022 (updated Fri Jan 21 15:25:22 EST 2022)

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