Willodeen: Chapters 1–7

by Katherine Applegate
After a birthday gift brings magic to eleven-year-old Willodeen and her friend Connor, Willodeen goes on a mission to protect her favorite strange beasts known as screechers.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–16, Chapters 17–22, Chapters 23–29, Chapters 30–41
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. nimble
    moving quickly and lightly
    The creature has a maker, a boy with nimble fingers and a tender heart. He's spent hours weaving weeds and thistledown in the milky moonlight, spinning her into existence.
  2. noble
    having high or elevated character
    Of course, I was kindly disposed toward all of earth’s creatures. Birds and bats, toads and cats, slimy and scaly, noble and humble.
  3. humble
    marked by meekness or modesty; not arrogant or prideful
    Of course, I was kindly disposed toward all of earth’s creatures. Birds and bats, toads and cats, slimy and scaly, noble and humble.
  4. vermin
    any of various small animals or insects that are pests
    But I especially loved the unlovable ones. The ones folks called pests. Vermin. Monsters, even.
  5. demented
    affected with madness or insanity
    My favorites were called screechers. They screamed at night like demented roosters, for no reason anyone could ever make out.
  6. rile
    disturb, especially by minor irritations
    Get one riled, and he’d slap his big tail and give off a stench as ferocious as an outhouse in August. And screechers were almost always riled.
  7. ornery
    having a difficult and contrary disposition
    Maybe when the whole world was marching one way, some ornery part of me started shouting Go the other way, Willodeen.
  8. whit
    a tiny or scarcely detectable amount
    “Claim they eat livestock. Kill pets, wild game. Not a whit of truth to it. I seen ’em eat dilly bugs and the like. Mostly they live on peacock snails, grubs, worms.” Pa rubbed his eyes. “’Course there’s the matter of their...odor. Some say they scare off tourists.”
  9. nook
    a secluded place, corner, or recessed area
    Pa loved creatures, same as me, which is why we had so many roaming the nooks and crannies of our cottage and yard: goats and tree hares, chickens and dibby ducks, a peahen and an ancient river otter who could no longer swim.
  10. cranny
    a small opening or crevice
    Pa loved creatures, same as me, which is why we had so many roaming the nooks and crannies of our cottage and yard: goats and tree hares, chickens and dibby ducks, a peahen and an ancient river otter who could no longer swim.
  11. nestle
    move or arrange oneself in a comfortable and cozy position
    “See how gentle she is?” Pa said as the screecher nestled with her brood.
  12. brood
    the young of an animal cared for at one time
    “See how gentle she is?” Pa said as the screecher nestled with her brood.
  13. caterwaul
    a loud and unpleasant yowling sound
    “I hear them at night sometimes,” I said. “I wonder why they make that caterwaul noise, all screechy and harsh.”
  14. lye
    a strong solution of sodium or potassium hydroxide
    After washing our clothes with boiling water and lye soap, my ma finally admitted defeat and burned them in the hearth.
  15. hearth
    a built-in space in a wall where a fire can be built
    After washing our clothes with boiling water and lye soap, my ma finally admitted defeat and burned them in the hearth.
  16. confound
    be confusing or perplexing to
    I liked keeping to myself. For as long as I could remember, people had always confounded me.
  17. wary
    marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
    I was odd and wary, and that was just the way of things, like my gray eyes and my untamed hair, red and tangled as a wild rose vine.
  18. singe
    become superficially burned
    I wasn’t entirely alone, though. I had Duuzuu, my pet hummingbear. He’d survived the same fire I had, though his wings were so singed he would never fly properly again.
  19. bleak
    offering little or no hope
    Mae and Birdie had found Duuzuu in the charred remains of a blue willow tree. They’d brought him to their cottage and nursed him back to health, same as me. I think they figured he’d bring me a bit of comfort during those bleak, endless days of recovery.
  20. croon
    sing softly
    Mostly, Duuzuu stayed in my pocket or perched on my shoulder. He could fly for a moment or two, but more often he trailed behind me in a sort of hopping run. At night, his delicate snores reminded me of a baby cricket, just learning to croon to the night.
  21. solitary
    preferring to be alone
    He was like me that way. Different. Solitary. Forever changed by fire. In any case, he seemed to have settled on my company. I hoped I was enough.
  22. wizardry
    exceptional creative ability
    No one knew quite how the hummingbears worked their nesting wizardry. They chewed willow leaves, somehow extracting the sap, then blew tough-walled bubbles. The bubbles adhered to each other, and to the branches of the willows, with surprising strength.
  23. extract
    remove, usually with some force or effort
    No one knew quite how the hummingbears worked their nesting wizardry. They chewed willow leaves, somehow extracting the sap, then blew tough-walled bubbles. The bubbles adhered to each other, and to the branches of the willows, with surprising strength.
  24. onslaught
    a sudden and severe onset of trouble
    Each autumn, the willows still turned silvery-blue. The air still got a crisp-apple feel to it. And we still prepared for the onslaught of visitors.
  25. trinket
    a small cheap ornament, knickknack, or piece of jewelry
    It was worrisome, to say the least. Perchance depended on money from the tourists. Inns brimmed to overflowing with customers who bought food and ale and trinkets.
  26. teeming
    abundantly filled with especially living things
    Mostly I avoided the Faire, with its teeming crowds that made me feel like I was being smothered. So much noise! So much forced merrymaking!
  27. kin
    group of people related by blood or marriage
    At first it was hard to keep track. But eventually, I began to know the screechers as individuals. I learned to tell males from females. (The males had wider snouts and broader chests.) I recognized kin. Soon I had my favorite screechers, and I gave them names.
  28. petite
    very small
    Kerwin had a mere stump of a tail. Buddug had a missing right paw. Antlee was petite, with a stripe of white down her right side, but not her left.
  29. frolic
    play boisterously
    I got to know the families, too, with their frolicking babes and grumpy grandparents, especially since some returned year after year. Screechers seemed to work hard at keeping their broods together.
  30. enact
    order by virtue of superior authority; decree
    The village councillors had enacted a bounty on screechers after one ventured into a garbage pile during an Autumn Faire.
  31. bounty
    payment or reward for acts such as catching criminals
    The village councillors had enacted a bounty on screechers after one ventured into a garbage pile during an Autumn Faire.
  32. venture
    proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
    The village councillors had enacted a bounty on screechers after one ventured into a garbage pile during an Autumn Faire.
  33. pelt
    the dressed hairy coat of a mammal
    Five pieces of copper for a screecher pelt! It infuriated me.
  34. earthy
    of or consisting of or resembling the soil
    When they weren’t frightened, screechers still had an odor about them. A good smell—at least I thought so—wild and earthy.
  35. rheumatism
    any painful disorder of the joints or muscles
    He limped when he walked, like Mae and Birdie. I supposed screechers got the rheumatism, same as people.
Created on Mon Apr 18 21:40:47 EDT 2022 (updated Fri Apr 29 09:15:00 EDT 2022)

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