Willodeen: Chapters 23–29

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. vigilant
    carefully observant or attentive
    Even after I slid my coat off the top of the basket, the baby sat calmly, peering up at us with her vigilant green eyes, rimmed in yellow.
  2. recount
    narrate or give a detailed account of
    I recounted what had happened, with some help from Connor. The screecher’s appearance on the carousel, my empty coat pocket, the attempted escape, the reed tied around its neck.
  3. muse
    reflect deeply on a subject
    Birdie gave the baby more water. “I wonder how she got that notch in her right ear?” she mused.
  4. salve
    a preparation applied externally as a soothing remedy
    I consulted my notebooks and tried to remember everything Pa had ever told me about screechers. Then I made a list of any food I thought they might eat, while Birdie cleaned the scratch on my neck with a cloth soaked in one of her horrible-smelling salves.
  5. coax
    influence or persuade by gentle and persistent urging
    The next two days were a blur of mixing, cutting, hunting, and a whole lot of guessing as we tried to coax Quinby to eat.
  6. concoction
    any foodstuff made by combining different ingredients
    Our first concoction included one mealworm, a piece of fern, two sunberries, and pinches of salt and sugar.
  7. wean
    gradually deprive of mother's milk
    “Could be she’s ready for solid food,” I said.
    “Some critters wean quickly.”
  8. forage
    collect or look around for, as food
    Truth was, it would have been useful to have Connor help me forage for Quinby’s food.
  9. relent
    give in, as to influence or pressure
    Still, remembering how I’d needed to borrow Connor’s lantern, I relented and grabbed one. Duuzuu noticed me donning my coat and made his questioning noise.
  10. don
    put on clothes
    Still, remembering how I’d needed to borrow Connor’s lantern, I relented and grabbed one. Duuzuu noticed me donning my coat and made his questioning noise.
  11. savor
    derive or receive pleasure from
    I kicked through piles of crisp, brown leaves and savored the sound.
  12. mocking
    expressing contempt or ridicule
    "Father, this is Willodeen,” Connor said as I neared.
    “Ah, yes. From the council meeting,” said Mr. Burke. I expected a mocking tone, but didn’t hear one, so I made myself meet his eyes.
  13. puny
    of inferior size
    Below us, village lights glowed in the shadow of the hills as twilight descended. From this height, Perchance seemed puny and fragile, as delicate as one of Connor’s puzzlers.
  14. buffet
    strike against forcefully
    We were buffeted by a fresh gust of wind. The trees shivered, our coats ballooned, and the map nearly flew out of Connor’s hands.
  15. self-conscious
    excessively aware of your appearance or behavior
    “At the meeting,” I said, and then I paused, suddenly self-conscious. “Um, that man—Mr. Williams, I think—said something about the railroad and the fires.”
  16. scoff
    laugh at with contempt and derision
    “Are you an artist like Connor?” he asked.
    “No,” I said, quickly returning the notebook to my waistpouch. “I...I take notes on things. The woods. The animals. Changes.”
    I wondered if he’d scoff, but he merely nodded. “A scholar, then.”
  17. lope
    run easily
    Connor crossed his fingers. I watched him lope down the hill to catch up with his father.
  18. plaintive
    expressing sorrow
    As I headed into the trees, the high-pitched whistle of a steam engine carried on the wind, harsh and plaintive as a screecher’s call.
  19. sneer
    smile contemptuously
    That evening, I tried feeding Quinby some petals from a late-blooming silver pansy. She practically sneered. I gave her the pulverized wing of a spotted oak moth. No luck.
  20. pulverize
    make into a powder by breaking up or cause to become dust
    That evening, I tried feeding Quinby some petals from a late-blooming silver pansy. She practically sneered. I gave her the pulverized wing of a spotted oak moth. No luck.
  21. venison
    meat from a deer used as food
    Still, I felt for the poor peacock snails. After all, they were living creatures, too. But that was the way of things, wasn’t it? Didn’t I eat hens’ eggs and river trout and venison?
  22. bask
    derive or receive pleasure from
    I basked in their good-hearted smiles, as warming as the fire. Taking me in must have completely upended their lives. The same way taking in Quinby was complicating my life.
  23. recoil
    draw back, as with fear or pain
    The first time they'd reached into her nest, she'd recoiled.
  24. muster
    summon up, call forth, or bring together
    Being alive takes all the energy she can muster. But it seems to be full of possibilities.
  25. trill
    a note that alternates with another note a semitone above it
    Nearby, the red-furred animal, the food-bringer, is sleeping. On her pillow is the small flying beast. He opens one eye and lets out a soft trill.
  26. unearth
    recover through digging
    Connor and I spent the next morning trying to unearth more peacock snails. He brought the knife he used for cutting reeds, and I borrowed a trowel from Mae and Birdie’s garden.
  27. trowel
    a small hand tool with a handle and metal blade
    Connor and I spent the next morning trying to unearth more peacock snails. He brought the knife he used for cutting reeds, and I borrowed a trowel from Mae and Birdie’s garden.
  28. contraption
    a small mechanical device or tool
    “I have an idea,” Connor said. “Give me an hour.”
    By noon, we were back at the cottage, with the strange contraption Connor had created out of reeds and willow branches.
  29. gingerly
    in a manner marked by extreme care or delicacy
    Gingerly, I picked her up by the scruff of her neck, the way a mother dog would hold a puppy.
  30. ingenious
    showing inventiveness and skill
    I found some rope, and Connor tied it to two loops he’d made on top of the harness. “If that isn’t a ridiculous sight,” said Birdie. “But an ingenious one.”
  31. trove
    a valuable collection or treasure found hidden
    Quinby clawed near those trees with utter certainty she’d reach her goal. Every so often, she’d stop to sniff the ground, her snout quivering. And every time she dug, she found a treasure trove of peacock snails.
  32. bemused
    deeply absorbed in thought
    He scratched his forehead, looking bemused. “You know, it’s funny. I don’t think I’ve talked to anyone about my mother in years. Except maybe my father. And hardly even then.”
  33. meander
    move or cause to move in a winding or curving course
    Using my feet, I measured the distance from the willows to the stream meandering downhill.
  34. scrabble
    grope, scratch, or feel searchingly
    The only noises were the rustle of leaves, the scrabbling of Quinby’s claws, and the stream talking.
  35. preen
    clean with one's bill
    Duuzuu, as always, sat on Connor’s shoulder, preening himself. When he began cooing loudly and persistently, even Quinby turned to see what the commotion was about.
  36. persistent
    never-ceasing
    Duuzuu, as always, sat on Connor’s shoulder, preening himself. When he began cooing loudly and persistently, even Quinby turned to see what the commotion was about.
  37. commotion
    a disorderly outburst or tumult
    Duuzuu, as always, sat on Connor’s shoulder, preening himself. When he began cooing loudly and persistently, even Quinby turned to see what the commotion was about.
  38. secluded
    hidden from general view or use
    I reached over to stroke Duuzuu’s head. “I sure wish I knew why they’ve chosen this spot.”
    “Maybe because it’s so secluded,” Connor suggested. “Could be that hummingbears don’t like crowds any more than you do.”
  39. saunter
    walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
    “Well, if it ain’t the screecher girl,” said Otwel. He sauntered over, blocking our path forward. “What’s in the barrow?”
  40. barrow
    a cart for carrying small loads
    We wheeled the barrow to the back of the cottage and let Quinby leap out.
Created on Tue Apr 19 20:57:09 EDT 2022 (updated Fri Apr 29 09:15:36 EDT 2022)

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