Anya and the Dragon: Chapters 1–5

by Sofiya Pasternack
While trying to capture a dragon to collect a reward and save her family's home, eleven-year-old Anya discovers that the dragon is friendly and also in need of being saved.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–11, Chapters 12–20, Chapters 21–29, Chapters 30–39
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. sentiment
    a personal belief or judgment
    Anya quoted a sentiment she’d heard a lot in the village when people decided to break the law: ‘“God is far up high, and the tsar is far away’?”
  2. conscription
    compulsory military service
    The tsar’s conscription officers had come through months ago and taken inventory of every able-bodied man in the village. Now they were all away fighting against the forces of Sultan Suleiman to the south.
  3. resignation
    acceptance of an unpleasant but inevitable situation
    She turned, shoulders slumped with resignation, and stared Zvezda in his black-smudged face.
  4. magistrate
    a lay judge or civil authority who administers the law
    He didn’t know about the war that took the men and boys from the village, or understand the magistrate’s tax hike.
  5. gossamer
    so thin as to transmit light
    It could have been a strand of spider silk, or it could have been something better, and more dangerous. She struggled to find the gossamer thread again, and as she was about to give up, it flashed at her.
  6. bard
    a lyric poet
    Using magic was like playing a gusli: anyone could pick up the instrument and strum the strings, but only a talented or trained bard could make real music with it.
  7. careen
    move at high speed and in an uncontrolled way
    He went careening by, and Anya heard a dull whack as the serpent struck the side of the newcomer’s boot.
  8. sprawl
    sit or lie with one's limbs spread out
    She yelped and ended up with a mouthful of dirt as she sprawled next to the boy on the ground.
  9. wiry
    lean but strong
    He was taller than Anya, and wiry.
  10. mar
    cause to become imperfect
    He pointed down to his boot, where a mark in the shape of the zmeyok’s teeth marred the leather.
  11. heathen
    a person who does not acknowledge your god
    “We don’t go to church.”
    “Oh,” said Ivan. “Are you a heathen, then?”
  12. amble
    walk leisurely
    Zvezda ambled up behind Anya, chewing on onion stalks.
  13. bona fide
    not counterfeit or copied
    She studied him, not ready to believe that this boy was a bona fide hero.
  14. frazzle
    exhaust physically or emotionally
    Mama sounded loud and frazzled, and Anya looked down at Zvezda.
  15. grievance
    a complaint about a wrong that causes resentment
    Usually Mama had to go to his office with her grievances.
  16. bristle
    react in an offended or angry manner
    “That’s the law, Miriam,” the magistrate said, and Anya bristled. What right did he have calling Mama by her given name?
  17. splay
    widen or spread apart
    “Thirty days to bring me at least half of your back taxes, or go to prison. Or”—he splayed one hand out—“you can forfeit your property, and I’ll clear your debt.”
  18. bridle
    headgear for a horse
    A bridle fell apart in Anya’s hands, so she expected no one would pay for it.
  19. commission
    place an order for
    It was a little different from the other houses in Zmeyreka: instead of building a single room with the stove against the wall, Dyedka had commissioned a special oven that was installed in the center of the house, with a room built on either side.
  20. precarious
    not secure; beset with difficulties
    The kitchen and sitting area were at the front of the house, separated by cupboards and a tall, precarious bookshelf that was Papa’s most prized possession.
  21. loam
    a rich soil consisting of sand, clay and organic materials
    The house smelled like loamy earth and sharp, pungent herbs.
  22. pungent
    strong and sharp to the sense of taste or smell
    The house smelled like loamy earth and sharp, pungent herbs.
  23. cultivate
    foster the growth of
    Every pot grew some sort of herb, flower, or other plant Babulya carefully cultivated and tended to.
  24. saffron
    aromatic dried stigmas of a crocus flower, used as flavoring
    She had been collecting these plants her entire life, and some of them were deliciously exotic: saffron from the high plateaus of Persia, rhubarb-currant from the Caucasus Mountains, and ginger from the Far East.
  25. detritus
    the remains of something that has been destroyed or finished
    He plucked herbal detritus out of the thick hair on his arms.
  26. bureaucrat
    a nonelective government official
    “That had better be my Annushka and not some horrible bureaucrat!”
  27. pantomime
    act out without words but with gestures and bodily movements
    The domovoi pantomimed vomiting.
  28. salve
    a preparation applied externally as a soothing remedy
    Babulya mixed potions and salves for people all over the village, but she never wanted anyone to know she was the one making them.
  29. stifling
    characterized by oppressive heat and humidity
    It sat beside the river next to the mill, but the coolness of the Sogozha’s waters couldn’t make a dent in the stifling heat the forges inside breathed out.
  30. tousle
    disarrange or rumple; dishevel
    Mama put her hand atop Anya’s kerchief and rubbed it around on her head, tousling her hair.
  31. astride
    with one leg on each side
    Anya turned to see a gray charger clop into the village square. A man sat astride it: the largest person Anya had ever seen.
  32. exude
    make apparent by one's mood or behavior
    The man on the horse exuded coldness, bringing with him a wind that gave Anya goosebumps.
  33. brandish
    exhibit aggressively
    Anya brandished the other horseshoe in her hand, planting her feet in the dirt, certain the monster of a man was moments away from literally ripping her head off her shoulders.
  34. flamboyant
    tending to attract attention; marked by ostentatious display
    “Good day! I’m Ivan Ivanovich! But”—he executed a flamboyant bow—“you may call me Yedsha.”
  35. brunt
    the main part, especially of a force or shock
    The warrior ducked and avoided the brunt of the projectile, but it clipped his helmet and sent it tumbling off his head.
  36. whinny
    make a characteristic sound, of a horse
    The helmet hit Sigurd’s horse on the flank, and the charger whinnied, spooked.
  37. cardinal
    serving as an essential component
    She had just saved him, but she’d broken her grandmother’s cardinal rule: Don’t stand out.
  38. miscellany
    a collection containing a variety of sorts of things
    The force of it knocked Anya’s armful of miscellany to the ground.
  39. cunning
    marked by skill in deception
    He’s mad, but a cunning mad. The kind of mad that’ll leave nothing but ashes where he goes.
  40. ominous
    threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
    Kin’s tone was ominous. A cold tickle made goosebumps rise on Anya’s arms.
Created on Wed May 11 12:45:33 EDT 2022 (updated Mon May 23 09:15:54 EDT 2022)

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