Consider the Octopus: Chapters 8–13

by Nora Raleigh Baskin, Gae Polisner
When twelve-year-old Jeremy Barnes is asked by his mother to contact scientists to attend a global summit on a research ship, he accidentally invites not-the-marine-biologist Sidney Miller, who is looking for an adventure that's better than summer camp.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–13, Chapters 14–25, Chapters 26–36
35 words 18 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. promptly
    with little or no delay
    He’s pointing at me with a mini pig-in-the-blanket hot dog, which he promptly pops into his mouth.
  2. versed
    thoroughly acquainted through study or experience
    “Anyway, JB, they may be a bunch of wise guys, but they sure aren’t very well versed in social media, so we could really use your expertise in finding some people.”
  3. earmark
    give or assign a resource to a particular person or cause
    "As in, honestly, Bronwyn, don't we have the perfect special project earmarked for JB?”
  4. draft
    draw up an outline or sketch for something
    Just to be clear, you're simply locating people and sending a letter via email. Someone from the team has already drafted the letters.
  5. impromptu
    with little or no preparation or forethought
    “Some of the most renowned marine experts from all over the world. This whole thing is a bit of a Hail Mary—er, a long shot—but it's pretty exciting, too. What we've decided to do here is create an impromptu global summit.”
  6. garner
    acquire or deserve by one's efforts or actions
    This will be a big opportunity for us to do something newsworthy and garner some needed publicity for the mission.
  7. spontaneous
    said or done without having been planned in advance
    So we're really hoping this works and that these scientists might find it in their hearts and their schedules to be spontaneous.
  8. hallmark
    a distinctive characteristic or attribute
    "Spontaneity. The first hallmark of scientists,” Marco says, and Randi laughs.
  9. corresponding
    similar especially in position or purpose
    Find as many as possible, send the corresponding individualized letter we give you. A cut-and-paste job, so long as you get the right letter to the right person.
  10. hamper
    a basket usually with a cover
    My clothes from last night are in my hamper.
  11. mandatory
    required by rule
    After dinner there was a mandatory sing-along that usually involved standing up and doing hand motions in unison.
  12. fortuitous
    lucky; occurring by happy chance
    When my mother stands and steps on a stray Lego piece from the Millennium Falcon that I must have missed, she lets out a howl that brings my father and my nana rushing into my room, which turns out to be fortuitous. Not for my mother, obviously, but this way, we hash out my summer plan with all parties present and in agreement.
  13. porthole
    a window in a ship or airplane
    The ship is rocking, and there's zero light coming in through the porthole.
  14. queasy
    feeling nausea
    I crawl onto my knees and look out the porthole, but everything is gray waves, like literally ocean water sloshing at my eyes through the glass. Which is when I realize, yeah, I'm totally queasy again.
    Here I go, back to puking all day.
  15. periodical
    happening or recurring at regular intervals
    I shove the list in my back pocket and head down the narrow corridor, past the other cabins, periodically having to hold on to things as the ship weathers another wave.
  16. hue
    the quality of a color determined by its dominant wavelength
    Then she hurries off to get our pedicure chairs ready while we stand in front of a wall of tiny bottles, arranged in hues from dark red to deep purple, Ballet Slippers to Tequila Sunrise to You're in the Navy Now.
  17. cordially
    in a politely friendly manner
    We would like to cordially invite you to spend a week aboard the Oceania II to share your findings, which, we believe, have global implications.
  18. implication
    a relation by virtue of involvement or close connection
    We would like to cordially invite you to spend a week aboard the Oceania II to share your findings, which, we believe, have global implications.
  19. albatross
    a large web-footed bird noted for powerful gliding flight
    There are also parts about the garbage vacuum invention thingy Mom and her team are installing even though they know it’s “only a start, not a cure,” and super sad but less boring stuff about the billions of tons of microplastics that are killing these birds called Laysan albatrosses on some nearby island.
  20. unmitigated
    not diminished or moderated in intensity or severity
    The next part explains how we want to "welcome you to join us in this opportunity to attract global media attention as a united coalition of scientists demonstrating an unmitigated commitment...”
  21. forum
    a public meeting or assembly for open discussion
    "We hope,” the letter concludes, "the forum will attract both local and international media, and help share our grave and urgent concern for the health of our world's shared oceans.”
  22. excursion
    a journey taken for pleasure
    When we finally get that all straightened out, that our excursion to the salon was actually a brainstorming session, it is decided that my terrific idea qualifies as educational, and that I should go ahead with my plan to make a podcast about dreams and dreaming.
  23. churn
    be agitated
    But now anger churns in my stomach.
  24. avatar
    an electronic image representing a computer user
    Well, not him exactly, but a cool pink octopus, which is obviously the avatar for his podcast.
  25. biodiversity
    the variety of plant and animal life in a habitat
    We’ve enjoyed your ongoing podcast series on marine biodiversity and...
  26. stride
    significant progress
    “Hear you’ve made some great strides,” Randi says, squeezing lemon slices into a big glass of what looks like iced tea.
  27. consistent
    steady and reliable in performance or behavior
    “Oh, right. One story and problem solved.” She shakes her head. “So obvious. What were we thinking, hoping it might be important enough to actually get some consistent attention?”
  28. reputable
    held in high esteem and honor
    Okay, well, and, of course, several trade and scientific journals—Vance did those—and a few local but reputable papers.
  29. concentric
    having a common center
    The whiteboard is where we go to work out any family issues, thoughts, problems, or concerns. My dad will use Venn diagrams, concentric circles, spider maps, you name it.
  30. rhetorical question
    an inquiry that is not supposed to be answered
    Finally, I say, “What's the shortest distance between two points?” I don't wait for an answer, because it's a rhetorical question.
  31. casual
    marked by a lack of concern
    She tries to make that last one sound all casual, but my stomach flips, because what does she care what I think of Captain Jim?
  32. fiasco
    a complete failure or collapse
    I close my eyes, feeling the exhaustion sweep over me. Everything from the puking to the storm to the whole fiasco with the photo and what I think I now know about Mom and Captain Jim.
  33. cue
    a reminder for some action or speech
    During dinner, at the mid-salad mark, on cue my nana, who cleverly stayed to eat with us, says, “Sidney, did you ever hear back about that essay contest you entered?”
  34. improvise
    perform without preparation
    That wasn't really part of our plan, but I am improvising because I know my nana will do a much better job than I could.
  35. kosher
    proper or legitimate
    I'll call first thing in the morning and make sure it's all kosher before we even accept the invitation.
Created on Fri Jun 09 11:09:24 EDT 2023 (updated Fri Jun 09 16:04:30 EDT 2023)

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