I Survived the Attack of the Grizzlies, 1967: Chapters 1–9

by Lauren Tarshis
In this seventeenth book of the historical fiction I Survived series, eleven-year-old Melody Vega — who usually enjoys the peaceful summer nature of Montana's Glacier National Park — encounters an enormous bear that smashes the window of her family's cabin.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–9, Chapters 10–20
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. gleam
    shine brightly, like a star or a light
    Its dripping jaws were open wide. Its dagger-claws gleamed.
  2. grizzly
    powerful brownish-yellow bear of western North America
    And there it was, the grizzly. Its silver-brown fur glittered in the moonlight.
  3. searing
    intense or sharp
    It swiped at Mel with a giant paw, and the claws tore through the flesh of her leg. Somehow Mel ignored the searing pain, the dripping blood.
  4. bellow
    make a loud noise, as of an animal
    It pounded the tree trunk, ripped away branches, and bellowed with fury.
  5. spindly
    long, thin, and often weak or fragile
    The spindly tree shook, as though it was as terrified as Mel.
  6. brace
    prepare for something unpleasant or difficult
    Mel braced herself for the crushing jaws and ripping claws.
  7. perch
    sit, as on a branch
    Kevin was perched on Mel’s lap, gobbling a roasted marshmallow.
  8. ferocious
    marked by extreme and violent energy
    “A wolverine!”
    Those were ferocious animals that looked like little bears but were really a kind of weasel.
  9. fierce
    marked by extreme and violent energy
    “Grizzlies are the strongest. But I’ll tell you this. Wolverines are fierce!”
  10. hobble
    walk unevenly due to pain, injury, or weakness
    I hobbled over to a tree stump, shined my lantern onto my leg.
  11. quill
    a stiff hollow protective spine on an animal
    Pops explained that porcupines had more than thirty thousand quills on their bodies. The spikes protected them from enemies—bigger animals that wanted to eat them. Each quill was like a small arrow.
  12. wince
    draw back, as with fear or pain
    “My mother had to use pliers to get the quills out,” Pops said, wincing. “Took her about three hours. I fainted once from the pain.”
  13. temper
    a disposition to exhibit uncontrolled anger
    It used to drive Mom crazy when people littered on the trails. Mom’s temper could be fiery sometimes.
  14. scamper
    run or move about quickly or lightly
    Kevin slid off Mel’s lap and scampered toward the cabin.
  15. douse
    put out, as of a candle or a light
    Mel doused the fire with water from the lake and used a shovel to pile sand on the smoldering logs.
  16. smolder
    burn slowly and without a flame
    Mel doused the fire with water from the lake and used a shovel to pile sand on the smoldering logs.
  17. ember
    a hot, smoldering fragment of wood left from a fire
    Even a small ember could drift into the woods and start a fire.
  18. rustle
    make a dry crackling sound
    And then Mel heard a twig snap. Leaves rustling.
  19. stammer
    speak haltingly
    “I s-saw...a grizzly,” she stammered.
  20. shard
    a broken piece of a brittle artifact
    A shard of glass shot into Mel’s arm.
  21. bash
    hit hard
    The bear started bashing its paws against the old, rattling door.
  22. frantic
    excessively agitated; distraught with violent emotion
    Mel looked frantically around their small room, searching for something she could use to fight back.
  23. peer
    look searchingly
    He peered through the broken window.
  24. hitch
    connect to a vehicle
    He explained that the rangers had a special kind of trailer for trapping problem bears. They’d hitch it to a jeep and drive it to where the bear was last seen.
  25. aggressive
    characteristic of an enemy or one eager to fight
    It was important to know the difference. Because grizzlies were more aggressive and powerful than black bears.
  26. bulge
    something that bulges out or projects from its surroundings
    Mom pointed out the bulges on the side of the jaw. Those were the muscles that gave grizzlies such a powerful bite—strong enough to chomp through metal.
  27. canine
    one of the two pointed, cone-shaped teeth in the upper jaw
    Three of its four long teeth—the canines—were gone.
  28. practically
    almost; nearly
    But what amazed Mel most about the grizzly—and gave her goose bumps—were the bear’s paws.
    They were enormous, practically like baseball mitts, furry on top, with thick black pads on the bottom.
  29. slight
    small in quantity or degree
    And those claws...long and white and slightly curved.
  30. hinge
    a joint that holds two parts together so that one can swing
    The wood of the door was cracked, the hinges bent.
  31. straggle
    wander from a direct or straight course
    Sometimes they’d get lost and straggle home—smudged with dirt and covered with scratches—as the sun was coming down.
  32. shudder
    tremble convulsively, as from fear or excitement
    But she still shuddered as she pictured that grizzly’s claws aimed right at Kevin’s face.
  33. sharply
    in a forceful or hostile manner
    “The rangers need to do something about this bear,” Aunt Cassie went on, her voice rising sharply.
  34. flare
    erupt or intensify suddenly
    Mel’s temper flared up again.
  35. fume
    be mad, angry, or furious
    Mel was fuming as they walked back to the parking lot.
Created on Tue Oct 24 18:26:01 EDT 2023 (updated Wed Nov 01 12:56:46 EDT 2023)

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