I Survived the Attack of the Grizzlies, 1967: Chapters 10–20

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
35 words 18 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. stance
    standing posture
    “That’s actually not usually an aggressive stance,” he said. “Bears stand up on their hind legs to get a better look at things. But if you had run...or if it had gotten into the cabin, I really don’t know. Grizzlies are unpredictable. But I’d say you’re lucky.”
  2. embedded
    enclosed firmly in a surrounding mass
    “Last month the rangers found a grizzly near a garbage dump. It had starved to death. It had glass embedded in its teeth. It probably couldn’t eat.”
  3. stalk
    watch, follow, or harass someone in an obsessive way
    There were hundreds of grizzlies in Glacier. What if all of them started stalking people?
  4. rustic
    characteristic of the fields or country
    It was a rustic hotel for hikers way up in the mountains.
  5. waver
    pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
    But Mel didn’t waver. Whatever was happening at Granite Chalet, she wanted to know.
  6. flutter
    flap the wings rapidly or fly with flapping movements
    He pointed at a hummingbird fluttering above a purple flower.
  7. chalet
    an alpine house or cottage with a steeply sloping roof
    The Granite Park Chalet was way up in Glacier’s backcountry.
  8. swig
    a large and hurried swallow
    Mel took swigs of cool water from her canteen and munched on nuts and raisins that Pops had packed for her.
  9. apex
    the highest point of something
    “The grizzly is America’s apex predator,” he explained.
    Clap, clap.
    “That means it can hunt any animal it wants. And no animal wants to mess with it.”
  10. marmot
    a coarse-furred burrowing rodent with a short bushy tail
    “They also love marmots,” Steve said.
    Clap, clap.
    Those were cute little rodents that lived underground.
  11. fib
    tell a relatively insignificant lie
    He eyed the thick roast beef sandwiches Pops had made for Mel and Cassie.
    Mel handed him half of hers. “I’m not very hungry,” she fibbed.
  12. fascinated
    having your attention fixated as though witchcraft
    “How did you first become interested in grizzlies?”
    “I’ve always been fascinated by them,” Steve said.
  13. coax
    influence or persuade by gentle and persistent urging
    “But why?” Aunt Cassie coaxed.
  14. canteen
    a flask for carrying water; used by soldiers or travelers
    Steve took a gulp of water from his beat-up canteen.
  15. gruesome
    shockingly repellent; inspiring horror
    Mel had heard gruesome stories over the years of hikers slashed and bitten and left half-dead by mother grizzlies.
  16. bluff
    pretense that your position is stronger than it really is
    “It might make noise, growl, and whoof. It might stand up to get a better look. Or it might do a bluff charge...”
    “What’s that?” Mel asked.
    “It’s when a bear comes running at you, but it stops short, maybe twenty feet away. It’s just trying to scare you.”
  17. trudge
    a long difficult walk
    The last half mile of the hike was torture—a trudge up a steep hill.
  18. stagger
    walk with great difficulty
    They staggered into the lobby, a big airy room with a rough stone floor and walls made of logs.
  19. airy
    open to or abounding in fresh atmosphere
    They staggered into the lobby, a big airy room with a rough stone floor and walls made of logs.
  20. burly
    muscular and heavily built
    “Welcome!” said a burly man from behind the front desk.
  21. blister
    an elevation of the skin filled with fluid
    “Those poor toes!” Aunt Cassie said, looking at Mel’s bubbling blisters.
  22. gush
    praise enthusiastically
    “Wait until you see!” the mustache man gushed.
  23. clobber
    strike violently and repeatedly
    “The bigger one was clobbering the little guy. I thought it was going to rip its head off!”
  24. incinerate
    become reduced to ashes
    We have to dump our garbage out there. Because what else are we going to do with it? The park service gave me an incinerator back in June so we could burn our trash. But it was way too small.
  25. rant
    talk at length in a noisy, excited, or angry manner
    They were barely out the door when Steve started to rant.
  26. seethe
    be in an agitated emotional state
    He was seething with anger.
  27. steep
    set at a high angle (of a slope)
    The dump was right where the mustache man had said it was, in the back of the chalet, down the steep, rocky hill.
  28. queasy
    feeling nausea
    The sight of the garbage made Mel queasy.
  29. grim
    filled with melancholy and despondency
    The sounds of happy chatter and clinking silverware rang out around them. But the mood at their table was grim.
  30. nauseous
    causing a sick feeling
    How many of those people were coming to see the grizzlies eat garbage?
    Mel didn’t want to know. Thinking about it made her nauseous.
  31. frail
    physically weak
    The frail tree shook as the grizzly pounded against it with its paws.
  32. eerie
    inspiring a feeling of fear; strange and frightening
    It became eerily silent. All Mel could hear was the bear’s low, hissing breaths.
  33. stern
    serious and harsh in manner or behavior
    Her voice sounded stern. “No more of this. It is not your fault. The people who work here have been feeding grizzly bears! How could this be your fault?”
  34. jumble
    a confused multitude of things
    Mel studied Steve’s face. It was a jumble of anger and sadness.
  35. tragic
    very sad, especially involving grief or death or destruction
    And they’d read Cassie’s new big story in National Geographic: How one tragic night in August would transform the park forever.
Created on Tue Oct 24 18:26:19 EDT 2023 (updated Wed Nov 01 12:56:36 EDT 2023)

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