I Survived the Galveston Hurricane, 1900: Chapters 8–19

by Lauren Tarshis
In this twenty-first book of the historical fiction I Survived series, eleven-year-old Charlie Miller, briefly swallowed by a wall of water at the beach, does not quite believe the weather office's statement that it's impossible for more powerful winds and waves to reach their island city in Texas.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–19
35 words 21 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. brutal
    harsh
    Yesterday had been brutal, one of the hottest days of the summer.
  2. stride
    walk with long steps
    He’d stalk Gordon, stride up to him, and stare right into his eyes.
  3. spindly
    long, thin, and often weak or fragile
    Then he would pull the cockroach from his pocket, wave it in front of Gordon’s eyes, and whip it right up next to Gordon’s ear. He’d make sure Gordon felt the creature’s spindly legs and antennae on his ear.
  4. mirage
    optical illusion in which hot air distorts distant objects
    He blinked hard, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks. Was this some kind of mirage?
  5. hypnotize
    induce a state that resembles sleep in
    He stared in amazement, almost hypnotized.
  6. beefy
    muscular and heavily built
    Charlie felt almost hypnotized by the waves—until he spotted a tall, beefy kid in the middle of the beach, one of the risk-takers closer to the Gulf.
  7. lull
    a pause during which things are calm
    He waited for a lull between the waves—the big ones came every two minutes or so—then he took his chance.
  8. gritty
    composed of or covered with small particles
    The churning, gritty water was everywhere at once—over Charlie, under Charlie, up his nose, down his throat.
  9. jar
    affect in a disagreeable way
    “This is a hurricane!” he scolded the men.
    The word—hurricane. It jarred Charlie, as if Mr. Early had cursed.
  10. snarl
    a vicious angry growl
    Charlie remembered once seeing a pack of dogs fighting over the body of a squirrel. The terrible snarls and growls.
  11. carcass
    the dead body of an animal
    That’s what the ocean looked like now—a pack of wild beasts, devouring a carcass. Soon nothing would be left of the Pagoda but its scattered bones.
  12. typical
    conforming to a standard or kind
    And back home it seemed like just a typical rainy Saturday.
  13. stump
    the base part that remains after a tree has been felled
    He looked around, and now he could see that there were brown lumps everywhere. On every rock, tree stump, and stick.
  14. bulge
    swell or protrude outwards
    It had big, bulging eyes.
  15. gutter
    a channel at the edge of a street for carrying off surface water
    Small brown frogs. The kind they always saw in the grass or the fishing creeks or the street gutters after an overflow.
  16. remarkable
    worthy of notice
    He calls himself an escape artist, and he has a remarkable act. He can free himself from any rope or chain, no matter how tightly it is knotted.
  17. queasy
    causing or fraught with or showing anxiety
    Charlie felt too queasy to eat one.
  18. bellow
    shout loudly and without restraint
    “Charlie!” Papa bellowed from the porch. “Come in!”
  19. sturdy
    substantially made or constructed
    Fifteen minutes later, they were making their way along Avenue M, heading toward one of the biggest and sturdiest houses in Galveston.
  20. gape
    look with amazement
    Lulu gaped at the fancy couches and chairs, the paintings on the wall, the vases filled with flowers.
  21. lurk
    be about
    Charlie spotted Mr. Potts, lurking in the doorway of the living room.
  22. quiver
    shake with fast, tremulous movements
    But with each shrieking gust of wind, Lulu’s eyes were getting wider, and her lip was starting to quiver.
  23. stagger
    walk with great difficulty
    A woman staggered into the living room. Charlie gasped and grabbed Lulu so she wouldn’t see. The woman was soaking wet and had blood dripping down her face.
  24. detest
    dislike intensely
    “Stop your blubbering!” Mr. Potts scolded. “You know I detest crying!”
  25. barrel
    move headlong at high speed
    And then a stream of panicked people came barreling up the stairs.
  26. fumble
    feel about uncertainly or blindly
    The lanterns were out in this room, too. Charlie fumbled around, pawing at the air until he hit a wall.
  27. strain
    exert much effort or energy
    He strained to see in the dark.
  28. sliver
    (figurative) a small or narrow piece or slice
    A sliver of moonlight lit up the person’s face for a second.
  29. hesitate
    pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
    Charlie hesitated for a few seconds. This was the person who had thrown a rat at him, who had almost stabbed him with a stick.
  30. nestle
    lie in a sheltered position
    The wind tried to knock them back, but they both managed to take hold of a branch. They climbed higher and nestled themselves between two thick limbs.
  31. daze
    overcome as with astonishment or disbelief
    None of this was real.
    Not the wrecked houses lying like smashed eggs. Not the people, dazed, bloodied, weeping.
  32. rubble
    the remains of something that has been destroyed
    Charlie stared at the shattered land around them. He turned in every direction, staring at the mountains of rubble, the heaps of wood that covered the ground as far as he could see.
  33. pucker
    an irregular fold in an otherwise even surface
    His body was covered with jagged lines, puckers, and dents, all from his time in the churning water.
  34. barge
    a flatbottom boat for carrying heavy loads
    They took a crowded barge across the bay.
  35. jolt
    a sudden jarring impact
    He felt a jolt, like he was waking up from a dream.
Created on Tue Oct 24 18:43:58 EDT 2023 (updated Wed Nov 01 13:11:15 EDT 2023)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.