Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence: Chapters 20–30

by Sonja Thomas
Twelve-year-old Mira Williams, an Orlando Magic fan and budding astrophysicist, focuses on facts when she sets out to save her sick cat.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–10, Chapters 11–19, Chapters 20–30, Chapters 31–38
40 words 12 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. elated
    exultantly proud and joyful; in high spirits
    “Are you as elated as I am?”
  2. observatory
    a building equipped to view astronomical phenomena
    And now we can’t go to the observatory, since it’s still closed because of the damage caused by Hurricane Irma.
  3. stellar
    distinguished from others in excellence
    She’s really smart, and after seeing her experiments on moon phases and black holes, I know she’ll definitely make a stellar astrophysicist someday.
  4. erosion
    condition in which the earth's surface is worn away
    We learned that wildlife, like deer and butterflies, depend on native plants for survival, and if we remove the bushes and small trees along our coastlines, then hurricanes could cause increased coastal erosion.
  5. unanimous
    in complete agreement
    After we unanimously chose Becky’s suggested team name, “Apptitude,” we brainstormed what kind of app we wanted to build, one that would help solve a problem.
  6. diligently
    in a hard-working manner
    Becky, Tamika, and I continued to share ideas popcorn-style as Poppy diligently wrote them down: a star identifier, a personality quiz to see which character from The Baby-Sitters Club you’re most like, and a dream analyzer.
  7. superscript
    character printed slightly above and to the side of another
    We decided on “F cubed”—which stood for “Finding Fun and Friends”—with a white capital F and a white superscript three on an orange background.
  8. plausible
    apparently reasonable, valid, or truthful
    “What if people think that the three Fs stand for ‘fee-fi-fo’?”
    Tamika shook her head. “Not plausible. It’s ‘fee-fi-fo-fum.’”
  9. prototype
    the first functional model of some new design or product
    We kept working on our project, finishing up our paper prototypes and playing around with some app-building software.
  10. muster
    summon up, call forth, or bring together
    Slumped in my chair, my head propped up by my hands, I had to muster every ounce of energy to keep from yawning.
  11. ovation
    enthusiastic recognition
    One by one each team presented their app idea, and once finished, they received a standing ovation.
  12. predicament
    an unpleasant or difficult situation
    At least the heat had less bite and the humidity had dropped to tolerable levels, so I was able to hang out on the sidewalk and think about all my predicaments.
  13. caliber
    a degree or grade of excellence or worth
    I really needed someone who matched my caliber, and though obviously nobody was as good a scientist as me, if only I could find someone close...
  14. flabbergasted
    as if struck dumb with astonishment and surprise
    “Flabbergasted to see you here, Elmira.”
  15. personable
    pleasant in manner and appearance
    “Even though an automatic thank-you email is sent to donors,” Mrs. Smith said, “it just feels more personable to take the time to send an actual letter. Feels like the least I can do.”
  16. abode
    housing that someone is living in
    I took the glass, and Tamika plopped back onto the couch. “So what brings you to my new abode, Elmira?”
  17. inspiration
    a sudden intuition as part of solving a problem
    The power to create with your mind would take you everywhere, and my imagination was blasting out of orbit. Who knew I’d find inspiration here, in enemy territory?
  18. gingerly
    in a manner marked by extreme care or delicacy
    “Oh. My. Einstein,” I whispered as I gingerly took the bill.
  19. tenacious
    stubbornly unyielding
    “You are one tenacious girl, Mira Williams. I hope this little one has as much heart as you when she’s your age.”
  20. blunt
    characterized by directness in manner or speech
    Mrs. B’s words might have been blunt, but she hadn’t said it like the way I always called Tamika an annoying evil scientist.
  21. stimulate
    cause to act in a specified manner
    I recalled from my music research that enjoyable music stimulates the production of the hormone serotonin, which makes us feel joy and elevates our moods by altering our brain waves.
  22. garbled
    lacking orderly continuity
    I tried joining in, to forget about my terrible, awful, absurd idea, but when I sang, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” my voice splintered in my throat and came out a garbled, high-pitched mess.
  23. curt
    speaking in a terse, rude, or abrupt way
    “My name’s Gervean Campbell and—”
    “We know who you are.” Gran’s curt tone hacked through her introduction.
  24. composure
    steadiness of mind under stress
    Ms. Campbell startled, but she quickly regained her composure.
  25. descent
    properties attributable to your ancestry
    Before Amelia Earhart flew solo across the Atlantic, when American flight schools didn’t admit African Americans or women, thanks to her tenacity Bessie Coleman became the first woman of African American and Native American descent to earn a pilot’s license.
  26. monumental
    of outstanding significance
    I wondered if he knew that something monumental was about to happen.
  27. montage
    a film sequence made by editing together a series of separate scenes or shots
    The title was spelled out in cursive over a photo montage of Ms. Campbell dining with famous Black vegans like Coretta Scott King and the Williams tennis sisters, with a funky jazz beat kicking in the background.
  28. crusade
    a series of actions tending toward a particular end
    You all know about my love for animals and my continuing crusade to put an end to diabetes.
  29. scoff
    laugh at with contempt and derision
    Gran called to congratulate my “noble efforts,” then scoffed when I was shocked that she’d actually seen Ms. Campbell’s vlog.
    “I may be old, but I’m not dead yet, honey.”
  30. rave
    praise enthusiastically
    My neighbor Mrs. B raved about living next door to an online celebrity and said she’d talked me up at her Mommy and Me class and forwarded my flyer to her friends at NASA.
  31. stupendous
    so great in size, force, or extent as to elicit awe
    Your interview was way more than satisfactory. You were stupendous.
  32. entourage
    the group following and attending to some important person
    My tiny entourage’s cheers faded as I continued down the main road toward my next stop and one of my favorite hangouts, the public library.
  33. fiasco
    a complete failure or collapse
    “When I saw your interview online, I remembered you and the printer fiasco.”
    “Yeah, sorry about that.”
  34. flare
    erupt or intensify suddenly
    The spark planted in my chest by Mrs. B and Mrs. Smith flared.
  35. undertaking
    any piece of work that is attempted
    “Such a big undertaking for such a young girl.”
  36. rational
    consistent with or based on or using reason
    As the world’s greatest scientist, I wasn’t afraid of ghosts. Why would they scare me? There was no scientific proof of their existence. Surely there was a rational explanation for all the incidents at Ashley’s.
  37. flair
    distinctive and stylish elegance
    Ms. Campbell moved off to the side, still speaking into her phone with animated flair.
  38. mortified
    made to feel uncomfortable because of shame or wounded pride
    She snuggled her face into my neck. Usually I’d be mortified at such over-the-top PDA, especially with her decked out in red boots, silver arm cuffs, and a gold belt, but today I didn’t mind.
  39. relish
    derive or receive pleasure from
    As the crowd surrounded us in the bakery parking lot, everyone munching on free day-old doughnuts, I relished my relaxed state.
  40. dampen
    lessen in force or effect
    The cloudy skies and pouring rain, however, couldn’t dampen my sunny mood.
Created on Thu Nov 09 07:47:48 EST 2023 (updated Fri Nov 10 14:57:30 EST 2023)

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