The School for Whatnots: Chapters 11–31

by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Born to very rich parents who can provide a technologically-enhanced education, Maximilian J. Sterling enjoys being at school, until the end of fifth grade, when his best friend suddenly disappears.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–10, Chapters 11–31, Chapters 32–46, Chapter 47–Epilogue
40 words 5 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. prod
    poke or thrust abruptly
    She was used to being crowded and jostled and poked and prodded and hugged.
  2. phenomenon
    a remarkable person, thing, or development
    She sat up, and that motion made the light in her little cubbyhole room come on. For a few moments, she just played with this phenomenon: up—light on. Down—light off.
  3. protocol
    code of correct conduct
    Keep an eye on her then, but don’t intervene unless you have to. Follow protocol.
  4. squabble
    argue over petty things
    He didn’t ask “Where’d you learn that?” and so Josie didn’t have to make up any stories that erased the dirty, squabbling children she’d known at her old neighborhood day care.
  5. wispy
    thin and weak
    By the end of that first day, when Josie and Max drew a picture together of a swimming pool full of magic fish, the teacher looked down at their two heads bent together over the same paper, his curls blending with her wispy tufts.
  6. evasion
    a statement that cleverly avoids an unpleasant truth
    But this was her first untruth. Her first evasion.
  7. snarky
    rudely sarcastic and mocking in tone or manner
    “Oh no, Max. You’re only eleven,” Mom said. “Please don’t tell me you’re turning into a snarky teenager already!”
  8. imposing
    befitting an important, distinguished, or powerful person
    At midnight, lying in bed, he heard Mom’s light, tripping footsteps on the stairs, and then the more imposing thud of Dad’s footfalls.
  9. fleck
    a small fragment of something broken off from the whole
    Some of the butterflies even had flecks of glitter on their wings, as if someone had wanted to make it even brighter and more dramatic.
  10. sheepishly
    in a manner showing embarrassment or shame
    He was ready to say sheepishly, “I guess I didn’t do such a great job of sneaking out. I guess the guards saw me, after all.”
  11. defy
    resist or confront with resistance
    He also hadn’t had a moment in his life when he had to stand up for what he believed or think completely for himself or defy anyone who thought they could tell him what to do.
  12. stark
    devoid of any qualifications or disguise or adornment
    He would look like just another down-on-his-luck laborer in a patched shirt and worn jeans, one with broken teeth and a crooked nose and mournful eyes and a stark line between white skin and sunburn, whenever he took off his cap.
  13. glimmer
    a slight suggestion or vague understanding
    But so far today, she’d only ever gotten glimmers of seeing her father as he truly was.
  14. rickety
    inclined to shake as from weakness or defect
    The splintered table looked more rickety than ever.
  15. emboss
    raise in a relief
    Josie pulled out an elegantly embossed sheet of paper.
  16. compassion
    a deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering
    Nurse Beverly always had a kind look in her eye when she gazed at him, but now she radiated so much compassion and concern Max could have drowned in it.
  17. groggy
    stunned or confused and slow to react
    They both wore tightly wrapped robes and the groggy, distressed expressions of adults who hadn’t expected to be awakened.
  18. mottled
    having spots or patches of color
    The clothes were completely dark, not mottled, but their purpose still seemed to be deception. Hiding.
  19. trill
    a note that alternates with another note a semitone above it
    “We always promised ourselves we’d never directly lie to him about this,” Mom said, her flutelike voice sounding like a trill of danger.
  20. falter
    speak haltingly
    Max had never heard his father falter so badly.
    Max couldn’t make sense of that. Or of what his father was saying.
  21. stagger
    walk as if unable to control one's movements
    “No,” Max moaned, staggering backward. “No. That’s not true.”
  22. clarify
    make clear and comprehensible
    “I mean, what group are you in?” Ivy clarified.
  23. digest
    arrange and integrate in the mind
    “Pull yourself together. We already told you. She’s not real.”
    “He’s going to need some time to digest this,” Nurse Beverly said, almost as if Dad were Max’s age, and Nurse Beverly was scolding Dad.
  24. expressly
    with a clear or definite meaning or purpose
    “Actually, that is expressly forbidden in these circumstances,” the mystery woman said, sounding as brisk and disinterested as if they were discussing drying paint.
  25. eddy
    a miniature whirlpool or whirlwind
    The crowd swirled around them, creating eddies and islands.
  26. resort
    have recourse to
    With the hubbub of the crowd around them, they were too far apart to be sure of hearing each other even if they shouted. So in the last moments before they lost sight of each other, Josie had to resort to reading Ivy’s lips.
  27. undercurrent
    a feeling or tendency that is not explicitly expressed
    But the undercurrent of But what about Max? What about Ivy? still thrummed too strongly in her brain.
  28. thrum
    make or cause to make a low, continuous sound
    But the undercurrent of But what about Max? What about Ivy? still thrummed too strongly in her brain.
  29. disembodied
    not having a material form
    Dad had pointed out security cameras to her once at a museum they’d gone to when she was little. He said that was how the disembodied voice knew to come on with the warning, “You are standing too close to the artwork. Step back, or you will be asked to leave.”
  30. promptly
    in a punctual manner
    Promptly at noon, she got up and left the library.
  31. hermetic
    completely sealed or airtight
    “And we’re going to put Max through that?” Mom sounded like she was on the verge of crying again.
    “Sounds like it’s either that, or put him into a hermetically sealed box for the next four or five years—I’m joking, I’m joking!”
  32. plaintive
    expressing sorrow
    “We wanted Max to grow up with the kind of confidence that comes from always being around family and friends who love him,” Mom said, her tone turning plaintive.
  33. undermine
    weaken or impair, especially gradually
    “We wanted Max to grow up with the kind of confidence that comes from always being around family and friends who love him,” Mom said, her tone turning plaintive. “Have we undermined that completely?”
  34. bewildered
    extremely confused and uncertain what to do
    Bewildered, Josie looked to Ivy for help.
  35. shabby
    showing signs of wear and tear
    Even though the tiny room around them was shabby and plain—suffocating, even—Josie had no doubt that Ivy could draw it in a way that would make it look like a palace, and make Josie and Lucinda look like princesses.
  36. scoff
    laugh at with contempt and derision
    “I thought Ivy said you were really good at figuring things out,” Lucinda scoffed at Josie. “She said you were smart. Do I have to spell everything out for you?”
  37. relent
    give in, as to influence or pressure
    “Okay, I’ll just go ahead and tell you both the truth,” she relented.
  38. omniscient
    knowing, seeing, or understanding everything
    Seriously, I never claimed to be an omniscient narrator exactly, but I really did think I knew the basics of the story I’ve been telling.
  39. bland
    lacking stimulating characteristics; uninteresting
    Come to think of it, she hadn’t done very well pretending to be a bland, boring, well-behaved whatnot.
  40. sheer
    complete and without restriction
    After a while, he must have fallen asleep just from the sheer misery of crying.
Created on Mon Dec 18 08:53:15 EST 2023 (updated Tue Dec 19 09:51:43 EST 2023)

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