The Elephant Girl: Prologue–Chapter 14

by James Patterson, Ellen Banda-Aaku
Unwilling to fit into the expectations of her village in Kenya, twelve-year-old Jama Anyango sneaks off to spend time with elephants that need protection from poachers.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Prologue–Chapter 14, Chapters 15–30, Chapters 31–51, Chapter 52–Epilogue
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. acacia
    any of various spiny trees or shrubs
    Acacia trees surrounded the watering hole.
  2. elaborate
    marked by complexity and richness of detail
    We Maasai were known for our beadwork and our elaborate necklaces and jewelry.
  3. primp
    dress or groom with elaborate care
    Momma handed me some blush and a container of coconut oil. Makeup? This was pushing it a little much.
    "Momma, do I have to?" I hated the whiny edge in my voice, but I also didn't want her to take this primping thing too far.
  4. genuinely
    in accordance with truth or fact or reality
    I was happy with how much at the moment I looked like Momma, who was genuinely gorgeous.
  5. bound
    move forward by leaping
    "I’ll go see if Kokoo Naserian is ready to go," I announced to Momma and bounded out the door and across the short distance from our enkajijik to Baba's great-aunt Kokoo Naserian's.
  6. long-winded
    using or containing too many words
    The other villagers had little patience for her long-winded stories, which she peppered with endless proverbs, but I adored her.
  7. delicate
    easily hurt
    I walked over to her small wooden chair, made by Baba, to give her a kiss and help lift her up. She felt as light and delicate as a hummingbird in my arms.
  8. thatch
    cover with roofing material made of plant stalks
    Kokoo Naserian leaned heavily on her walking stick as we shuffled slowly to the thatched gate of our boma, where Momma was waiting for us.
  9. graze
    feed as in a meadow or pasture
    When Kokoo Naserian was a little girl, our people still moved around a lot over many hundreds of miles, allowing the vast herds of prized cattle to graze in different pastures, but now we've settled into towns.
  10. distinctive
    of a feature that helps to identify a person or thing
    Just then two goaway birds, with tall crowns of feathers like a unicorn horn, swooped down and let out their distinctive loud call, like the squawks of a newborn baby.
  11. corrugated
    shaped into alternating parallel grooves and ridges
    Across from the school was a row of small stalls, tables separated by corrugated metal sheets, where people sold fruit and beads and grains.
  12. impenetrable
    not admitting of passage into or through
    They made a tight circle, shoulder to shoulder, as intimidating and impenetrable as the tightly entwined fence of our boma.
  13. appropriate
    suitable for a particular person, place, or situation
    Then I could run as fast as I wanted, and learn as much as I wanted, and also hate skirts and dresses without anyone judging me and reminding me what was "appropriate."
  14. imposing
    impressive in appearance
    Leku stood with his father, Solo Mungu, an imposing man, tall as a giraffe, who was wearing the dark sunglasses he never seemed to be without and his camouflage Kenya Wildlife Service uniform.
  15. poach
    hunt illegally
    As the new head ranger responsible for patrolling the Naibunga Conservancy, he was supposed to help stop poaching there.
  16. grim
    harshly uninviting or formidable in manner or appearance
    His mouth was fixed in a grim line, angry and serious, completely at odds with the happy celebrations raging around him.
  17. appeal
    attractiveness that interests or pleases or stimulates
    I didn't get what his appeal was to the girls. Not only was he as aggressive as a hippo, but with his big square-shaped head and short stocky legs, he looked like one, too.
  18. stoic
    seeming unaffected by pleasure or pain; impassive
    Next to the school was a giant old baobab tree, as ancient as the earth itself, with a trunk as wide as a car, and that's where our spiritual leader, Laibon Umoja, sat stoically.
  19. intricate
    having many complexly arranged elements; elaborate
    His face was marked with an intricate pattern of red paint.
  20. captivated
    filled with wonder and delight
    It wasn't just the girls looking at him; the boys did, too, everyone captivated by his line of perfect white teeth and taut muscles rippling as he jumped the highest and yelled the loudest.
  21. taut
    pulled or drawn tight
    It wasn't just the girls looking at him; the boys did, too, everyone captivated by his line of perfect white teeth and taut muscles rippling as he jumped the highest and yelled the loudest.
  22. exuberant
    joyously unrestrained
    He cried out loudly, exuberantly, and when I turned to look at Nadira, she looked like she might faint.
  23. jubilation
    the utterance of sounds expressing great joy
    The dancing, the celebrations, the jubilation happening around me made me feel worse all of a sudden.
  24. taunt
    harass with persistent criticism or carping
    Even as I got farther away from the festivities, I still heard the distant laughter, taunting me.
  25. defiant
    boldly resisting authority or an opposing force
    Leku was on his knees, staring up at his father, defiant, but I could see the tremor in his hands, his fists shaking ever so slightly.
  26. practically
    almost; nearly
    Before anyone noticed, I slipped down the path behind the school and practically broke into a jog.
  27. fester
    generate pus
    It took eight days for the infection to take hold. The gash festered and pussed despite the poultices Momma painstakingly made and applied.
  28. poultice
    a medical dressing spread on a cloth and applied to the skin
    The gash festered and pussed despite the poultices Momma painstakingly made and applied.
  29. venture
    proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
    I was all alone, well beyond the boundaries of where Momma had said it was safe to venture.
  30. lumber
    move heavily or clumsily
    They lumbered slowly down to the shallow watering hole, like they had all the time in the world.
  31. mesmerized
    having your attention fixated as though witchcraft
    From behind a tree, I spied on them, mesmerized. I loved most how they communicated with one another.
  32. sweltering
    excessively hot and humid; marked by sweating and faintness
    My stomach fell when I didn't see the elephants at the water, but I settled in to wait at my usual spot with my back up against a large acacia tree, its branches giving me much-needed shade from the sweltering sun.
  33. materialize
    come into being; become reality
    They materialized from the trees as if they had been there all along and only then decided to be seen.
  34. tend
    have a disposition to do or be something; be inclined
    I guessed the baby was a girl because her back was curvy, and Kokoo Naserian once told me that female elephants tend to have curvier spines.
  35. tentatively
    in a hesitant manner
    I tentatively stepped across a few more stones in the watering hole so that I could get a better look.
  36. saunter
    walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
    Shaba sauntered closer and extended her long trunk to nudge her baby off me.
  37. flourish
    grow vigorously
    "Until we meet again, Mbegu," I said quietly, giving her a name I thought fit her well. Mbegu, Swahili for seed, because just like one, she would grow, bloom, and flourish.
  38. exasperation
    a feeling of annoyance
    I could hear the exasperation in Momma's voice when she spoke.
  39. painstaking
    characterized by extreme care and great effort
    It was hard and painstaking work, using a large needle to pierce through the thick hide and add small stone after stone, but the results were beautiful. The man in Nairobi who sold the sandals for Momma said they were one of his most popular items, especially with tourists.
  40. prod
    urge on; cause to act
    "Nadira is fine. The girls are fine."
    "But...?" Momma prodded.
Created on Thu Feb 22 09:27:53 EST 2024 (updated Thu Feb 22 14:39:40 EST 2024)

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