Leeva at Last: Chapters 11–21

by Sara Pennypacker
The daughter of the mayor and treasurer of Nutsmore, eightish-year-old Leeva Spayce Thornblossom rebels against being treated like an employee who must work to increase her parents' fame and money.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–10, Chapters 11–21, Chapters 22–37, Chapters 38–54
40 words 11 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. deter
    try to prevent; show opposition to
    Even odder, there were no doorway briars—it was as if the people who lived here weren’t even trying to deter visitors!
  2. policy
    written contract or certificate of insurance
    “You look like someone who needs an insurance policy!” the woman cried, her cheeks stretched alarmingly wide.
  3. demise
    the event of departure from life
    “Have you considered what would happen in the unfortunate event of your demise?”
    Leeva knew that “the unfortunate event of her demise” meant her death, and she was startled that it was the subject of these people’s conversation.
  4. peril
    a source of danger
    “Your braids alone—they’re a multiple hazard. They could strangle you, trip you, you could swallow them in your sleep!” Mrs. Frisk ticked off the hair-based perils on her fingers.
  5. brandish
    exhibit aggressively
    Mrs. Frisk scooped up a sheaf of papers and brandished them.
  6. assume
    take to be the case or to be true
    Inside stood a boy—well, she assumed it was a boy, since the Frisks had mentioned a son—dressed hood-to-booties in a yellow paper suit.
  7. warily
    in a manner marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
    He crossed his arms over his chest and glared out warily.
  8. assortment
    a collection containing a variety of kinds of things
    Spread over one end of the table was an assortment of figurines.
  9. array
    an impressive display or assortment
    Before Leeva could see any more, he threw a tablecloth over the whole array.
  10. don
    put on clothes
    Osmund donned safety glasses and snapped on some gloves.
  11. regard
    look at attentively
    While he did this, Leeva regarded his outfit more closely.
  12. hazardous
    involving risk or danger
    “Hazmat?”
    “Hazardous materials. The suit protects me from them.”
  13. incredulous
    not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving
    “Are there hazardous materials here?”
    The boy gave her an incredulous look. “They’re everywhere!” he cried, waving the tweezers about. “Life is a hazardous material!”
  14. intrigue
    cause to be interested or curious
    Leeva was disturbed, but also intrigued.
  15. scoff
    laugh at with contempt and derision
    “Of course not,” he scoffed, as if the idea were ridiculous.
  16. disdain
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
    “A skunk? An opossum? Raccoon?”
    Osmund met each guess with disdain. “Bob is a badger.”
  17. bovine
    of or relating to or belonging to cattle
    “They’re dangerous. Rabies, bovine tuberculosis, fleas. That’s all you need to know.”
  18. suppress
    control and refrain from showing
    She couldn’t suppress a tiny “Ha!” of derision.
  19. derision
    contemptuous laughter
    She couldn’t suppress a tiny “Ha!” of derision.
  20. pizzazz
    the activeness of an energetic personality
    “You don’t know ‘nope’? It means no, but with more...oh, oomph. More pizzazz.”
    “Huh. Oomph. Pizzazz.”
  21. gouge
    make a groove in
    Leeva was dismayed to find the cupboard floor all gouged up, as if Bob had been trying to escape.
  22. contemplate
    reflect deeply on a subject
    She leaned back between the cupboards and contemplated the turn her life had just taken.
  23. appalling
    causing shock, dismay, or horror
    “Oh, dear, I need some help, better go find a badger!” said exactly no one in the history of the world, ever. Because badgers are pretty appalling creatures: bad-tempered, malodorous, and related to skunks and weasels—unsavory family ties at best.
  24. unsavory
    morally offensive
    “Oh, dear, I need some help, better go find a badger!” said exactly no one in the history of the world, ever. Because badgers are pretty appalling creatures: bad-tempered, malodorous, and related to skunks and weasels—unsavory family ties at best.
  25. serrated
    notched like a saw with teeth pointing toward the apex
    She picked up the grapefruit spoon cautiously—the spoon’s bowl was viciously serrated like sharks’ teeth—and gouged out the grapefruit’s sections, then arranged them on her mother’s crystal plate.
  26. bliss
    a state of extreme happiness
    Bob was still in there, chomping noisily on a long black string. His eyes were closed in a manner that suggested bliss.
  27. remorseful
    feeling or expressing pain or sorrow
    Bob swallowed the last bit. He did not look remorseful.
  28. deliberate
    think about carefully; weigh
    While Harry was gone fetching his lunch, Leeva deliberated. Should she tell him? If she did, would it change how he felt about her?
  29. frail
    easily broken or damaged or destroyed
    Leeva’s things, too—her coverlet, her slippers, her stool—all newspaper. She’d used only the “Improve Your Vocabulary” pages for the stool’s seat, and it brought her a secret joy to perch upon precious words, but the rest of the things were a disappointment—scratchy and frail.
  30. ponder
    reflect deeply on a subject
    A smashed wren’s egg, whose dried yolk made Leeva ponder the fragility of life; torn lottery tickets, which spoke of both optimism and desperation; a red clown nose, which defied interpretation.
  31. venture
    put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation
    “Just now,” Leeva ventured, “when you found out that we took out the same books, did you feel something?”
  32. gape
    look with amazement
    He looked down at Leeva’s feet and gaped in horror.
  33. humanities
    studies intended to provide general knowledge and skills
    “Things like art, literature, poetry, music. Things you don’t need to get famous or make money.”
    Osmund stopped. He slumped so deeply his suit seemed to deflate. “Oh. I thought those were the Humanities. Things humans do for other humans, to make life better.”
  34. morosely
    in a sullen, moody manner
    Osmund shook his head morosely. “Not wonderful. You have to be on your guard every minute. With other risks, you know the odds. But people? They’re unpredictable.”
  35. divine
    being or having the nature of a god
    “That’s Osmundio. He’s a superhero. His name means ‘divine protector.’ If you can’t think of a way out of a disaster, you say, ‘Protect us, Osmundio!’ three times and he makes everything safe.”
  36. sprawl
    sit or lie with one's limbs spread out
    An extremely old couple sat sprawled over a kitchen table, sleeping—or maybe they’d passed out from the odor, that’s how strong it was.
  37. extravagant
    unrestrained, especially with regard to feelings
    Fern rescued her sister with extravagant sighing and eye-rolling, and Leeva thought again that Harry should know about this girl.
  38. ebb
    fall away or decline
    Her sobbing ebbed. Hope flowed in.
  39. intently
    with strained or eager attention
    Bob sniffed it intently but did not seem to come to a conclusion.
  40. ledger
    a record in which commercial accounts are recorded
    Even her clothes were only a loan—her father kept a ledger and she was expected to pay for them when she got a job.
Created on Fri Jul 12 11:34:26 EDT 2024 (updated Sat Jul 13 11:38:24 EDT 2024)

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