Wolfie & Fly: Chapters 1–3

by Cary Fagan
Renata Wolfman (Wolfie) likes to do things herself and doesn’t need friends. But her quirky next door neighbor, Livingston Flott (Fly), invites himself into her next project, and Wolfie learns that maybe a friend isn’t such a bad thing.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–9
15 words 125 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. insist
    assert to be true
    “It isn’t healthy to have no friends,” her mom insisted.
  2. vegetarian
    someone who eats no meat or fish
    “I don’t eat meat,” Renata said.
    “Since when?” asked her mom.
    “Since this morning. I read a book on being a vegetarian.”
  3. satisfaction
    the contentment one feels when one has fulfilled a desire
    Renata nodded with satisfaction. She had the house all to herself, just as she liked.
  4. cooperate
    work together on a common enterprise or project
    Renata liked to make things.
    She was good at it. And she liked making them all by herself. That way she didn’t have to “cooperate” with others, the way adults always insisted.
  5. compromise
    arrive at a settlement of differences
    She didn’t have to “compromise” or “respect other people’s opinions.”
  6. rainforest
    a densely wooded tropical area with heavy precipitation
    In the bathroom was her model rainforest. She had stuck a bunch of miniature plastic trees onto an old tea tray.
  7. marine biologist
    a scientist who studies life forms in oceans and seas
    She lay down beside the box. Lying down was also good for helping her think.
    I know! she thought. A submarine!
    A submarine like the ones that marine biologists used to study the ocean. The box was definitely big enough.
  8. porthole
    a window in a ship or airplane
    First of all, she needed a porthole to be able to see out. A porthole was a round window.
  9. submarine
    a submersible warship usually armed with torpedoes
    She wasn’t sure if submarines had steering wheels, but she couldn’t think of anything else to make it go where she wanted.
  10. revenge
    action taken in return for an injury or offense
    “We were playing catch with his new baseball. I threw the ball and it went under your house. Then I couldn’t get it out. And now he wants revenge. He says he’s going to smash my guitar. You have to open up!”
  11. mull
    reflect deeply on a subject
    Renata mulled it over. She had never had a nickname before, probably because she didn’t have any friends. She couldn’t decide if she liked it or not.
  12. persistent
    never-ceasing
    “At school everybody calls you Fly,” she said.
    “I know. Because I buzz around and annoy people. But I like to look at it in a positive way. I mean, a fly is persistent. A fly is a survivor. You can call me Fly if you say it in a nice way.”
  13. kin
    a person related to another or others
    “Here goes.” Livingston began to strum his guitar and sing.
    Wolfie, oh Wolfie, you did the right thing.
    You opened the door and you let me run in.
    ’Cause I was being chased by one of my kin
    Who was going to poke me with a stick or a pin.
  14. muffled
    being or made softer or less loud or clear
    He crawled through the back flaps of the box. “Sweet!” came his muffled voice. “You really know what you’re doing.”
  15. unforeseen
    not anticipated
    “What about unforeseen events?” he asked.
    “Unforeseen events?”
    “You know, things you don’t expect. You need some extra equipment with you. Better safe than sorry.”
Created on Wed Sep 17 21:08:31 EDT 2025 (updated Fri Oct 31 14:02:26 EDT 2025)

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