Earthquake Terror: Chapters 9–13

by Peg Kehret
Twelve-year-old Jonathan Palmer; his six-year-old and partially-paralyzed sister, Abby; and their parents are camping in Northern California when an earthquake hits. Separated from their parents, and without food, water, or help, Jonathan, Abby, and their dog, Moose, have to survive the devastating quake and find their way to safety.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–2, Chapters 3–5, Chapters 6–8, Chapters 9–13, Chapters 14–16
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. fatigue
    temporary loss of strength and energy from hard work
    His own fear and fatigue cut his patience short.
  2. acutely
    in a sharp or intense manner
    Jonathan put his hands under Abby’s armpits and eased her down into a sitting position. Then he helped her lie flat along the length of the tree, with her cheek resting on the bark. As he did, he was acutely aware that she would not be able to get up off the tree by herself. He would need to stay with her.
  3. context
    the set of facts or circumstances that surround a situation
    Once again, Jonathan pictured Magpie Island on a map but this time he saw it in context with its surroundings. He saw the Tuscan River, not only as it flowed around the island, but as it continued its course due west to the Pacific Ocean.
  4. predicament
    an unpleasant or difficult situation
    Dusk was brief; darkness settled quickly over the island. Their predicament seemed worse, somehow, in the dark. More dangerous.
  5. gauge
    an instrument for measuring and indicating a quantity
    Jonathan tried to gauge how far they were from shore. He guessed it was twice the distance from home plate to the center field wall.
  6. current
    a steady flow of a fluid or gas
    He was a strong swimmer. He could probably make it, despite the swift current.
  7. evacuate
    move out of an unsafe location into safety
    “One, two, three,” Jonathan counted. “Help!” they yelled together. “Help! Help!”
    Their shouts faded into the darkness. Could anyone on shore hear them? Was there anyone on shore? Maybe Beaverville had been evacuated.
  8. exertion
    use of physical or mental energy; hard work
    He wiped the sweat from his forehead and plunged on toward Beaverville. Fear surrounded him like a winter fog. His body stayed warm from the physical exertion but inside, his heart felt chilled.
  9. collide
    crash together with violent impact
    As they began “Twenty-three Raggedy Anns on the shelf” for the second time, Abby’s tree collided with the remains of an old fishing pier.
  10. debris
    the remains of something that has been destroyed
    When he looked toward the sound of her voice, he saw so much floating debris in that part of the river that it was difficult in the dim moonlight to pick out which dark shape in the water was Abby.
  11. hysteria
    excessive or uncontrollable fear
    “Come back!” Abby cried, an edge of hysteria in her voice. “Stay with me.”
    “I can’t. But I’ll be back to get you.”
  12. mercilessly
    without pity
    What were his chances of survival if he managed to stay on the tree and ride it all the way to the Pacific Ocean? How long could he live without food or water? The sun would burn him mercilessly all day and the freezing water would chill him at night.
  13. alternate
    do something in turns
    He alternated between doing the crawl, which was fastest, and the breaststroke, which was slower but allowed him to see where he was going and to see what else was floating toward him.
  14. breaststroke
    a swimming style with a frog-like kick and simultaneous arm movements
    He alternated between doing the crawl, which was fastest, and the breaststroke, which was slower but allowed him to see where he was going and to see what else was floating toward him.
  15. adrenaline
    hormone secreted by the adrenal gland in response to stress
    A shot of adrenaline burst through him, giving him new energy. He swam harder, kicking faster. If he could get out of the main current here, by the bay, he knew he would make it to shore.
Created on Mon Sep 22 20:51:03 EDT 2025 (updated Tue Nov 11 12:33:22 EST 2025)

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