The Way to Rio Luna: Chapters 1–7

by Zoraida Córdova
Foster children Danny and his older sister Pili share a love for a book of fairy tales. When Pili disappears, Danny embarks on an enchanted quest to find her with the help of new friends, some of the fairy tale characters, and magic.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–10, Chapters 11–14, Chapters 15–18, Chapters 19–23
15 words 20 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. alcove
    a small recess opening off a large room or garden
    They hid under alcoves, in tiny rooms under the stairs, inside closets—anywhere two small kids could fit and not be noticed.
  2. spindly
    long, thin, and often weak or fragile
    On the cover was a secret garden with floating fairies between spindly trees.
  3. drivel
    a worthless message
    “Other kids read the same drivel and they don’t act this way.”
  4. relent
    give in, as to influence or pressure
    Perhaps it was seeing Danny’s hurt, but Father Finnegan relented.
  5. jackalope
    a mythical animal said to look like a rabbit with horns
    What about the other stories by Ella St. Clay? The one about a young witch who discovered a crack in the air and found herself in the Red Woods, where she lived with the royal family of jackalopes.
  6. disparaging
    expressive of low opinion
    Danny kept quiet. He knew not to contradict him or ever say anything disparaging about Staten Island.
  7. rickety
    inclined to shake as from weakness or defect
    The thing was, that money should have been used for Danny’s care and clothes and food. Instead, it seemed to go to the bills piling up on the rickety table at the door entrance.
  8. damper
    a depressing restraint
    Nothing, not even Freddy and Teddy moaning and groaning as they filed off the bus, could put a damper on today.
  9. irreplaceable
    impossible to substitute for
    Things that are rare are hard to find. They’re one of a kind, unique, and oftentimes irreplaceable.
  10. incandescent
    emitting light as a result of being heated
    At first, he thought that there were strips of light in the ground. But what was appearing beneath his very feet was incandescent and pure gold.
  11. inquisitive
    showing curiosity
    The girl in front of him had freckled, light brown skin; inquisitive brown eyes; and a pert, round nose.
  12. warily
    in a manner marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
    “What do you mean it opened on its own?” the girl asked warily.
  13. calligraphy
    beautiful handwriting
    “Can you believe it? Ella St. Clay’s real handwriting. It’s nothing like my handwriting, which is messy. But I’m working on my calligraphy....”
  14. materialize
    come into being; become reality
    He was beginning to worry that he’d said something wrong and was about to backtrack when a golden arrow materialized on the open pages of the original Ella St. Clay book.
  15. trinket
    a small cheap ornament, knickknack, or piece of jewelry
    More of his classmates boarded the bus, laughing and showing one another trinkets from the store.
Created on Wed Oct 29 21:45:05 EDT 2025 (updated Mon Dec 22 18:57:58 EST 2025)

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