Found: Chapters 30–33
Thirty-six young people — all adopted — are brought together for the first time to learn the truth of their origins, which is more about when than where. Three of the children — Jonah, his sister, and a new friend, Chip — are among this unique group trying to make sense of their new reality that began in the distant past, is altered by time travel, has wiped out the present, and is heading toward an uncertain future.
Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–12, Chapters 13–21, Chapters 22–29, Chapters 30–33
15 words
12 learners
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Full list of words from this list:
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black hole
(figurative) a place where people or objects disappear“We’re in a black hole!” someone screamed behind him.
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mercifully
in a compassionate or fortunate mannerMercifully, the door began to roll shut again.
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montage
a film sequence made by editing together a series of separate scenes or shotsWhat followed was a montage of images that Jonah could barely stand to watch.
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intervention
care provided to improve a situation“The past was a very brutal place,” he intoned solemnly. “But as much as modern humanity’s hearts went out to their ancestors, their antecedents, they knew that the paradox and the ripple would make intervention very difficult.”
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propaganda
information that is spread to promote some cause“Okay, back to the propaganda,” JB said.
On the screen, Curtis Rathbone began talking again. -
pestilence
any epidemic disease with a high death rate"We studied time very carefully, centuries worth of wars and genocide, famines and pestilence—all the very worst of human suffering."
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holocaust
an act of mass destruction and loss of lifeMuch as we would have liked to, say, save every victim of the twentieth-century European Holocaust, we knew that was off-limits. The ripple would have been extreme—too much happened as a result of that Holocaust.
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fleeting
lasting for a markedly brief timeA single tear glistened in Curtis Rathbone’s eye. He dabbed at it and smiled fleetingly out from the screen.
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humanitarian
marked by devotion to popular welfare“Perhaps Curtis Rathbone had humanitarian intentions in the beginning,” JB growled.
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purveyor
someone who supplies provisions, especially food“But what Interchronological Rescue became was something entirely different,” he said bitterly. “Purveyors of prestigious names from history for wealthy idiots who want to brag at their cocktail parties, ‘Oh, yes, my little Henry comes from a line of British kings.’ . . . "
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prestigious
having an excellent reputation; respected“But what Interchronological Rescue became was something entirely different,” he said bitterly. “Purveyors of prestigious names from history for wealthy idiots who want to brag at their cocktail parties, ‘Oh, yes, my little Henry comes from a line of British kings.’ . . . "
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implication
a meaning that is not expressly stated but can be inferredJonah had had it. He’d had it with the suspense, the implications, the accusations, the strain.
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enervate
weaken physically, mentally, or morallyEveryone sat around, completely enervated.
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enterprising
marked by initiative and readiness to undertake new projects“He didn’t expect you to be enterprising enough to take pictures of the files and call the phone numbers and meet with me.”
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defective
not working properlyThe silence from the Elucidator continued. Jonah worried that they’d floated out of range, or that the battery had stopped working, just like a defective cell phone.
Created on Mon Nov 10 22:13:56 EST 2025
(updated Tue Dec 23 16:53:55 EST 2025)
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