Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson, Vocabulary List Chapters 10-13

a claim that someone has done something bad or illegal

"Your daddy did it for you." But it wasn't an accusation.

loyalty to a person, country, group, etc.

Mrs. Meyers barked the command to stand for the allegiance.

to make (something) narrower, smaller, or tighter

The coldness inside of him had moved upward into his throat constricting it.

the act or process of killing, ruining, or putting an end to something

Somehow it was the one thing in all Washington that Leslie had never seen, and so he could tell her about it, describing the tiny beasts hurtling to destruction.

to perform for (an audience) : to provide amusement for (someone) by singing, acting, etc.

He couldn't be expected to entertain her all the time.

very interesting or appealing

"Fascinating, isn't it?"

having or showing a lack of good sense or judgment

He thought about it all day, how before Leslie came, he had been a nothing - a stupid weird little kid who drew funny pictures and chased around a cow field trying to act big - trying to hide a whole mob of foolish little fears running riot inside his gut.

easily broken

For hadn't Leslie, even in Terabithia, tried to push back the walls of his mind and make him see beyond to the shining world - huge and terrible and beautiful and very fragile?

to shine with a soft reflected light

Jess blinked his eyes against the glare and the glisten.

not having any real purpose or value

He wondered idly if cows were ever scared--really scared.

a feeling of being close or connected to other people

He felt a frightening sense of kinship with it.

extremely good or enjoyable

He doused them with syrup and began to eat. They tasted marvelous.

an idea or story that is believed by many people but that is not true

"A miracle! Behold the sun! I was beginning to think she had gone into a cave and vowed never to return, like the Japanese myth."

words or ideas that are foolish or untrue

He'd have to tell Leslie about wanting a gut transplant. It was the kind of nonsense she appreciated.

a reason for disagreeing with or opposing something

His mother had never allowed him to have a dog, but she made no objection to P.T. being in the house.

to have a powerful effect on (someone)

The anger which had possessed him yesterday flared up again.

an organized group or line of people or vehicles that move together slowly as part of a ceremony

He walked slowly, as part of a great procession, though only the puppy could be seen, slowly forward carrying the queen's wreath to the sacred grove.

to remember (something) from the past

He put his mind to remembering the day in Washington, working on details of pictures and statues, dredging up the sound of Miss Edmunds' voice, recalling his own exact words and her exact answers.

information or a story that is passed from person to person but has not been proven to be true

"Shhh, yes. There's a rumor around that the beautiful girl arriving today might be the queen they've been waiting for."

very thin in a way that is not attractive or healthy

May Belle was as scrawny as Brenda was fat.

a particular feeling or experience that may not have a real cause

Occasionally into the corner of his mind's vision would come a sensation of falling, but he pushed it away with the view of another picture or the sound of another conversation.

having or showing true feelings that are expressed in an honest way

"I just want to give you my sincere sympathy."

a person who is not loyal or true to a friend, duty, cause, or belief or is false to a personal duty

And even he himself has entertained the traitorous thought that now he would be the fastest.

to make a serious promise to do something or to behave in a certain way

"A miracle! Behold the sun! I was beginning to think she had gone into a cave and vowed never to return, like the Japanese myth."