I Love You, Michael Collins by Lauren Baratz-Logsted, Vocabulary List Chapters 10-13

afraid or nervous especially about what may happen

And at the sound of the car engine I grew anxious.

to make a long scraping or squeaking sound

At every sound, he'd look up, and so would I, only to realize it just the house creaking.

to make dull or less active

But my lack of any visible enthusiasm didn't dampen Buster's.

the junk or pieces left from something broken down or destroyed

"But isn't that dangerous? All that debris just falling down?"

to separate or break up into small parts or pieces

"Maybe it disintegrates when it hits the atmosphere or something."

to force or push out

You once had to eject from an F-86 plane because of a fire near the cockpit.

to set on fire : LIGHT

"Stage 2 then ignites and it also burns."

to throw out especially from a ship or an airplane

But if nothing goes wrong during the launch, the escape tower, like those other things I mentioned, will also jettison.

to continue to exist as time passes

This was not a taste a person wanted to linger over.

not very good

If someone like you who did mediocre in school could still get so far in life, then perhaps there is still hope for a slow reader and onetime cheat-reader like me.

the middle or central part

"Okay," she finally said as though she'd been in the midst of a conversation with someone.

completely overcome or overpowered by thought or feeling

It's just how I feel. Overwhelmed.

something (as a magazine) published regularly (as every month)

"I think our best bet would be periodicals," Miss Penny said.

to feel sad or sorry about (something that you did or did not do)

I even took another glug of Tang, which I regretted almost instantly.

to feel annoyance or anger at

I resented that.

to give (someone) less than what is expected or deserved

"Just because your mom's not here at the moment, doesn't mean you deserve to get shortchanged in the tucking-in department."

to read or examine quickly and not thoroughly

So I learned to skim, sometimes turning pages without reading what was on them.

the act of overseeing : MANAGEMENT

Or, if we get kicked outside, we provide close supervision of the cat.

having a sharp taste or smell

In its defense, it was tangy.

a way of doing something using special knowledge or skill

I would use this technique in school.