1. James and the Giant Peach
Vocabulary

2. Chapters 1-10

3. vast
Adjective
very great in extent, size, amount, degree, or intensity
The vast desert went on for miles.

4. nuisance
Noun
an annoying or troublesome person, thing, or way of doing something
The screaming little boy was a nuisance.

5. miserable Adjective extremely poor or unhappy
The sick girl was sad and miserable.

6. ramshackle Adjective looking ready to fall down
The ramshackle house was torn down.

7. desolate Adjective showing the results of abandonment and neglect
The empty lot was desolate, and not used by anyone.

8. ancient Adjective having existed for many years
The ancient pyramids are great part of history.

9. despair Noun utter loss of hope
The people were filled with hopelessness and despair after the hurricane.

10. spellbound Adjective held by or as if by a spell
The audience was spellbound by the magic show.

11. towered Verb reached, or rose to, a great height
The new building towered over the older ones.

12. seething Verb to be upset or in a state of great excitement
The mean person left me seething with anger.

13. murky
Adjective
very dark or gloomy
The cave was dark and murky.

14. Chapters 11-20

15. bolt Verb to move rapidly or run away
The frightened boy was ready to bolt through the open door.

16. primly Adverb formally precise or proper in behavior or speech
“I am wearing my best dress,” the girl said primly.

17. ambled Verb walked or moved at a slow pace
The old man ambled around the town looking for something to do.

18. lurch Noun a sudden jerking, swaying, or tipping movement
The car gave a lurch forward as the driver let off the break.

19. gaped Verb stared with mouth open in surprise or wonder
The boys and girls gaped at the giant peach.

20. serenely Adverb in a peaceful manner
She stared serenely at the works of art.

21. chaos Noun complete confusion
Chaos was caused by the fire alarm going off.

22. aghast Adjective struck with terror, amazement, or horror
The aunts looked aghast as the peach rolled down the hill.

23. pandemonium Noun a wild uproar
Pandemonium broke out when the man began dropping $100 bills off the building.

24. coaxing
Verb
influencing by gentle urging, special attention, or flattering
The mother was coaxing her child into eating the broccoli.

25. martyr
Noun
one who sacrifices life or something of great value for a principle or cause
The earthworm would become a martyr if he gave his life for his friends.

26. Chapters 21-30

27. exhorting Verb influencing by words or advice
The teachers were exhorting their students to study every night.

28. tethered Verb fastened or held by a rope or chain
The horse was tethered to the hitching post.

29. teeming
Verb
to become filled
The stream was teeming with fish.

30. inferior Adjective of little or less importance, value, or merit
The Dallas Cowboys are inferior to the Saints.

31. astonished Verb to strike with sudden wonder or surprise
The people were astonished when the space shuttle landed on the moon.

32. stealthy Adjective slow, deliberate, and secret in action or character
An owl on the hunt becomes silent and stealthy.

33. imbeciles Noun fool or idiot
The people were acting like imbeciles with all their yelling and fighting.

34. infuriated Adjective furious or enraged
I am infuriated by your poor choices.

35. enthralled Adjective held as if by a spell
The boys were enthralled by the tiger show.

36. flabbergasted Adjective astonished or dumbfounded
That answer left me flabbergasted.

37. deluge Noun an overflowing of water; a flood
There was a deluge of water on the road.

38. Chapters 31-39

39. sinister Adjective especially evil or bad
The evil scientist had a sinister plan forming in his mind.

40. melancholy Adjective depressed in spirits, sad
The lady was in a melancholy mood after her dog died.

41. cellar Noun A room below the surface of the ground
We kept our winter clothes in the cellar of our house.

42. summon Verb to call or send for in order to meet
I will summon the police to come to the crime scene.

43. stupor
Noun
a condition of greatly dulled or completely suspended sense or feeling
The people of the city stood in a stupor as they watched the peach fall to the ground.

44. pinnacle Noun a high pointed peak
The peach landed on the pinnacle of the Empire State Building.

45. commotion Noun noisy excitement and confusion
There was a lot of commotion in the crowd because they didn’t know what was happening.

46. eccentricity
Noun
something that does not follow an established pattern, norm, or rule
The old lady’s eccentricity made her very interesting to talk to.

47. publicity Noun the condition of being public or publicly known
The movie star came to Madisonville for publicity.

48. escorted
Verb
accompany (someone or something) somewhere, especially for protection or security, or as a mark of rank.
The President is escorted by the Secret Service everywhere he goes.

49. procession
Noun
a group of individuals moving along in an orderly often ceremonial way
The parade procession went right by my house.