House Arrest

1.     court-ordered (adjective):

required, as per the decision made by a judge in a court of law

“Boys don’t write in journals, / unless it’s court-ordered.” (Week 1, Page 13)

2.     delinquent (noun):

a person who committed a crime, typically a minor one

3.     adjudicated (adjective):

describing a person or thing that has been formally judged

“I don’t feel like a delinquent / and I don’t know what adjudicated means / (even after looking it up).” (Week 1, Page 14)

4.     probation (adjective):

a state of supervision in which good behavior is required

“How do you let yourself / become a probation officer?” (Week 2, Page 16)

5.     juvie (noun, informal):

a juvenile detention center or court for young offenders

“You better take this journal seriously, / James told me Monday / Or they’ll throw you in juvie so fast / your head will spin.” (Week 2, Page 18)

6.     jackhammer (noun):

a portable hammer or drill

“When he chokes we use the suction / machine / and it is so loud / like a jackhammer drinking a Slurpee.” (Week 3, Page 29)

7.     felon (noun):

a person who has been convicted of a felony

“He called me a felon / and laughed his head off.” (Week 3, Page 30)

8.     sociopath (noun):

a person with a personality disorder showing itself in extreme antisocial attitudes and a lack of conscience

“Better, but not great, he said. / Show more feelings, he said. / Prove you’re not a sociopath, he said.” (Week 5, Page 40)

9.     breakthrough (noun):

a sudden and important development

“Mrs. Bainbridge called that last part of the / journal / a breakthrough.” (Week 6, Page 47)

10. benefit (noun):

an event which raises money for a cause

“There is no way / no how / no where / no when / that Mom would ever / in one million years / allow a benefit to raise money / to help us.” (Week 10, Page 83)

11.     thrive (verb):

grow or develop well

“Failure to Thrive. / I copied those words down from Levi’s chart.” (Week 15, Page 132)

12.     dialogue (noun):

a conversation or discussion

“Her computer is free for me to use. / She’ll even help me print stuff, / but only if I talk about my feelings first. / Only if we can have a dialogue first.” (Week 16, Page 138)

13.     social services (noun):

government services provided for the benefit of the community, including making sure children are well cared for 

“Please, Mrs. B, don’t talk about social services again.” (Week 19, Page 143)

14.     infiltrate (verb):

gain access to

“I will let your words / move through my blood vessels / infiltrate my brain / leave deposits of word vitamins through my whole self.” (Week 23, Page 169)

15.     reckless (adjective):

without thinking or caring about the consequences of an action

“Reckless is the word Mom used.” (Week 23, Page 177)

16.     haiku (noun):

a Japanese poem of seventeen syllables, in three lines of five, seven, and five

“Har har. / No, I don’t want a headdress, James. / It was just a metaphor. / Ha! That’s a haiku!” (Week 24, Page 183)

17.     trachea (noun):

the windpipe that carries air to and from the lungs

“How many pitches at the dunking booth equal / one fixed trachea?” (Week 25, Page 184)

18.     facility (noun):

a place that takes care of patients who need constant care

“I will risk juvie to keep him out of that place, / that facility.” (Week 27, Page 205)

19.     impulse control (noun):

the power to suppress sudden urges or desires to act without thinking

“She talks about impulse control and counting.” (Week 28, Page 210)

20.     resuscitate (verb):

revive someone from unconsciousness

“I thought he was going to have to resuscitate me.” (Week 28, Page 216)

21.     instigate (verb):

bring about or initiate

“I don’t know if this makes you feel better but / I did not call them. / I talked to them when they called me / but I did not instigate the visit.” (Week 29, Page  223)

22.     benefactor (noun):

a person who gives money or other help to a person or cause 

“I stepped out of the bathroom and Mrs. B smiled, / a triumphant benefactor.” (Week 33, Page 250)

23.     outbursts (plural noun):

sudden releases of strong emotion

“At least I didn’t leap on the flying squirrel’s back / lucha libre style. / See, Mrs. B? / I’m learning to control my outbursts.” (Week 36, Page 269)

24.     psychologist (noun):

an expert in the study of the human mind and how it affects behavior

“She’s kind of pretty. / Like maybe a movie star / trying to win an Oscar / by dressing up like a tired psychologist.” (Week 39, Page 288)