The Egypt GameBy Zilpha Keatley

Snyder(“Gains and Losses,” and “Christmas Keys”)

consensus

General agreement.

Noun

"The consensus of opinion was pretty much, "That's that!" Egypt was lost and gone forever..."

lairA secret or private place where a person seeks to be hidden.

"It had been a place to get away to -- a private lair -- a secret seclusion meant to be shared with best friends only--a life unknown to grown-ups and lived by kids alone.”

Noun

seclusion

The state of being private and away from other people.

Noun

"It had been a place to get away to -- a private lair -- a secret seclusion meant to be shared with best friends only--a life unknown to grown-ups and lived by kids alone.

graveSerious; giving cause for alarm.

Adjective

"He looked pretty much as April remembered him and his voice was still gravelly and grave..."

speculatedTo form a theory about a subject without strong evidence.

Verb

"They speculated about what the Professor had in mind, and had just about agreed that he was probably bringing back all their stuff..."

extravagantAbsurd; exceeding what is reasonable or appropriate.

Adjective

"April and Melanie looked at each other and their eyes made extravagant comments."

optimisticHopeful and confident about the future.

Adjective

"She was at ease with everyone-lighthearted, fun-loving, enthusiastic, and optimistic."

provinceA division of a country or empire.

Noun

"There had been some unrest in the next province..."

rebellionAn act of violent or open resistance to a government or ruler.

Noun

"Well there was an uprising, a small local rebellion."

obligated

A duty or commitment.

Noun

"I felt obligated to let you know what I had done with Security, and the oracle offered a way to do it without any direct contact."

eliminatingTo remove or completely get rid of something

Verb

"And contact-involvement-was what I had spent years eliminating entirely from my life."