| A | B |
|---|
| Tangerine | The setting of the story. |
| Muck fire | Cause for smoke in the neighborhood |
| Koi | Special treats for egrets and osprey |
| Paul | protagonist of the story |
| Erik | the antagonist of the story |
| Nosy | Mom's character trait that makes her insist on a school tour |
| Boardwalk | Path between the 7th and 8th grade classrooms and the library |
| The Building | school area where 6th graders and common areas are found |
| Lightning Strike | Man vs. Nature (conflict) |
| The Erik Fisher Football Dream | Dad's favorite topic |
| Goalie | Paul's position on the soccer team |
| Insurance | the reason Paul is kicked off the soccer team |
| Erik, What did you do? | Mom's first question after hearing that Mike is dead |
| Foreshadowing | A hint that something might happen |
| Conflict | a situation in which the protagonist's goals are impeded in some way |
| University of Florida | Where were Dad and Erik when Paul and his mom found out about the muck fire? |
| Zombies | Extended metaphor used in the book |
