1. Definition: The quality of being calm, peaceful, or untroubled.
Serenity (noun)
Definition: The quality of being calm, peaceful, or untroubled.
Example:
“Surely her mother must know what people were saying, must be aware of the smugly vicious gossip. Surely it must hurt her as it did Meg. But if it did she gave no outward sign. Nothing ruffled the serenity of her expression.”
Madeleine L’Engle – A Wrinkle in Time

2. Definition: Enjoying the company of others; friendly.
Sociable (adj.)
Definition: Enjoying the company of others; friendly.
Example:
“After we had been out two or three times together we grew quite friendly and sociable, which made me feel very much at home.”
Anna Sewell – Black Beauty

3. Definition: Very serious or sad.
Somber (adj.)
Definition: Very serious or sad.
Example:
“She could, in the presence of her cello teacher, Mr. Porch, summon up the most glorious notes; pure, in fact, surprising even Minna. She played beautifully for Mr. Porch, mostly because she wanted to make him smile, as somber as he sometimes was.”
Patricia MacLachlan – The Facts and Fictions of Minna Pratt

4. Cynthia DeFelice – The Ghost of Fossil Glen
Specimen (noun )
Definition: Something that is studied by scientists as an example of an entire set of things, such as an entire species of living things.
Example:
“Now that she had both feet firmly on the ground, she thought the fossil was well worth the risk she had taken. It was the prize specimen of her collection.”
Cynthia DeFelice – The Ghost of Fossil Glen

5. F. E. Higgins – The Black Book of Secrets
Stamina (noun)
Definition: The power to resist fatigue or illness while working hard; endurance.
Example:
“‘There ‘e is,’ screeched Ma, and the chase was on again. They surprised me, Pa especially, with their stamina. I had not thought they would last so long. For at least a half-mile they chased me down the uncobbled narrow alleys and the filthy streets, tripping over bodies and avoiding snatching hands, all the way to the river.”
F. E. Higgins – The Black Book of Secrets

6. Definition: To become less active, intense, or agitated; abate.
Subside (verb)
Definition: To become less active, intense, or agitated; abate.
Example:
“The camp was a good one, and they stayed more days than Maroo could count, living on fish, hares, and the green food they found in the woods. Full summer came. The bitter winds subsided; there were no more snow showers, and the last patches of snow melted away.”
Ann Turnbull – Maroo of the Winter Caves

7. Walter Dean Myers – Scorpions
Swagger (verb)
Definition: To walk in a way that makes it look as if you think you are important or very confident; strut.
Example:
“The front door of Tito’s building opened, and a stocky man filled it. He put his thumbs in his belt and looked from side to side. Then he hunched his shoulders twice and came down the stairs. Jamal watched him swagger down the street.”
Walter Dean Myers – Scorpions

8. Swarm (noun)
Definition: A large number of insects or small creatures, especially when in motion.
Example:
“As if to emphasize his thoughts the mosquitos – with the fire gone and protective smoke no longer saving him – came back in thick, nostril-clogging swarms.”
Gary Paulsen – Hatchet

9. Definition: An action that is planned to achieve a goal.
Tactic (noun)
Definition: An action that is planned to achieve a goal.
Example:
“I challenged him to a game of one on one. We flipped a penny for first outs. Ray won the toss, but I wouldn’t let one little thing ruin a perfect day. He took the ball and backed me toward the hoop, dribbling side to side, his usual tactic.”
David Patneaude – Thin Wood Walls

10. Definition: Brief and to the point; concise.
Terse (adj.)
Definition: Brief and to the point; concise.
Example:
“He did not ask, for Min preferred to work with as few words a possible. The potter would bark terse commands, which Tree-ear struggled to satisfy by whatever means were available to him – watching Min, watching other potters, experimenting.”
Linda Sue Park – A Single Shard