Legendary Frybread Drive-In: "Heart Berry," by Cheryl Isaacs

by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Sandy June's Legendary Frybread Drive-In is a magical place where Indigenous teens can find love, support, comfort, and community — no matter where in space or time they come from.

Here are links to our lists for the first nine selections in this collection:
Maybe It Starts, House of Stray Cats, Mvskoke Joy, Game Night, Look Away, Patent Red, Braving the Storm, You Had One Job, Heart Berry
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. insecurity
    the anxiety experienced when feeling vulnerable
    I wanted that, to have all my self-doubt and insecurity gone.
  2. last straw
    an annoyance that stretches your patience beyond its limit
    They set up freaking playdates, like we were toddlers, and that was the last straw.
  3. haven
    a shelter serving as a place of safety or sanctuary
    This was my way to Sandy June’s and why the place was a haven.
  4. awning
    a canvas canopy to shelter people or things from rain or sun
    Sandy June’s was hopping, typical for a Friday evening, and as I waited for my order in the shade of the awning, I drank in the chatter in far more tribal languages than I could identify, laughter twining in the air with the sweet smell of frybread.
  5. recede
    become faint or more distant
    My jealousy about Sela’s hair receded.
  6. floral
    resembling or suggestive of flowers
    Mystery Auntie, sporting a bright floral, flowy, sleeveless top and green cargo shorts, had come from a warmer place.
  7. appropriate
    suitable for a particular person, place, or situation
    How appropriate for me.
  8. gorgeous
    dazzlingly beautiful
    “This is gorgeous.”
  9. elaborate
    marked by complexity and richness of detail
    Sela turned over the elaborate floral hair tie Auntie had been working on, running her fingertips over the swirl of blue, purple, and pink.
  10. barrette
    a small clip for holding hair in place
    “With your barrettes and stuff.”
  11. muse
    reflect deeply on a subject
    “Maybe it’s the way I feel,” Sela mused.
  12. residential
    of or relating to the act of dwelling in a place
    But from the few stories Mom had quietly told me about my grandma’s time in residential school, there must have been many times for many of those kids when they thought they would be the last.
  13. transformation
    a qualitative change
    A personal transformation—that was right up the ancestors’ alley.
  14. void
    an empty area or space
    In the quiet void that Mystery Auntie left, I remembered that Sela and I weren’t actually friends.
  15. glamorous
    having an air of allure, romance and excitement
    “Here.” She unclipped the barrette and held it out to me, over the table. “My hair has to be up in a net anyway. So glamorous.”
Created on Mon Feb 23 08:57:58 EST 2026 (updated Tue Mar 24 17:18:49 EDT 2026)

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