Kira-Kira: Chapters 5-8

by Cynthia Kadohata
Kira-Kira tells the unforgettable story of sisters Katie and Lynn Takeshima. After their Japanese-American family moves to Georgia in the 1950s to build a new life, Katie and Lynn find hope through their unique way of seeing the world. But when Lynn develops lymphoma, Katie must help keep her family from falling apart while remembering everything her sister taught her.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1-4 , Chapters 5-8, Chapters 9-12, Chapters 13-16
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. spare
    not taken up by scheduled activities
    We spent all our spare time with one another.
  2. chronicle
    record in order or make a historical record of
    In my sister’s diary entries from those years she chronicled what days Sammy learned how to walk and talk, what our homework assignments were every night, what time our parents got home from work, and any other details she could think of.
  3. preen
    clean with one's bill
    Once upon a time a funny witch cast a spell on all the world’s creatures. Suddenly, all the animals that used to be able to fly could only walk and all the animals that used to walk could now fly. So you saw horses soaring and preening on rooftops; you saw birds by the thousands running through the streets and along highways.
  4. stagger
    walk with great difficulty
    She staggered back.
  5. consistency
    uniformity or stability in arrangement, behavior, or quality
    My father said that “C” stood for “consistency” and that he was very proud of me, so long as I was doing my best.
  6. bizarre
    conspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual
    The thought of Amber going camping was a bizarre thought indeed.
  7. authenticity
    undisputed credibility
    She and Lynn wanted the whole family to go camping, for authenticity. That is, they wanted the boys to believe that the whole family just happened to be going camping at the same time and in the same place as the boys just happened to be going camping.
  8. obsessed
    having excessive or compulsive concern with something
    For a while as we walked I tried to talk to Lynn and Amber, but they were obsessed with a cute dress they had seen in a store.
  9. stroller
    a small vehicle in which a baby or child is pushed around
    Instead, I walked hand in hand with Sammy or pushed his stroller over the bumpy ground.
  10. billow
    rise and move, as in waves
    When we ran behind the tent, smoke billowed into our faces.
  11. stealthily
    in a manner marked by quiet and caution and secrecy
    Uncle Katsuhisa suddenly knelt and moved stealthily forward.
  12. queasy
    feeling nausea
    I felt queasy.
  13. loom
    appear very large or occupy a commanding position
    The next thing I knew, the faces of Lynn, Auntie, the twins, and Sammy were looming over me as I lay on my back.
  14. lanky
    tall and thin and having long slender limbs
    Two lanky boys were joking with her.
  15. practically
    almost; nearly
    Amber was practically slobbering over them.
  16. flustered
    thrown into a state of agitated confusion
    But Amber got flustered and said, “I could certainly try.”
  17. lollygag
    loaf about and waste time; dawdle
    Just as she let go of the arrow she tripped, and the arrow whizzed through the air about a foot from Uncle’s head and pierced a lollygagging bird before sailing to the ground twenty feet away.
  18. legendary
    so celebrated as to having taken on the nature of a myth
    For instance, that night he told us about the time he and his first wife almost saw a legendary tornado.
  19. irate
    feeling or showing extreme anger
    I could tell by the way she grew irate whenever this ex-wife was mentioned.
  20. appreciative
    having or showing a favorable critical judgment or opinion
    Again, that didn’t seem like much of a story to me, but Auntie laughed appreciatively as Uncle described missing the cans, and missing them, and missing them again.
  21. chasm
    a deep opening in the earth's surface
    I would be gazing at the awe-inspiring chasm when a freak gust of wind would lift me up and fling me over the rail.
  22. gust
    a strong current of air
    I would be gazing at the awe-inspiring chasm when a freak gust of wind would lift me up and fling me over the rail.
  23. gist
    the choicest or most vital part of some idea or experience
    As I said, I was still working on the details, but that’s the gist.
  24. hysterical
    characterized by a state of violent mental agitation
    They became so hysterical, they seemed to be in danger of choking.
  25. bask
    derive or receive pleasure from
    I basked in their praise. I felt pretty phony pretending I’d just been kidding, though.
  26. phony
    fraudulent; having a misleading appearance
    I basked in their praise. I felt pretty phony pretending I’d just been kidding, though.
  27. heyday
    the period of greatest prosperity or productivity
    Rust was eating away at its paint, but my mother said that in its heyday it had been lovely.
  28. swamp
    low land that is seasonally flooded
    We passed a swamp, and I locked the door.
  29. murky
    cloudy, dirty, and difficult to see through
    How I would hate to wander in that murky water for the rest of eternity looking for my parents!
  30. mar
    cause to become imperfect
    She was good with her hands and she wore gloves while she worked, but even so, little cuts often marred her delicate hands.
  31. morbid
    suggesting an unhealthy mental state
    There were two things the factory manager possessed a morbid fear of: insects and stolen chickens.
  32. bristly
    having or covered with protective barbs or spines
    I liked to feel his new bristly crew cut.
  33. thug
    an aggressive and violent young criminal
    She saw me studying him and said, “That’s the thug.”
  34. muggy
    hot or warm and humid
    I opened a window, and a muggy gust of air shot across my face.
  35. asphalt
    mixed substance used for paving and roofing
    Then I saw my mother rushing across the asphalt surrounding the plant.
  36. unscheduled
    not planned or on a regular timetable
    The factory workers weren’t allowed to take unscheduled breaks, so they all wore pads in case they needed to use the bathroom.
  37. contagious
    (of disease) capable of being spread by infection
    “You two sleep in the living room tonight. Maybe it’s contagious.”
  38. measles
    a contagious viral disease marked by distinct red spots
    The measles did not seem like such a horrible thing.
  39. anemia
    a deficiency of red blood cells
    From what I’d heard, anemia was not so terrible either.
  40. corrode
    cause to deteriorate due to water, air, or an acid
    I heard a cracking sound, and the next thing I knew, the corroded metal of the garbage can began to collapse and I fell to the ground.
Created on Fri Aug 11 15:39:26 EDT 2017 (updated Wed Sep 06 15:36:39 EDT 2017)

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