P.S. Be Eleven: List 5

by Rita Williams-Garcia
This sequel to One Crazy Summer focuses on Delphine, the eldest Gaither sister, as she begins sixth grade and navigates unexpected changes in her family.

This list covers Another Drumroll–Who’s Loving You?

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5

Here are links to our lists for other books by Rita Williams-Garcia: One Crazy Summer, Gone Crazy in Alabama, Clayton Byrd Goes Underground
30 words 13 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. cue
    a reminder for some action or speech
    “According to my tally, we’ve saved a grand total of...”
    That was Fern’s cue to give the mummy jar another drumroll.
    “Ten dollars and seventy-three cents,” Vonetta said.
  2. flustered
    thrown into a state of agitated confusion
    I was flustered and went to close the door, but they broke apart and Pa said, “No need for that.”
  3. pitiful
    deserving or inciting compassion
    I hadn’t seen anything more pitiful than my sisters’ ’bout-to-cry faces.
  4. commend
    express approval of
    He commended her on her thoroughness, but said the idea of presenting a subject is the ability to focus.
  5. allot
    administer or bestow, as in small portions
    “Pick out your strongest points and use your allotted time to present them. Two minutes for each speaker, and no more.”
  6. smithereens
    a collection of small fragments considered as a whole
    Danny the K said they were ready to blow us to smithereens.
  7. con
    an argument opposed to a proposal
    He could barely look me in the face. “It’s pro and con. So you should go first.”
  8. revel
    take delight in
    He and I stayed glued to the local news, hoping to spot Mrs. at the campaign headquarters reveling in the victory.
  9. scramble
    move hurriedly
    Saturday night, just before Vonetta and Fern jumped into a tub full of Mr. Bubble, Big Ma hollered, “Get your clothes ready for church. I don’t want to hear no chicken feet scrambling in the morning.”
  10. backslide
    return to a lower level, as in one's morals or standards
    Mrs. didn’t care that Pa was glued to the Lakers and the Celtics game or that Big Ma was just a step from calling her a backslider and a heathen.
  11. glaze
    become glassy or take on a glass-like appearance
    Big Ma’s smile soon flattened when the pastor said—his face still glazed in a smile—“You know you’re not really married unless you’re married in the house of the Lord.”
  12. heave
    rise and move up and down, as in waves
    Fern ran into me and threw her arms around me tightly. I could feel her rib cage heaving in and out.
  13. oblong
    deviating from a shape by being elongated in one direction
    My classmates were all gathered in one oblong mob with Frieda in the center.
  14. gripe
    complain
    “Some Thanksgiving,” Vonetta griped.
  15. scuffle
    walk by dragging one's feet
    Behind me was the scuffle and clomping of shoes.
  16. compact
    a small cosmetics case with a mirror
    That pouting didn’t last long when she ripped up JOY and found a gold compact mirror decked in jewels.
  17. liberated
    free from traditional social restraints
    As nice as she was, she would have offered to unwrap the paper for her new “baby,” or, as liberated as she was, she would have told Fern to open it herself.
  18. bazaar
    a sale of miscellany; often for charity
    We’d bought the scarf at the church bazaar for thirty-five cents, brought it home, and hand-washed it.
  19. sherbet
    a frozen dessert made primarily of fruit juice and sugar
    “Popsicle colors!” Fern said. “And sherbet.”
  20. array
    an impressive display or assortment
    She said, “I guess it’s settled. After we get home from work tomorrow, we’ll pick up the girls and run downtown to Macy’s, then Gertz to shop. They have a wide array of coats for little girls with all of those Popsicle colors you love. We’re bound to find something just right for Delphine. And on sale.”
  21. grim
    harshly uninviting or formidable in manner or appearance
    Papa looked grim, like he was driving me to the state prison, so I didn’t press him on what Mrs. had waiting for me.
  22. wallflower
    someone who remains on sidelines at social events
    My father was trying to rescue me from being a long-legged wallflower and all I had done was make him mad. Or sad.
  23. stubborn
    refusing to change one's mind or ways; difficult to convince
    Still, a stubborn streak showed on my face. He must have seen it and knew I wouldn’t stop asking.
  24. belle
    a young woman considered charming and beautiful
    Lucy laid the back of her hand against her forehead, flung her head back like an old-time Southern belle, and gasped.
  25. mortify
    cause to feel shame
    I said, “Simply mortifying, Lucy Ray Raleigh,” in her mother’s loud voice.
  26. varnish
    cover with a hard, lustrous finish
    All those shoes sliding and scraping up the floor, leaving black shoe polish across the newly varnished floor.
  27. hoarse
    deep and harsh sounding as if from shouting or illness
    As long as Big Ma wasn’t here to see it or stop it, we continued to jump, scream, and holler.
    After we made ourselves hoarse, Fern said, “Put it on.”
  28. worldly
    characteristic of secularity rather than spirituality
    The same stereo Big Ma called “the devil’s worldly jukebox” but asked Uncle D to put Mahalia Jackson and Shirley Caesar on.
  29. trill
    sing or play alternating with the half note above or below
    Then the piano keys trilled and the guitar and bass and drums pounced on the downbeat and I forgot all about Vonetta, the record needle, and getting in trouble.
  30. pounce
    move down on as if in an attack
    Then the piano keys trilled and the guitar and bass and drums pounced on the downbeat and I forgot all about Vonetta, the record needle, and getting in trouble.
Created on Fri Feb 08 19:34:07 EST 2019 (updated Thu Feb 28 15:25:55 EST 2019)

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