One Crazy Summer: "Counting and Skimming"–"Movable Type"

by Rita Williams-Garcia
In the summer of 1968, three sisters travel to California to visit their estranged mother. While there, they learn about the fight for equality and civil rights.

This list covers Counting and Skimming–Movable Type.

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

Here are links to our lists for other books by Rita Williams-Garcia: P.S. Be Eleven, Gone Crazy in Alabama, Clayton Byrd Goes Underground
12 words 598 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. wilt
    become fatigued; lose strength
    I was too tired to try to make this thing between Vonetta and Fern wilt away.
  2. defiant
    boldly resisting authority or an opposing force
    Still, Vonetta remained proudly defiant, walking two steps ahead of us and then leaving us altogether once her new friends, the Anktons, were in sight.
  3. touchy
    quick to take offense
    People in Oakland were touchy about pigs.
  4. begrudgingly
    in an unwilling manner
    While Vonetta and Fern ate begrudgingly, Cecile cleaned her plate and left three blanched chicken bones.
  5. complexion
    the coloring of a person's face
    I'd have been a red-faced rose if not for my Hershey brown complexion.
  6. flummox
    be a mystery or bewildering to
    Cecile made a “what” expression. Flummoxed. Good old Fern! Fern had managed to completely flummox the Establishment.
  7. civics
    the study of the duties and rights of citizenship
    We’d been learning about civics since the first grade.
  8. calisthenics
    light exercises designed to promote general fitness
    Later, after Sister Pat led us through calisthenics in the yard, Eunice came over and sat with me.
  9. shiftless
    lacking ambition or initiative
    If Big Ma heard Vonetta and saw her standing like a shiftless bum on the corner, we’d be on the next plane back to New York City.
  10. perfectionist
    one displeased by anything that does not meet high standards
    Vonetta was a perfectionist, but only about certain things.
  11. sulk
    be in a huff and display one's displeasure
    Vonetta sulked something pitiful when Cecile told her to cut it out.
  12. recitation
    a public instance of repeating something prepared in advance
    Vonetta only heard that her recitation stunk.
Created on Thu Feb 28 14:08:42 EST 2019 (updated Fri Aug 01 12:49:01 EDT 2025)

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