Blended: Chapters 1–15

by Sharon M. Draper
After her parents' divorce, eleven-year-old Isabella must shuttle back and forth between two separate households while trying to understand her biracial identity.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–15, Chapters 16–27, Chapters 28–45, Chapters 46–63, Chapters 64–76

Here are links to our lists for other books by Sharon M. Draper: Out of My Mind, Stella by Starlight, Copper Sun, Tears of a Tiger, Forged by Fire
25 words 495 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. squabble
    argue over petty things
    They squabbled over whether I should wear jeans or leggings.
  2. recital
    performance of music or dance especially by soloists
    “Parents like to say stuff like that,” I told him, balling my hands into fists—open, closed, open, closed. “But if you live in California, Daddy, you won’t be here for my piano recitals or...or...my soccer games! You won’t ‘always be here’ for me!”
  3. stifle
    smother or suppress
    All the whispers and giggles and stifled remarks I’d heard at school kinda flooded my mind.
  4. curt
    speaking in a terse, rude, or abrupt way
    When we get to the sofa, Mom simply nods curtly at my father and Anastasia, gives me a forehead kiss, then turns and hurries away with John Mark.
  5. limber
    capable of moving or bending freely
    Imani dances ballet. She’s really limber and can fold herself into something that looks like a pretzel.
  6. gawk
    look with amazement
    Boys trail behind her in silence and gawk. She ignores them.
  7. scrawl
    write carelessly
    She makes fun of him, but I know she’s scrawled his name over and over and over again on the last page of her English notebook.
  8. unison
    the state of corresponding exactly
    “Logan Lindquist!” we all say in unison.
  9. billow
    rise and move, as in waves
    If I’m reading a book about a girl named Isabella, I figure at some point she’s going to walk on a golden sandy beach where the wind is blowing so that her perfect blond hair can “billow in the breeze."
  10. bog
    cause to slow down or get stuck
    She didn’t want me to be “bogged down” by what she called “some crazy African name,” but Dad insisted.
  11. frill
    ornamental objects of no great value
    He drives a brand-new black Mercedes with all the frills.
  12. oblivious
    lacking conscious awareness of
    Dad was oblivious to the “feels” and kept on talking.
  13. personnel
    group of people willing to obey orders
    “Won’t matter. Like I said, every single department store and grocery store—even the dollar store—has security personnel.”
  14. resound
    ring or echo with noise
    “Strike!” Mom cheers. “Again! Woo-hoo! That’s my baby!” The pins fall with a resounding clatter.
  15. crow
    brag openly or dwell on with satisfaction
    “I am ah-ma-zing!” I crow to whoever’s around to hear.
  16. intently
    with strained or eager attention
    As Mom takes her turn, I check out all the folks there—the mother who’s letting her kid have a bowling birthday party, the league players in their matching orange or blue or purple striped shirts, and the couples on dates, taking turns and intently checking each other out as the other one bowls.
  17. amble
    walk leisurely
    After the Great Exchange, Dad, Anastasia, Darren, and I take our time ambling down the mall toward the Cheesecake Factory, where we have our every-other-Sunday feast.
  18. resplendent
    having great beauty
    She’s crazy hyped, not because the mayor is super rich, but because she knows she can make his home into a “resplendent showplace,” she says.
  19. recreation
    an activity that diverts or amuses or stimulates
    The house has seven bedrooms, five bathrooms, three sitting rooms, and two kitchens. Yeah, two. One near the downstairs recreation area—which, by the way, has a movie theater—and one for ordinary meals, I guess.
  20. beckon
    appear inviting
    The tufted leather bench beckons, and the keys sit ready for me to press on them.
  21. ebony
    hard dark-colored wood used to make furniture
    I never stop being amazed that these eighty-eight slices of ivory and ebony can combine to create harmonies.
  22. poise
    cause to be balanced or suspended
    I curve my hands, poise them for just a second above the keys, feel a swell inside my chest, then my fingers take over.
  23. grimace
    contort the face to indicate a certain mental state
    “No, it’s okay. It’s like I can sort of feel your senses suck it all in while you listen.” I grimace. “Does that sound stupid?”
  24. octave
    a musical interval of eight tones
    I do the same thing one octave higher.
  25. crescendo
    a gradual increase in loudness
    Then we play the whole thing again, double time, missing notes, ending with a giant crescendo, splattering the keys, and laughing like maniacs.
Created on Mon Apr 01 15:05:32 EDT 2019 (updated Mon Apr 01 17:03:26 EDT 2019)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.