The Red Umbrella: Chapters 21–28

by Christina Diaz Gonzalez
After the Communist revolution in Cuba, fourteen-year-old Lucía Álvarez and her brother are sent to the United States to make a new life in Nebraska.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–14, Chapters 15–20, Chapters 21–28, Chapters 29–37
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. contort
    twist and press out of shape
    “Be-e-each,” I said, contorting my mouth into the same huge smile she had.
  2. liberty
    freedom of choice
    "You’ll both be given responsibilities around the house, but we’ll also give you certain liberties."
  3. coax
    influence or persuade by gentle and persistent urging
    She walked over to Frankie and placed her hand on his back to coax him out of my room.
  4. skedaddle
    run away, as if in a panic
    Mrs. Baxter ushered him toward his bedroom. “Now skedaddle. I want lights out in two minutes. So good night and I’ll see you at dawn.”
  5. declaration
    a statement that is emphatic and explicit
    This, for Frankie, was a declaration of war, and he grabbed his own handful of mud to throw at me.
  6. mercilessly
    without pity
    For the next couple of minutes, Frankie and I attacked each other mercilessly.
  7. rile
    disturb, especially by minor irritations
    Our squeals of laughter riled up the chickens, and soon they were flapping their wings, shrieking along with us.
  8. savage
    a member of an uncivilized people
    "She’s going to think we’re savages,” I whispered.
  9. trance
    a state resembling deep sleep
    In a dreamlike trance, I pulled the gray wool sweater over my head.
  10. quiver
    the act of vibrating
    I could hear the quiver in Mamá’s own voice.
  11. whimper
    a complaint uttered in a plaintive whining way
    Frankie opened his mouth to say something, but only a whimper escaped from his lips.
  12. eliminate
    end, take out, or do away with
    Castro was, in one way or another, eliminating those who did not agree with him.
  13. sinister
    wicked, evil, or dishonorable
    Now I could only hope that my parents would not be eliminated in a more sinister way.
  14. parish
    a local church community
    After Mass, there was always coffee and doughnuts in the parish hall.
  15. chide
    scold or reprimand severely or angrily
    "Don’t say that, Frankie,” I chided.
  16. plead
    appeal or request earnestly
    I pleaded with my eyes for Mrs. Baxter to get off the phone.
  17. dreary
    causing dejection
    I gave her a halfhearted smile, but I just couldn’t shake my dreariness.
  18. checkered
    patterned with alternating squares of color
    I’d flipped the ends and chosen a wide orange headband that matched the checkered dress Mrs. Baxter had fixed for me.
  19. beeline
    the most direct route
    The bus driver closed the door, and Frankie made a beeline for the back, where a boy his age was tossing a baseball.
  20. swarm
    move in large numbers
    As the crowd swarmed past me, I stopped to take in my surroundings.
  21. expansive
    able or tending to extend in one or more directions
    At the end of the corridor was an expansive stairway that led to the second floor.
  22. strut
    walk in a proud, confident way
    Mrs. Brolin patted my shoulder and strutted back to her desk.
  23. transition
    the act of passing from one state or place to the next
    I just know that starting high school can be a difficult transition for any young girl.
  24. comeback
    a quick reply to a question or remark
    I wanted to have a smart comeback, but by the time I thought of something in English, most conversations had usually moved on.
  25. insecurity
    the anxiety experienced when feeling vulnerable
    All my insecurities felt exposed.
Created on Wed Sep 04 02:51:06 EDT 2013 (updated Wed Aug 29 10:14:58 EDT 2018)

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