Keep It Together, Keiko Carter: Chapters 18–24

by Debbi Michiko Florence
Keiko has always counted on her best friends, Audrey and Jenna — but the girls' friendship is tested as they navigate seventh grade.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–9, Chapters 10–17, Chapters 18–24, Chapters 25–32
25 words 68 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. confront
    oppose, as in hostility or a competition
    I ate half a bar of chocolate to give me strength and nearly ran to second period to have time to confront her before the bell rang.
  2. cower
    show submission or fear
    Lumpy cowered. His ears went back and he lowered himself in submission, tucking his tail down.
  3. submission
    the act of surrendering power to another
    Lumpy cowered. His ears went back and he lowered himself in submission, tucking his tail down.
  4. tundra
    a vast treeless plain where subsoil is permanently frozen
    The battle scene in the game took place on an ice-covered tundra.
  5. animate
    give the appearance of life or movement
    I stared at the animated snowscape, and my heart tugged at a memory.
  6. skitter
    move about or proceed hurriedly
    A breeze stirred and kicked up dried leaves, making them skitter across the sidewalk in front of us.
  7. bland
    lacking stimulating characteristics; uninteresting
    That was the motherly wisdom she had to offer? I could get the same bland advice from a magazine!
  8. scrutinize
    examine carefully for accuracy
    I scrutinized my mother. Her hair was shorter and highlighted. “You look different,” I said.
  9. tinge
    affect as in thought or feeling
    Dad expelled a breath.
    Mom gave him a look. “Oh, are you mad about that, too?” Her voice was tinged with disappointment.
  10. brisk
    quick and energetic
    I’d started off walking briskly, anger fueling my legs, but after a few blocks, I ran out of steam.
  11. rove
    move about aimlessly or without any destination
    His eyes roved over my stained shirt and probably tangled hair. “What happened with you?”
  12. salve
    anything that remedies, heals, or soothes
    Petting Scamper was like a salve, and I felt the irritation in me fade.
  13. expectant
    marked by eager anticipation
    Scamper dropped his hind end and looked expectantly at Conner.
  14. kinship
    a close connection marked by common interests or character
    “She’s friendly with me,” I said. “You said it yourself. She never goes up to new people. She came up to me. She chose me!” I felt a kinship with this dog.
  15. progressive
    gradually advancing in extent
    I dreaded going back home. What if my parents were still fighting? Had Jenna’s parents started off like this? Little fights that progressively got worse?
  16. pertain
    be relevant to
    Her mom had a lot of rules, but most of them pertained to study habits.
  17. somber
    serious and gloomy in character
    Her face grew somber. “So, are Mom and Dad, like, going to be mad at each other forever?”
  18. gruff
    blunt and unfriendly or stern
    “We don’t need Mom,” Dad said, his voice gruff.
  19. bicker
    argue over petty things
    I was pretty sure we wouldn’t get approved if our family was bickering.
  20. rave
    praise enthusiastically
    “Conner is one of our best volunteers. He raves about you.” A blush burned my cheeks. “Let me look over your application and ask you a few questions.”
  21. trauma
    an emotional wound or shock having long-lasting effects
    “This dog has had some trauma in her life, we think,” Dinah said. “She’s extremely timid.”
  22. timid
    showing fear and lack of courage
    “This dog has had some trauma in her life, we think,” Dinah said. “She’s extremely timid.”
  23. indulge
    treat with excessive pampering
    At lunch, the guys indulged me and looked at every single one of my fifty-eight pictures of Yuki.
  24. giddy
    exultantly proud and joyful; in high spirits
    Why did he sound amused? All the stupid giddiness I felt dropped away. “Are you saying you’d have lunch with me and not Audrey?”
  25. denial
    a defense mechanism that shuts out painful thoughts
    “I think you’re in denial,” Jenna said.
Created on Fri Mar 19 20:22:56 EDT 2021 (updated Mon Mar 29 13:03:27 EDT 2021)

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