Room to Dream: Chapters 1–9

by Kelly Yang
In this third book of the Front Desk series, seventh-grader Mia Tang and her parents return from a vacation to discover that they are in danger of losing the Calivista Motel.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–9, Chapters 10–23, Chapters 24–38, Chapters 39–58
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. elite
    selected as the best
    His cooking teacher said he was one of the most talented junior chefs she’d ever taught. At the rate he was going, he’d be promoted to the elite cooking academy any day now!
  2. braised
    cooked by browning in fat and then simmering
    I distinctly remember you gobbling up Jason’s delicious braised pork belly and asking for seconds.
  3. proposition
    a suggested law or policy that citizens can vote for or against
    Now that Lupe’s dad had received his papers from the immigration judge and Proposition 187 was overturned, Lupe’s family got to go back and forth freely from the US and Mexico—and bring all sorts of delicious snacks with them!
  4. flourish
    make steady progress
    Now that the economy was doing better, Jason’s dad’s businesses were flourishing, and Jason got his allowance back.
  5. furrow
    make or become wrinkled or creased
    I furrowed my eyebrows. What was that supposed to mean?
  6. snooty
    overly conceited or arrogant
    “These travel agents, they sure are snooty,” he said, sighing as he hung up the phone. “They keep saying we don’t have enough of a brand, so they won’t partner with us.”
  7. renovation
    the act of improving by renewing and restoring
    It was coming from the construction work next door. Both the Topaz and the Lagoon were under renovation, curiously at the same time, making us the only motel on the block.
  8. gazette
    a newspaper or official journal
    Thank you for submitting your work to the opinion section of the Los Angeles Gazette.
  9. presumption
    a premise that is taken for granted
    “Every time something like that happens,” he said, pointing at the TV, “it’s like a presumption of guilt that extends to all us Black folks.”
  10. systemic
    affecting an entire structure, network, or complex of parts
    “Man, the systemic racism in this country..."
  11. consulate
    the residence or workplace of a diplomat
    “You can get a visa next week at the Chinese consulate!”
  12. overwhelm
    overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli
    “Well, the guidebook’s wrong!” I said. I suddenly felt overwhelmed with emotion that that’s what people thought of my old country.
  13. persevere
    be persistent, refuse to stop
    “Listen, you are doing something amazing. Just by keeping at it, continuing to send your work out there. That’s incredible, you know that? Most kids your age would have quit by the third letter, but you—you persevered.”
  14. hospitality
    kindness in welcoming guests or strangers
    We might not have everything—okay, maybe I would bring a bottle or two of my favorite Pantene Pro V shampoo—but what we lacked in brand-name toiletries, we made up for in warm hospitality.
  15. replenish
    fill something that had previously been emptied
    And who knew, maybe it would be just the thing to replenish my creative well!
  16. feat
    a notable achievement
    I was sure he was thinking the same thing—Toy Story was a feat of imagination and animation.
  17. lavish
    characterized by extravagance and profusion
    As I walked inside the lavishly decorated gold-and-jade restaurant, I looked up at the giant murals and mirrors on the walls.
  18. establishment
    a public or private structure with buildings and equipment
    “Oh my God, Jade Zen ate the congee shop!” I pointed at the wall that used to separate the two establishments—it was gone.
  19. authentic
    not counterfeit or copied
    The congee shop was authentic. The owner was from Guangzhou, and every morning, he made sixteen different types of congee, including shredded ginger chicken congee, my mom’s favorite.
  20. saffron
    aromatic dried stigmas of a crocus flower, used as flavoring
    “We’ll have the oven-baked turnip cake with Parma ham, dumplings with porcini mushrooms, and stir-fried pea sprouts with saffron,” he told her.
  21. saute
    fry briefly over high heat
    I wondered if she would like the pea sprouts with saffron or if she preferred the traditional way, sautéed with garlic.
  22. customs
    the place at an airport or port where officials screen incoming travelers and goods
    Mom walked so fast toward immigration and customs, we had to run to keep up.
  23. promptly
    with little or no delay
    I looked to Shen for help, and he finally told them to knock it off with a few sharp words in Chinese.
    Lian and Bo promptly dropped their hands.
  24. accommodate
    have room for; hold without crowding
    Hank adjusted the front passenger seat to accommodate his long legs while Uncle Jo drove.
  25. succession
    a following of one thing after another in time
    My aunt Mei, who was pregnant and hadn’t come to the airport, carried out a succession of delicious dishes from the kitchen. Roast duck, pancakes to wrap the roast duck in, zha jiang mien, dumplings, sweet and sour pork, honey walnut shrimp.
  26. ingenuity
    the power of creative imagination
    Hank was not an expert at using chopsticks, but he’d come prepared—with two small rubber bands. He wound one of them around the middle of his chopsticks, which made them a lot easier to use. My relatives laughed and complimented him on his ingenuity.
  27. gingerly
    in a manner marked by extreme care or delicacy
    Gingerly, I closed the door and stepped up to the porcelain edges of the squat-let.
  28. makeshift
    done or made using whatever is available
    It was not really a shop, just a guy with a makeshift stove on top of his tricycle.
  29. drawl
    a slow speech pattern with prolonged vowels
    “Coming right up,” the cook said in a Beijing drawl.
  30. turbulence
    instability in the atmosphere
    I felt so torn, the tension ripping through me like turbulence on a plane.
  31. capitalist
    of an economic system based on private ownership
    Finally, she muttered, “It’s not all about money, you know.”
    “Said the girl who left to go live in a capitalist country!” my uncle Biming chimed in.
  32. noble
    having high or elevated character
    “Well, I think writing is a noble profession,” my grandfather said.
  33. blatantly
    in a completely obvious manner
    One man cycled by with his toddler daughter strapped to his back with shoelaces! They swerved every which way, blatantly ignoring a red traffic light.
  34. rabid
    marked by excessive enthusiasm for a cause or idea
    “Please, Samuel Jackson, you have to let us take you out to lunch!” three especially rabid fans insisted.
  35. anonymity
    the state of being unknown
    “We know you want to maintain your anonymity, so fine, we’ll call you Hank,” one of his new admirers said.
Created on Mon Dec 12 10:48:30 EST 2022 (updated Thu Feb 09 15:04:14 EST 2023)

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