Kristy's Great Idea: Chapters 1–4

by Ann M. Martin
In this first book of The Baby-Sitters Club series, twelve-year-old Kristin Amanda Thomas comes up with the idea to team up with other baby-sitters to advertise and make appointments for individual services in their small Connecticut town.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–10, Chapters 11–15
35 words 173 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. drone
    make a monotonous low dull sound
    Bees flew into the classroom and droned around our heads, and Mr. Redmont, our teacher, let us stop working to make fans out of construction paper.
  2. stifling
    characterized by oppressive heat and humidity
    Anyway, that stifling afternoon dragged on forever, and when the hands of the clock on the front wall of our classroom finally hit 2:42 and the bell rang, I leaped out of my seat and shouted, "Hooray!"
  3. impulsive
    characterized by undue haste and lack of thought
    I felt bad, but I couldn't help what I'd done. I'm like that. I think of something to say, and I say it. I think of something to do, and I do it. Mom calls it impulsive. Sometimes she calls it trouble.
  4. decorum
    propriety in manners and conduct
    "But do you think, Kristy, that it would be possible, in the future, for you to conduct yourself with a bit more decorum?"
    I wasn't sure of the exact meaning of decorum, but I had a pretty good idea it meant not spoiling Mr. Redmont's day by jumping up and shouting hooray when the bell rang.
  5. incident
    a public disturbance
    "But I want you to remember this incident, and the best way for us to remember things is to write them down. So tonight, I would like you to write a one-hundred-word essay on the importance of decorum in the classroom."
  6. forlorn
    marked by or showing hopelessness
    And there was David Michael, sitting forlornly on the front steps, his dark curls falling limply across his forehead.
  7. usher
    accompany or escort
    Mary Anne and I held the door open for him and I ushered him into the bathroom.
  8. frantic
    excessively agitated; distraught with violent emotion
    Our collie, Louie, tore outside as we went in. He was frantic to get outdoors after being locked in the house since breakfast time.
  9. practically
    almost; nearly
    She's much more grown-up than Mary Anne and I. When we were little, Mary Anne and I were always playing school or dolls or dress-up, but we practically had to brainwash Claudia to get her to join us.
  10. minnow
    a very small freshwater fish
    We watched David Michael wade and make sailboats and try to catch minnows.
  11. reluctantly
    with a certain degree of unwillingness
    "Yeah. Mom will be home soon, too. David Michael," I called, "time to leave."
    He stood up reluctantly, and the three of us and Louie walked home together.
  12. skeptical
    marked by or given to doubt
    When Mom came home a little while later, she had a pizza with her. My brothers and I stood around the kitchen, breathing in the smell of cheese and pepperoni.
    But Sam and Charlie looked skeptical. "I wonder what she wants," murmured Sam.
  13. promptly
    with little or no delay
    "Kathy called me at work to say she won't be able to watch David Michael tomorrow. I was wondering what you guys are—"
    "Football practice," said Charlie promptly.
  14. conformity
    compliance with accepted standards, rules, or norms
    I looked up decorum in my dictionary. It said: "Conformity to social convention; propriety. See Synonyms at etiquette.”
  15. convention
    something regarded as a normative example
    I looked up decorum in my dictionary. It said: "Conformity to social convention; propriety. See Synonyms at etiquette.”
  16. propriety
    correct behavior
    I had to look up both propriety and etiquette before I got the picture. Then I understood. I'd been rude.
  17. etiquette
    rules governing socially acceptable behavior
    I had to look up both propriety and etiquette before I got the picture. Then I understood. I'd been rude.
  18. flourish
    an ornamental embellishment in writing
    So I added "The End" with a great big flourish and hoped for the best.
  19. barge
    push one's way
    Mom knocked on my door. I knew it was Mom because none of my brothers ever bothers to knock. They just barge in.
  20. punctuality
    the quality or habit of adhering to an appointed time
    Punctuality is an important part of baby-sitting. I have never once been late for a job.
  21. impose
    inflict something unpleasant
    "Sorry about David Michael, but it looks like it'll work out okay." I never like to impose on my clients.
  22. suspicious
    openly distrustful and unwilling to confide
    David Michael and Margo eyed each other suspiciously.
  23. wary
    openly distrustful and unwilling to confide
    They hadn't played together much, and David Michael was wary of any little girl, especially one who wasn't in his class at school.
  24. hysterical
    marked by excessive or uncontrollable emotion
    Last year, the boys were saying, "Want some ABC gum?" and then handing us the gum out of their mouths, saying, "It's Already-Been-Chewed, get it?" and laughing hysterically.
  25. fedora
    a hat made of felt with a creased crown
    She was wearing short, very baggy lavender plaid overalls, a white lacy blouse, a black fedora, and red high-top sneakers without socks.
  26. conservative
    unimaginatively conventional
    Claudia's parents are very conservative. They don't understand her taste in clothes at all.
  27. outstanding
    distinguished from others in excellence
    "I thought I heard voices. Claudia told me about the Baby-sitters Club. That sounds like an outstanding idea."
  28. vague
    not clearly understood or expressed
    I didn't have the vaguest idea what she was talking about.
  29. sequin
    a small disk of shiny material used to decorate clothing
    Stacey had on a pink sweatshirt with sequins and a large purple parrot on the front; short, tight-fitting jeans with zippers up the outsides of the legs; and pink plastic shoes.
  30. glamour
    alluring beauty or charm
    Mary Anne has a real thing for New York—for glamour and lights and stores.
  31. dinky
    small and insignificant
    The Friday lunch at Stoneybrook Middle School is always the same: sloppy joes, red Jell-O with canned fruit in it, a dinky cup of cole slaw, milk, and a Fudgesicle.
  32. sophisticated
    having worldly knowledge and refinement
    We hadn't sat with them in the cafeteria because they were eating at a table full of the most sophisticated seventh-grade girls (whom we hardly knew) and some boys.
  33. outrageous
    grossly offensive to decency or morality; causing horror
    "Right," agreed Claudia from underneath an outrageous red felt hat, which her teacher wouldn't allow her to wear in the classroom.
  34. stationery
    paper cut to an appropriate size for writing letters
    "Now, we already have a name—the Baby-sitters Club. Do you think we should have some kind of symbol or sign, too? You know, like the symbol that's on Girl Scout cookies or the sun that's on the stationery my mom's company uses?"
  35. touchy
    quick to take offense
    "It's perfect! Claudia, you're a—" I stopped. I'd almost said genius, but Claudia's pretty touchy about that word. “—a pro," I finished.
Created on Wed Mar 22 10:58:56 EDT 2023 (updated Thu Jul 20 15:38:32 EDT 2023)

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