All-of-a-Kind Family: List 1

by Sydney Taylor
This first book of the series based on the author's childhood in early 1900s New York introduces five sisters in a Jewish American family.

This list covers "The Library Lady"–"Rainy Day Surprise."

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3
35 words 28 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. woebegone
    affected by or full of grief
    A woebegone little figure, face streaked with tears, walked slowly into the kitchen.
  2. dismay
    the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles
    Lost! The children looked at each other in dismay.
  3. flushed
    reddened as if with blood from emotion or exertion
    The cold water felt good on Sarah’s flushed face.
  4. thoroughly
    in an exhaustive manner
    “I cleaned the house pretty thoroughly this morning,” said Mama.
  5. diligently
    in a hard-working manner
    No one believed it was in the front room, but still they searched it diligently.
  6. forsake
    turn away from; give up
    Even Gertie forsook her idol Charlotte and came over to Sarah.
  7. pert
    characterized by a lightly saucy or impudent quality
    The library lady laughed and the tiny freckles on her pert nose seemed to laugh with her.
  8. scornful
    expressing extreme contempt
    “She’s not a teacher, silly. She’s a library lady.” Henny’s scornful reply was loud enough for Miss Allen to hear.
  9. bewildered
    extremely confused and uncertain what to do
    “Oh, I’m so sorry,” said the library lady, looking bewilderedly from one to the other. “Who is Tillie?”
  10. quaint
    strange in an interesting or pleasing way
    How quaint they were in their stiffly starched white aprons over dark woolen dresses. They looked for all the world like wide-open umbrellas.
  11. muslin
    plain-woven cotton fabric
    Underneath were three petticoats, a woolly, flannel one first, a simple cotton one next, with both of these topped by a fancy muslin garment which was starched to a scratchy crispness.
  12. retort
    answer back
    “Mama, let Ella do it,” Henny said. “I have to finish my homework.”
    “I will not,” retorted Ella, her black eyes snapping.
  13. defiantly
    in a rebellious manner
    “All right, then. I’ll have a swell excuse when the teacher asks me why I haven’t finished my homework. I’ll say my mother took up all my time with dusting.” Henny tossed her blonde curls defiantly.
  14. yield
    give or supply
    The first yielded nothing.
  15. mantel
    a shelf that projects from the wall above a fireplace
    She carried the stool over to the mantel shelf.
  16. dainty
    delicately beautiful
    Now she could lift the china shepherd and shepherdess. She liked to handle these, especially the shepherdess, so dainty in her pink-and-blue dress with tiny rosebuds on it.
  17. doily
    a small round piece of decorative linen or paper
    On the first she discovered nothing, but under the doily which decorated the top of the second table, she found the sixth button.
  18. repose
    relax or recline in a comfortable resting position
    She was very glad indeed that she did make sure for there on the table’s curved-up leg reposed button number twelve!
  19. tenement
    a run-down apartment house barely meeting minimal standards
    Like many other families, Mama and Papa and their children lived in the crowded tenement house section of the lower East Side of New York City.
  20. bookkeeping
    the activity of recording business transactions
    Here were Papa’s desk and chair, where he did such bookkeeping as was necessary.
  21. vain
    unproductive of success
    In the winter the little stove glowed fiery red in a vain effort to heat such a large area.
  22. unceasing
    continuous and uninterrupted in time
    On its top a teakettle sang an unceasing merry tune.
  23. peddler
    someone who travels about selling wares
    Papa kept it filled all day so that the peddlers in the neighborhood might warm their insides with a hot cup of tea as they sat about and chatted.
  24. bale
    a large bundle bound for storage or transport
    Sometimes when Papa wasn’t in a special hurry, he let the children take turns at sewing the bale covers for the rags.
  25. atonement
    the act of making amends for sin or wrongdoing
    “You’ll have to make up with her when Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) comes. You know everyone must forgive each other on that day,” Ella reminded her.
  26. stolid
    having or revealing little emotion or sensibility
    There was Polack who had the heavy body and broad, stolid face of a Polish peasant.
  27. evidently
    in a manner that is obvious or unmistakable
    One would think those trousers would stay up on his broad hips without the support of a belt but evidently Polack did not think so.
  28. stout
    having rugged physical strength
    About his middle he had wound a stout piece of rope and knotted it so tightly that the trousers looked as pleated as an accordion.
  29. swarthy
    naturally having skin of a dark color
    Close by sat Joe, a swarthy Italian.
  30. bulbous
    rounded and bulging
    It was a bulbous, fleshy nose, and not only did it glow red, but on its top grew a pickle-shaped wart which had given him his name.
  31. ruefully
    in a manner expressing pain or sorrow
    Removing his wet shoes, he stared ruefully at his socks. They were soaked with water which had come through the torn soles.
  32. hail
    greet enthusiastically or joyfully
    The children’s entrance was hailed with pleasure.
  33. pell-mell
    in a wild or reckless manner
    They rushed pell-mell into the paper section with Charlie at their heels.
  34. parcel
    divide into parts
    With the volumes of Dickens, the book of fairy tales, and The Dolls That You Love parceled out among them, they trooped back to the front of the shop to show Papa their finds.
  35. pompadour
    a hair style in which the hair is swept up from the forehead
    “It’ll be fun dressing you up. I’ll comb your hair with a pompadour like hers.”
Created on Thu Mar 23 09:58:52 EDT 2023 (updated Thu Mar 23 11:13:53 EDT 2023)

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