In the Key of Us: Week Two

by Mariama J. Lockington
Twelve-year-old Zora Lee Johnson and Andrea Byrd meet at a summer camp in Michigan and discover they have more in common than their musical talents.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Prelude–Week One, Week Two, Week Three–Coda
30 words 20 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. arboretum
    a facility where trees and shrubs are cultivated
    I imagine I’m back home in Ann Arbor, walking among the blooming peonies in the arboretum with Mom and Dad.
  2. moderation
    the trait of avoiding excesses
    “I’m just trying to make sure you take care of yourself. Everything in moderation.”
  3. delicacy
    something considered choice to eat
    It was my favorite dish, and a delicacy that Mom only tolerated me ordering on special occasions.
  4. flourish
    a showy gesture
    “Let them stare!” Dad said, and then he dramatically opened the back door on the passenger side and ushered me in with the flourish of his hand.
  5. blare
    make a loud noise
    “Good morning, my stars. Time to shine bright and start your day,” Joanna says, rolling out of her bunk and flipping on the cabin lights as the sound of Davy’s horn blares through division.
  6. reception
    a formal party
    Kennedy had been talking about him nonstop since at the reception after the final spring concert he told her she did a “good job” on her bassoon solo.
  7. metronome
    clicking pendulum indicating the tempo of a piece of music
    “Maybe if...you know,” she says, gesturing to my whole music stand, metronome setup, “you put all that stuff away and just play what you feel, you might disappear into yourself too.”
  8. hock
    joint of the hind leg of hoofed mammals
    “Oh, you know, the usual healthy stuff. Mom’s got a new collard greens and apple slaw recipe that she wants to try. Don’t tell her I said it, but collards are meant to be eaten one way, and one way only: boiled with ham hocks.”
  9. consistent
    steady and reliable in performance or behavior
    You’re right on track, honey. We knew you would be. Johnsons are nothing if not persistent and consistent.
  10. serendipitous
    lucky in making unexpected and fortunate discoveries
    Mom and Dad tried to get pregnant for many years, but couldn’t. They’d all but given up, but then when they were in their early forties, I came along. They call me their “serendipitous little miracle.”
  11. funk
    an earthy type of jazz combining it with blues and soul
    “You need to listen to some of her tracks if you like Lizzo. I mean, she was big in, like, the 1970s, but she was all about fusion. Her stuff is, like, a combination of jazz, funk, and soul.”
  12. cue
    a reminder for some action or speech
    Then, as if on cue, Beks yells, “To the streets, my friends!” and most of cabin four bursts out the front flaps of the cabin to join a collection of campers-turned-wolves howling, dancing, running, and screaming under the moonlight.
  13. rustle
    make a dry crackling sound
    A few campers rustle in their bunks, trying to settle down after all the excitement, but most fall asleep right away, exhausted.
  14. pirouette
    rapidly spin the body, usually as part of a dance
    Every Tuesday and Thursday, Mom sat in the waiting room of the dance studio while I pliéd, sashayed, and pirouetted my way across an oak-stained floor.
  15. custom
    made according to the specifications of an individual
    Mom made sure my leotard was always clean and fresh, never faded, and she bought me custom tights online that actually matched my nude skin tone.
  16. arpeggio
    a chord whose notes are played in rapid succession
    When I get to the practice huts the next afternoon, I place my metronome on the windowsill, drag another music stand in from an empty room, and start warming up. Andi arrives just as I am finishing arpeggios.
  17. overture
    orchestral music at the beginning of an opera or musical
    The overture isn’t really supposed to follow the story of Romeo and Juliet, Mr. London told us at the beginning of the week, but instead to mirror the different emotional tones of the play.
  18. inevitably
    in such a manner as could not be otherwise
    I put on the metronome to help us both, and that works for a little bit, but inevitably Andi starts to improvise, and even though she sounds good, it’s nothing Mr. London will accept and I know it.
  19. makeshift
    done or made using whatever is available
    The Cavity Cave is a makeshift window on the side of the rec hall that sells snacks, fries, and soft serve.
  20. strew
    spread by scattering
    We walk in silence for a few seconds, just listening to the crunch of our feet along a pine-needle- strewn dirt path.
  21. hamstring
    one of the tendons at the back of the knee
    You don’t have to be skinny to do the splits or reach your toes. You just have to practice deep breathing and focus little by little on strengthening your hamstrings, glutes, shoulders, abs, and neck.
  22. bashful
    self-consciously timid
    “My parents made me take swing dance,” the boy—Ethan, I think is his name—says bashfully.
  23. contemporary
    characteristic of the present
    Contemporary dance—the kind of dance that I practice—is all about finding freedom and relaxation within your movement.
  24. troupe
    an organization of performers and associated personnel
    This is a special dance troupe I run specifically for Black youth in the Detroit-Metro area.
  25. stationery
    paper cut to an appropriate size for writing letters
    I take out a blank sheet of stationery and pen a reply...
  26. tandem
    one behind the other
    A few minutes later, Andi and I are strapped into our life vests, me in the back seat of the tandem kayak, her up front ready to push out gently into the water.
  27. hobble
    uneven manner of walking that results from an injured leg
    When he gets to shore, he attempts to march away from us, head held higher than necessary. But it's not really a march, more of a shaky-knee jerking hobble.
  28. stifle
    smother or suppress
    I stifle a laugh.
  29. retaliate
    make a counterattack and return like for like
    I splash her some more, and she retaliates, until we are both soaked.
  30. tributary
    a branch that flows into the main stream
    Did you know says the girl with skull earrings
    And Sharpie doodles all over her legs
    That Lake Harmony is a tributary? It flows
    Into the Cherry River, and then the Cherry River
    Flows into Lake Michigan
Created on Thu Apr 06 13:22:28 EDT 2023 (updated Tue May 30 15:09:50 EDT 2023)

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