Black Boy Joy: List 3

by Kwame Mbalia, Jerry Craft, Jason Reynolds
In this collection of stories from seventeen authors, in settings ranging from Atlanta to outer space, the joys of growing up are emphasized in the experiences of Black boys from ages nine to thirteen.

This list covers “Epic Venture” by Jay Coles, “The Definition of Cool” by Varian Johnson, “The Griot of Grover Street: Part Two” by Kwame Mbalia, and “Five Thousand Light-Years to Home” by Suyi Davies Okungbowa.

Here are links to our lists for the book: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5
35 words 9 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. raspy
    unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound
    “I mean that it was more about keeping people safe than anything else. You can’t truly call something a win if people get hurt,” Grandpa answers, his voice a little raspy.
  2. furrow
    make or become wrinkled or creased
    Wes nods, eyebrows furrowing.
  3. pang
    a mental pain or distress
    Wes can’t help the pang of disappointment in his chest.
  4. pawn
    leave as a guarantee in return for money
    Grandpa spent all the years he was in the military and all the years after collecting them, buying them from people all over the world, and going to pawn shops all over the country to find them.
  5. eligible
    qualified for or allowed or worthy of being chosen
    Back during the war, I wasn’t eligible to be a military pilot because I didn’t graduate college. But the war had gotten so bad that America desperately needed fliers. So, they let me and a bunch of others become fighter pilots.
  6. fleet
    a group of warships organized as a tactical unit
    We were flying into combat against a German fleet. We had destroyed at least two of their planes in the air.
  7. divert
    withdraw and move into a different location
    Sparks of red and orange and yellow flash before him as bombs release and collide in the air, hitting targets. Enemy planes explode in midair. Some divert and flee.
  8. blare
    make a loud noise
    Sirens are blaring inside the aircraft, lights are flashing red, and they’re spiraling through the air, thick funnels of black fog around them as they plunge to the ground.
  9. yoke
    a connection between two things so they move together
    Wes grabs the yoke in front of him, and he pulls up as hard as he can. Grandpa grabs on, too. Together, they’re able to stop the plane from spinning and jolting out of control.
  10. venture
    an undertaking with an uncertain outcome
    Wes grins right back, because he’s got his own story to tell now—the story of their epic venture together.
  11. dedication
    complete and wholehearted fidelity
    This outfit was guaranteed to get their attention. I mean, I’m even wearing socks and sandals—just like DJ Amplified. If that’s not dedication, I don’t know what is.
  12. jut
    extend out or project in space
    Dad starts jutting his neck, kind of like he was a bobblehead.
  13. civic
    of or relating or belonging to a city
    I’m so deep in thought, I don’t realize that we’re at the civic center until Roosevelt is turning into the parking lot.
  14. sophisticated
    having worldly knowledge and refinement
    The teens are trying to be all sophisticated, talking about movies and sports teams that no one cares about, while the rest of us stuff our faces with popcorn and soda.
  15. cue
    a reminder for some action or speech
    But I don’t have time to worry about that, because Jilly the Filly from JBS starts yelling, “You know what time it is, right?! Who wants the spotlight?!”
    That’s my cue!
  16. concession
    a small business that operates in a larger business or public place
    He stops once we reach the concessions level.
  17. flourish
    a showy gesture
    Mr. G watched Fort twirl the net with a little flourish, handling it in a way that had taken the older man years to master.
  18. cryptic
    having a secret or hidden meaning
    Keziah loved puzzles.
    He loved the cryptic ones best—the ones where you had to look hard to find something that wasn’t obvious at first.
  19. muster
    summon up, call forth, or bring together
    They were going to check out the apartment today, and his parents had wanted him to come along, but Keziah couldn’t muster any enthusiasm.
  20. estate
    extensive landed property retained by the owner
    At the elevator they met a lady who introduced herself as an estate agent.
  21. engrossed
    giving or marked by complete attention to
    Afterward, the grown-ups went to a corner of the empty living room and began to discuss things in low tones, pointing at one sheet of paper or the other. They were so engrossed, they soon forgot about him.
  22. stealthily
    in a manner marked by quiet and caution and secrecy
    Slowly, stealthily, Keziah Anietie slipped out of the apartment and made for the elevator.
  23. prim
    exaggeratedly proper
    She was dressed in a uniform so prim and stood so straight that she could’ve been a sculpture.
  24. curt
    speaking in a terse, rude, or abrupt way
    “All right, you,” she said curtly, her lips curling to reveal a row of pointy teeth. “Out and about, now.”
  25. prod
    poke or thrust abruptly
    “Number?” Keziah asked, but she prodded him out of the cubicle with her stick.
  26. throng
    a large gathering of people
    He stumbled forward and was hustled into an already moving throng of kids who were just as confused, some already weeping and asking for their parents.
  27. straightforward
    free from ambiguity
    A puzzle! Keziah couldn’t believe his eyes. Finally, a familiar thing from his real world. It looked straightforward, except...
  28. dumbfounded
    as if rendered speechless with astonishment and surprise
    Yes, the lizard said. Five thousand light-years from home.
    The kids sat, dumbfounded.
  29. employ
    put into service
    Keziah employed all the tricks he’d learned in solving jigsaws: start from the edges; group similar pieces by color, texture, shapes; look for clues to find where they match.
  30. aspect
    a characteristic to be considered
    You must understand it will test every single aspect of your wits.
  31. corrupt
    alter from the original
    “Most of the data is corrupted. To determine what happened to the Stonehound, you must fill in the missing information.”
  32. determine
    find out or learn with certainty, as by making an inquiry
    “Most of the data is corrupted. To determine what happened to the Stonehound, you must fill in the missing information.”
  33. per se
    with respect to its inherent nature
    They headed to the first station, which was not a puzzle per se but a math equation where they were supposed to solve for a value.
  34. deduce
    conclude by reasoning
    The fourth was a pattern puzzle that showed the flight path once they deduced the repeating pattern.
  35. poised
    marked by balance or equilibrium and readiness for action
    He punched the letters and waited, finger poised over the final button.
Created on Thu Nov 02 15:18:26 EDT 2023 (updated Fri Nov 03 17:04:57 EDT 2023)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.