Keep Dancing, Lizzie Chu: Chapters 1–7

by Maisie Chan
Twelve-year-old Lizzie Chu is determined to journey west from Glasgow, Scotland to Blackpool, England so that she can honor her grandmother's last wish of enjoying afternoon tea at a historic ballroom.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–17, Chapters 18–25, Chapters 26–33
40 words 33 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. makeshift
    done or made using whatever is available
    Wai Gong was on his knees, jabbing a piece of wire through the cracks in the roadside drain like he was trying to catch a fish with a makeshift rod.
  2. frayed
    worn away or tattered along the edges
    His uncombed black hair hung over his face like frayed curtains; he was wearing the red scarf I had knitted him.
  3. duvet
    a soft quilt usually filled with down
    He refused to get out of bed, and some days he wouldn’t eat at all. There were days I wanted to hide under my duvet too, but I couldn’t just let him get thinner and thinner.
  4. delicacy
    something considered choice to eat
    “Twice-dead chicken, a rare delicacy!” He laughed. “Do you think we can eat it?”
  5. tenement
    a run-down apartment house barely meeting minimal standards
    We walked to our tenement’s front door. There were some large weeds growing next to the step that I hadn’t had time to pull out.
  6. warble
    sing or play with trills
    I was glad to be home despite the warbling coming from the kitchen.
  7. tabby
    having patchy gray, brown, and black coloring
    The mug with the cats on it was my favorite. Grandma Kam had bought it because she loved the dancing tabby cat in the middle.
  8. melancholy
    characterized by or causing or expressing sadness
    Wai Gong had a melancholy look in his eyes. He started waltzing the marrow around our small kitchen. I watched in silence; I didn’t want to interrupt his moment. I could tell he was thinking about her; he had that faraway look that he’d had during her funeral.
  9. fanatical
    marked by excessive enthusiasm for a cause or idea
    Well, she probably would mind, because she was always trying to get me to be as fanatical about Star Wars as she was.
  10. serene
    completely clear and calm
    The shiny white porcelain gods and goddesses looked down on him with glazed eyes. In the middle, Guan Yin was serene and beautiful.
  11. cascade
    rush down in big quantities
    Her long black hair hung straight down with the front pulled up in a golden flower, flowing white material cascading over her head like a waterfall.
  12. gingerly
    in a manner marked by extreme care or delicacy
    “Come in, Lizzie. I know you are out there, I can hear the floorboards creak!”
    I gingerly entered his room.
  13. deity
    a supernatural being worshipped as controlling the world
    I saw his trio of Chinese deities. Ji Long was a god who looked after the poor.
  14. compassion
    a deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering
    The fat buddha, Budai, was for wealth and happiness, and Guan Yin was the goddess of compassion and mercy.
  15. sheepish
    showing a sense of shame
    Chi had shouted back, and the leader had become sheepish, appearing foolish in front of his pals.
  16. torrential
    relating to or resulting from the action of a downpour
    He even blamed the torrential rain on bad luck; he should have known by now that this was Glasgow. It was famous for its horizontal rain that soaked your trouser legs in less than a minute.
  17. lament
    express grief verbally
    The creatures lamented, “Who will look after us now?”
  18. ensue
    take place or happen afterward or as a result
    Chaos ensued. The animals began to fight; they were confused and felt abandoned.
  19. deem
    judge or regard in a particular way
    Our Saturday nights in front of the TV were deemed “family time” in our flat.
  20. tartan
    a crisscross design or a cloth having such a design
    Wai Gong sat down in the living room with a mug of hot water with a slice of ginger in it and a tartan blanket over his legs.
  21. purist
    someone who insists on great precision and correctness
    “Nooooo! That would be terrible, Lizzie. I hate when they ruin a perfectly good cha-cha with all that other nonsense,” Wai Gong said.
    I didn’t realize he was a cha-cha purist, though I knew that Grandma Kam’s favorite dance was the cha-cha.
  22. doddering
    mentally or physically infirm with age
    “Look at his hips! Oh, when I was younger, I was just like that!” he said. I laughed—I couldn’t imagine my doddering grandpa being like that very cool and hip dancer.
  23. dapper
    marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners
    And Milo du Peck looked very dapper in that tuxedo for the opening group number.
  24. threadbare
    thin and tattered with age
    I tiptoed across the threadbare carpet and put my ear to the living room door, wondering if Wai Gong was waiting for me on the other side.
  25. incense
    a substance that produces a fragrant odor when burned
    I could see sticks of nag champa incense burning on the coffee table, which had been pushed to the side of the room. It smelled different from the joss sticks Wai Gong burned while praying to his gods.
  26. laden
    filled with a great quantity
    Minh, Chi’s older brother, appeared on the stairs, his arms laden with filming equipment.
  27. trudge
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
    He trudged down and put his stuff next to the door.
  28. consumption
    the process of taking food into the body through the mouth
    I didn’t want to tell him that Chi was definitely not vegan when she came over to my house or that she was keeping a certain fast-food restaurant in business with her secret bacon double cheeseburger consumption.
  29. muse
    reflect deeply on a subject
    “Your gramps not remembering is strange. Your grandparents always made such a big deal about your birthday,” she mused, sitting on her bed.
  30. artisanal
    (of a product, food, or drink) made by hand
    Tyler held out his hands. In them was a hastily wrapped parcel covered in the Glasgow Daily Times.
    “We didn’t have gift wrap; it’s artisanal wrapping paper, recycled and good for the planet,” Tyler said.
  31. practical
    having or put to an actual purpose or use
    “But you like my presents too, right?” Chi said, pouting. She tapped the journal and gel pens. “Mine’s more practical. For recording your innermost thoughts. Or for writing about people you don’t like at school!”
  32. ensemble
    a coordinated outfit (set of clothing)
    “You look very fancy today.”
    “This ensemble...” He stroked the sleeve of his suit jacket. “I made it with my dad’s help.”
  33. scour
    examine minutely
    Chi moaned about the food her mum served at home, but it beat having to scour the supermarkets for yellow sale labels on food about to expire.
  34. impromptu
    with little or no preparation or forethought
    When I got home after my eventful and impromptu birthday at the Phams’, Wai Gong was standing outside our front door muttering to himself.
  35. forlorn
    marked by or showing hopelessness
    “I’ve let you down. We didn’t have a party. I forgot to decorate with balloons, and I forgot to hide presents...I’m terrible.” He looked forlorn.
  36. mecca
    a place that attracts many visitors
    “The Mecca of ballroom dancing. It’s just like Kam to think of such a wonderful gift. I miss her so much,” he said.
  37. tactless
    lacking what is considerate in dealing with others
    “But how is that possible? She’s...you know,” he said awkwardly.
    “Dead?” Chi added, tactless as usual.
  38. jeer
    laugh at with contempt and derision
    “Yeah. Some people in this class don’t have parents,” said Hannah.
    “Like Old Lady Lizzie,” jeered Luke.
  39. flustered
    thrown into a state of agitated confusion
    Mrs. Begum appeared flustered. “And Annie and Tyler, that’s a good point about parents’ evening, and I apologize. You are right—some people live with other guardians or carers. Thank you for bringing that up.”
  40. drone
    talk in a monotonous voice
    I sat in my chair, blocking out the sound of Mrs. Begum droning on about an old book with more orphans; it was making me feel glum.
Created on Thu Jul 11 08:23:34 EDT 2024 (updated Thu Jul 11 15:10:39 EDT 2024)

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