Hands: Chapters 31–43

by Torrey Maldonado
Twelve-year-old Trevor, a talented artist, faces difficult situations living in the projects and violence in the family. He grapples with how to use his hands: to fight or to build a better future.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–14, Chapters 15–30, Chapters 31–43, Chapters 44–67
15 words 48 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. wriggle
    move in a twisting or contorted motion
    He’s almost as muscly as Uncle Frankie, so it’s hard to wriggle free of his hold.
  2. barely
    in a sparse or scanty way
    He huffs. “This? This is nothing. Now, your grades. That’s something. You still get eighty-fives and up?”
    I stare out the window. “Yeah. Mostly.”
    “Lucky. I was a fifties, sixties, barely passing kid. Would’ve been fly to have your brains. I’d be Jay-Z now. Making billions.”
  3. pastrami
    a highly seasoned cut of smoked beef
    “That’s it? Two heroes?”
    “Nah,” Uncle Puff tells him, then me, “Order food to bring home to your moms and sisters.”
    “Ma would want pastrami and melted mozzarella.”
  4. riddle
    a difficult problem
    Uncle Puff elbows me. “Cool. If your stepdad was out, what would he want?”
    “Forget him.”
    Puff nods like he solved a riddle. “Mmm-mm. Yeah. You sour because of
    him.”
  5. skill
    an ability that has been acquired by training
    “...So why you box out there?”
    I pump a fist. “Tryna get my hand skills like yours. Remember when you bodied Whiz?”
    “Someone messing with you?”
    I stay quiet, thinking.
  6. impressed
    deeply or markedly affected or influenced
    Ma comes out and nods, real impressed at what I’m doing. I clap my hands. “Done. Come sit.”
  7. ungrateful
    not feeling or showing gratitude
    I nod, proud. “I did this. I got you.”
    Nikki is tougher. “My toast better not be burnt.”
    Jess: “Ungrateful. For that, Trev, burn Nikki’s toast.”
  8. inhale
    draw deep into the lungs by breathing
    At the same time, we both inhale real deep, then exhale real hard.
    She notices and smiles. “You copycatting me?”
  9. con
    (offensive) a swindle that cheats someone out of money
    “Why you hatin’?”
    “Maybe because he reminds me of a con artist. You put your con-fidence in him, and then find out he’s fooled you.”
  10. slick
    marked by skill in deception
    “I just want you to open your eyes, Nikki. Rick talks slick. Says what you want to hear. But can you trust him? I’m not sure he’s all he says he is.”
  11. classic
    a creation of the highest excellence
    And his comics collection is fire too. Some are classics—it’s wild how different Batman’s suit looked when Batman first came out and how the original Luke Cage wasn’t bald but had a lollipop ’fro.
  12. beholder
    a person who becomes aware through the senses
    “Maybe it depends on who you are?”
    “Right. It’s in the eye of the beholder.”
  13. worship
    love unquestioningly and uncritically or to excess
    I look back at his fridge. “Bruce Lee knew Jackie Chan?” They joke, on break from filming a movie.
    “Oh yeah. Jackie was a kid then. Worshipped Bruce.”
  14. represent
    be a delegate or spokesperson for
    “I think they all liked him for the same reason: what he represents. Promise. A rapper who gave his community hope. Started Black businesses. Tried ending gang violence. Showed there’s another way.”
  15. autopilot
    a navigational device that keeps crafts on a steady course
    A few fancy auto companies on the edge of our projects sell cars that drive on autopilot.
Created on Thu Nov 07 21:17:38 EST 2024 (updated Thu Nov 14 18:50:54 EST 2024)

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