Kareem Between: Preseason

by Shifa Saltagi Safadi
In this novel in verse, Syrian American Kareem struggles to fit in and make his middle school football team during a time of difficulty for his family.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Preseason, Game Time, First Quarter, Second Quarter, Third Quarter, Fourth Quarter–Overtime

25 words 112 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. scramble
    move hurriedly
    Because my throws
    f
    a
    l
    l
    instead of s o a r , my tongue tangles
    out bad plays, and I’m sacked to
    the
    turf
    before I can scramble.
  2. possibility
    capability of existing or happening or being true
    My possibility of
    playing quarterback
    tumbles
    out of reach,
    just like my
    football.
  3. snicker
    a disrespectful laugh
    Snorts
    and snickers
    surround me
    as
    I sit down
    on the bench.
  4. roster
    a list of names
    I decide
    to wear my Bears jersey
    the day
    the roster posts.
  5. sensation
    an awareness of some type of stimulation
    A heavy sensation
    of disappointment
    weighs me down
    like defeat.
  6. stink
    smell badly and offensively
    Like the Bears almost every game
    they played preseason, I stink of loss.
  7. phony
    fraudulent; having a misleading appearance
    I stumble back from the
    list of players
    and get the urge
    to tear the jersey
    off my phony back.
  8. stride
    walk with long steps
    Austin
    strides forward.
  9. saunter
    walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
    He stops at the roster,
    barely
    giving it a glance before
    letting out a smug smile
    and sauntering
    down the
    school hall.
  10. triumph
    a successful ending of a struggle or contest
    The day
    of the first
    school game,
    the
    team
    marches
    down
    the
    halls
    together,
    loud with laughter,
    matching jerseys
    filling their faces with triumph,
    applause around them
    as they prepare to play
    while
    I
    flatten
    my
    b
    o
    d
    y
    against the lockers,
    moving
    out of their way.
  11. invisible
    impossible or nearly impossible to see
    All I can think
    is
    if I was on the team,
    I wouldn’t
    be
    invisible.
  12. crush
    humiliate or depress completely
    I feel like I’m rewatching
    last Sunday’s game,
    rewatching Jay Cutler
    get sacked five times,
    rewatching Bears fans
    leaving
    to
    avoid seeing
    a game
    end
    so low
    it crushes us to the ground.
  13. shuffle
    walk by dragging one's feet
    Months shuffle forward, books my only companions,
    lessons and learning all I do.
  14. distract
    draw someone's attention away from something
    I hide in the library to escape
    the embarrassment
    of where to sit at lunch,
    but even my favorite books
    don’t distract me from
    my despair.
  15. disappear
    become less intense and fade away gradually
    Their loss in October
    against the Packers
    left
    a bitter taste in my mouth
    that hasn’t disappeared
    all of November.
  16. encouragement
    the expression of approval and support
    Adam was the lineman
    to my QB,
    the one who had my
    back,
    the encouragement in my ear
    that helped me
    play.
  17. link
    a fastener that serves to join or connect
    He was my link to the
    game.
  18. loom
    a textile machine for weaving yarn into a textile
    Austin looms over me.
  19. insignificant
    conveying nothing
    My hand feels
    small,
    unworthy,
    insignificant.
  20. wince
    draw back, as with fear or pain
    Austin bends pages
    and I wince.
  21. snap
    close with a snapping motion
    He snaps the sides shut,
    finally
    looks
    at
    me.
  22. squint
    partly close one's eyes, as when hit by direct light
    Austin squints.
  23. squad
    a cooperative unit, especially in sports
    Austin
    promised
    to tell his dad,
    my teacher,
    the coach,
    that
    I
    should
    make next year’s team,
    promised to get me
    on Spring Squad
    in a few months
    to prep.
  24. explode
    burst and release energy as through a violent reaction
    That Sunday,
    the Bears finally win
    against the 49ers,
    and I explode with screams so loud
    the TV shakes,
    and my mom asks
    if everything’s okay.
  25. victory
    a successful ending of a struggle or contest
    Victory is coming.
Created on Tue Mar 11 07:51:41 EDT 2025 (updated Thu Mar 13 05:23:28 EDT 2025)

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