Kareem Between: Third Quarter

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 10 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. repent
    feel sorry for; be contrite about
    Remember, Allah said in the Quran,
    the best of those who make mistakes
    are the ones who repent,
    and CORRECT the wrong they did.
  2. stony
    showing unfeeling resistance to tender feelings
    The next day,
    on the way to Saturday school
    Baba’s still silent,
    his stony face
    a statue since
    the moment
    he discovered
    I stole
    his phone.
  3. rattle
    a rapid series of short loud sounds
    He sounds
    tired,
    like a player
    injured in a game,
    each breath an effort,
    each exhale a rattle,
    each word exiting his mouth
    in a moan.
  4. stutter
    speak haltingly
    No, no,
    I didn’t mean it,
    I stutter out.
  5. benefit
    be advantageous for
    I look at Fadi
    and my mouth opens,
    but my English words fail me
    and my perfect grammar
    doesn’t benefit me.
  6. refrain
    part of a song or poem that recurs at regular intervals
    I chuckle at my dad’s off-key notes,
    and
    decide to belt out
    the refrain too,
    filling the van with
    enough noise
    to crowd out
    my
    thoughts.
  7. halal
    conforming to dietary laws
    Our local shawarma shop
    chicken sandwiches,
    halal, yummy, tangy, spiced
    wrapped chicken
    with salty fries.
  8. cavern
    a large cave or a large chamber in a cave
    The wrinkles on
    Baba’s forehead
    are as deep as caverns.
  9. oblivious
    lacking conscious awareness of
    If you’re happy to be American
    does that mean
    you’re
    oblivious to the bad parts?
  10. oxymoron
    conjoined contradictory terms
    An Arabic name,
    on an American jersey.
    Poetry.
    Or is it
    an
    oxymoron?
  11. ban
    prohibit especially by law or social pressure
    As in
    this ban
    that says Syrians
    aren’t
    American
    enough.
  12. barred
    preventing entry or exit or a course of action
    Baba said Mama could be
    barred
    from coming home
    for three months.
  13. green card
    a document identifying someone as a permanent U.S. resident
    No one knows if it applies
    to people with green cards.
  14. somber
    serious and gloomy in character
    Saturday school is somber,
    everyone silent,
    pens down,
    papers blank,
    and no one feels
    like learning.
  15. hoarse
    deep and harsh sounding as if from shouting or illness
    Suddenly,
    Khale Afaf stops teaching,
    sits
    down,
    tossing her dry-erase marker
    on the table,
    her eyes filling,
    her voice too hoarse
    to teach.
  16. stranded
    cut off or left behind
    Driving one hour to protest
    at the airport
    is not a lot
    compared to the struggles
    of Mama,
    of Jido,
    of the people
    stranded
    there.
  17. convinced
    persuaded of; very sure
    Baba nods,
    convinced.
  18. detrimental
    causing harm or injury
    Seven countries.
    Syria, Yemen, Somalia,
    Iraq, Iran, Libya, and Sudan.
    People from there were called
    detrimental to America.
  19. destruction
    an event that completely ruins something
    Like the
    word
    itself
    is
    destruction.
  20. anticipation
    an expectation
    We walk to the bridge,
    steps echoing around us,
    nerves and anticipation
    filling the air.
  21. demonstrator
    someone participating in a public display of group feeling
    We join the demonstrators
    inside the terminal.
  22. gap
    an open or empty space in or between things
    People
    fit every gap
    in the terminal,
    more than football players
    on a field,
    more than my eyes
    can count.
  23. contagious
    easily diffused or spread as from one person to another
    Baba’s head is high,
    face bright with hope,
    the crowd’s energy
    contagious.
  24. yarmulke
    a skullcap worn by religious Jews, especially at prayer
    A man stands near,
    a yarmulke
    on his head.
  25. unconstitutional
    not consistent with or according to fundamental laws
    As in,
    we all know this is
    unfair,
    unjust,
    unconstitutional,
    wrong.
Created on Tue Mar 11 07:53:27 EDT 2025 (updated Wed Mar 12 09:02:29 EDT 2025)

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