Kwame Crashes the Underworld: Chapter 2

by Craig Kofi Farmer
Twelve-year-old Kwame is struggling to face the death of his beloved grandmother. But a heroic journey through the Ghanaian underworld, filled with mythology and magic, offers him a transformative experience ultimately preparing him for his grandmother’s celebration of life.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapters 5–6, Chapter 7, Chapters 8–9, Chapters 10–11, Chapters 12–15, Chapters 16–18,
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. abode
    housing that someone is living in
    Though I’ve been here a million times, I still can’t help but marvel at the Choi abode as it stretches into view.
  2. humble
    marked by meekness or modesty; not arrogant or prideful
    In my humble opinion, this place should be the eighth wonder of the world.
  3. dismissive
    showing indifference or disregard
    Autumn waves off my complaint with a dismissive hand motion. We both know I can usually hold my own no matter what characters we pick. For some reason, though, my performance today is like my baseball tryout—slow, sloppy, and hard to watch.
  4. fluent
    expressing yourself readily, clearly, effectively
    Another thing about Autumn: She’s fluent in both sign language and body language. Autumn won’t just read my lips; she’ll read my face, my posture, and my nonverbal cues.
  5. subterranean
    being or operating under the surface of the earth
    Instead, I dream of nature stuff. One night, it might be large plains with rolling hills. Another night, it’ll be glittering beaches with hidden underwater caverns. Sometimes I find myself underground, following the path of a worm as it burrows through miles of subterranean soil.
  6. aurora
    bands of light caused by charged solar particles
    Tonight, though, I dream about something different—two dark-skinned figures, a man and a woman. They’re dancing with each other in the air, above a gigantic green ocean that is sprinkled with countless islands. The sky is an aurora of reds, oranges, and violets, dotted with infinite batches of twinkling stars.
  7. icon
    special design representing a quality, type, or group
    The woman is draped in a grassy gown highlighted with golden stripes. Her brown skin is covered with glowing orange symbols, icons from an ancient-looking language.
  8. viscosity
    resistance of a liquid to flowing
    The woman looks directly at me with a pair of vivid orange eyes. She seems unaffected by the newfound viscosity in the air. She reaches out to me, offering me an airborne dance. With a knowing smile, she utters: “You have the blood of a Queen Mother in you. Your inheritance awaits you, my child.”
  9. dumbfounded
    as if rendered speechless with astonishment and surprise
    I’m not sure whether my speechlessness is coming from being dumbfounded or from me not having a mouth in the dream.
  10. shard
    a broken piece of a brittle artifact
    One of the shards of her body hurtles straight toward me, whistling with speed and shimmering with power. I instinctually throw my dream hands up to protect myself—only for the shard to impale me right in the center of my palm.
    I jolt awake, reflexively gripping my left hand.
  11. reflexive
    without volition or conscious control
    One of the shards of her body hurtles straight toward me, whistling with speed and shimmering with power. I instinctually throw my dream hands up to protect myself—only for the shard to impale me right in the center of my palm.
    I jolt awake, reflexively gripping my left hand.
  12. chaotic
    lacking a visible order or organization
    I hear Autumn’s soft snores from across the room. It would almost be cute, if not for the sprawling, chaotic posture she’s assumed on the basement couch.
  13. brainstorm
    try to solve a problem by thinking intensely about it
    I picture Grandma weaving the threads together, humming and chuckling while she brainstorms the next mind-bending story she’s going to tell me about Ghana.
  14. searing
    intense or sharp
    “Ah!” I cry. A searing pain erupts in the center of my left palm, disrupting my train of thought. My hand closes into a fist as I fall back onto the mattress and knock my backpack onto the ground.
  15. rational
    consistent with or based on or using reason
    Autumn’s fingers slowly open mine and reveal the pattern in my left hand. I practically choke on my own saliva—the lines, edges, and indentations of my palm pattern are now crackling orange, like embers on a grill.
    Autumn looks at me with alarm, but I’m just struggling to come up with a rational explanation.
  16. ancestral
    of or inherited from someone from whom you are descended
    Apparently, Grandma used to tell Ma something similar—that our entire family was blessed by Mother Earth.
    While this may sound cool, Ma always follows this up by telling me that this blessing comes with a responsibility; we need to care for the Earth for as long as we live, before we pass away and join the Nsamanfo—the ancestral spirits—in Asamando.
  17. ethic
    a system of principles governing morality and conduct
    Dad doesn’t quite buy into the mythology. Let me know when Mother Earth gets Kwame a scholarship, he would say. Put your faith in your work ethic, not in fairy tales. That lil’ pattern don’t mean nothing.
  18. adrenaline
    hormone secreted by the adrenal gland in response to stress
    I feel adrenaline pulsing through my body. Is somebody breaking in? I should have paid more attention when my father was trying to teach me how to throw a punch.
    Then another strange noise—light slaps that sound like the pitter-patter of footsteps.
  19. hilt
    the handle of a sword or dagger
    Autumn nods in understanding and creeps toward the television, her form as lithe as a mountain lion. She reaches an arm behind the monitor, pulls out a long sleeve, and unzips it to unveil a shiny red sword with golden Japanese characters inscribed onto the blade. Her hands close around the leathery hilt.
  20. manga
    a Japanese genre of comic books and graphic novels
    Autumn doesn’t respond. Instead, she tiptoes along the basement wall, having adopted a battle stance I’ve seen in the shonen manga she loves to read. If I’m being honest, I’m not too optimistic about how well that will translate to real life.
  21. strew
    spread by scattering
    I start after the intruder, but it’s already stopped. The creature is crouched by the sofa, distracted by something, by…pizza? I watch it investigate the pizza scraps strewn across the ground.
  22. calico
    having patches colored differently and usually brightly
    It reminds me of one of those long-haired monkeys that Autumn and I read about in our science textbooks. It’s about the size of a ruler and covered in a tapestry of calico fur.
  23. agile
    moving quickly and lightly
    Autumn swings her sword like a baseball bat. The creature is incredibly agile, though, easily jumping over the arc of the swing and making its way toward the stairs on its hand-feet.
  24. chide
    scold or reprimand severely or angrily
    That was the only piece of Grandma I had left—and it’s gone. I can hear the exchange now.
    How could you lose your grandmother’s dashiki? Ma’s voice chides. Oh, and what, a whistling monkey took it? That’s your excuse?
  25. defiance
    an act boldly resisting authority or an opposing force
    There are no excuses, son, Dad’s voice chimes in. It was your responsibility. You know, there are two camps in life. Either you win…
    I stand, defiance flaring in me. My hands tighten into fists. This is one thing I’m not going to lose.
Created on Mon Mar 24 20:39:46 EDT 2025 (updated Fri Apr 11 17:30:06 EDT 2025)

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