Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky: Chapters 41–51

by Kwame Mbalia
After the death of his best friend, grieving seventh-grader Tristan Strong goes to Alabama to spend a month with his grandparents. There, he accidentally opens a portal to a world populated by African gods and African-American folk heroes.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–17, Chapters 18–28, Chapters 29–40, Chapters 41–51
40 words 98 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. mosey
    walk leisurely
    Now, you got any more questions, or can we mosey on about our business?
  2. dwindle
    become smaller or lose substance
    I looked over my shoulder to see the diviner holding up a hand in farewell as she, the Ridgefolk, and the mountain they lived inside dwindled in the distance.
  3. enigma
    something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
    “Gum Baby ain’t got time to lead you everywhere, Bumbletongue. This is one of life’s great mysteries. A puzzle. Shoot, it might even be one of those hedgehog things. What are they called? Echidnas, that’s right.”
    I stared at her. “You mean an enigma?”
  4. gilded
    made from or covered with gold
    He frowned at the arching gate, then snorted at the crumbled gilded leaves in a pile off to the side.
  5. threshold
    the entrance for passing through a room or building
    We crossed the threshold, and just like before, the whistling began.
  6. appraise
    estimate the nature, quality, ability or significance of
    I felt the statues’ golden eyes on me again, but this time their gaze was more appraising than threatening.
  7. spurn
    reject with contempt
    “The non-hero returns. The ungrateful, the selfish, the spurner of gifts. Come to complain some more?”
  8. dais
    a platform raised above the surrounding level
    Nyame got off his throne and stalked down the dais stairs.
  9. vagabond
    a wanderer with no established residence or means of support
    “Mind your tongue, vagabond. You are here because I allow it.”
  10. incantation
    a ritual reciting of words believed to have a magical effect
    He muttered more incantations as he reached into thin air and pulled out things I’m not sure I can describe, though I’ll try.
  11. filigree
    delicate and intricate ornamentation
    Finally, he outlined the top and sides of the box with gold filigree and stepped back.
  12. dilapidated
    in a state of decay, ruin, or deterioration
    A dilapidated vessel, bigger and more horrifying than any bone ship, split the surface, growing larger and larger. Its masts were shattered and its grimy gray sails hung limp and torn. Holes of different sizes dotted the hull, and burning seawater flooded out like lava.
  13. forebear
    a person from whom you are descended
    “Do you know why we call them forebears? Because our ancestors are always there, lifting us and carrying us forward, and shielding us when we are vulnerable..."
  14. buttress
    a support usually of stone or brick
    She landed on a curving ivory buttress and rode it like a skateboarder grinding a railing.
  15. flourish
    a short lively tune played on brass instruments
    Left and right, up and down, the hammer fell on fetterlings with the crash of metal on metal. No flourishes, just a steady rhythm.
  16. flay
    strip the skin off
    Miss Sarah and Miss Rose circled and dove from above, flaying fetterlings with whiplike switches.
  17. harry
    annoy continually or chronically
    They harried and harassed iron monsters like hawks scattering mice.
  18. disgorge
    cause or allow to flow or run out or over
    Yet, despite our progress, more and more of them were being disgorged from the Maafa.
  19. thrum
    a low, continuous sound
    I looked over my shoulder and snorted at the gold-and-black book bag I was now wearing, with golden zippers and a faint hum rippling through it. It was partially open, and the thrum of a half-finished story sent tingles up my spine and down into my fingertips.
  20. fetid
    offensively malodorous
    I finally reached a jagged split in the hull and, as the raft drifted inside it, fetid water dripped down my neck.
  21. shroud
    cover as if with a burial garment
    A long passageway shrouded in darkness.
  22. bulkhead
    a partition that divides a ship or plane into compartments
    These were the victims, the ones the iron monsters had snatched. They’d all been stuffed into the bulkheads and decks of the Maafa.
  23. contend
    be engaged in a fight
    The haint infesting you would grow too powerful for even you to contend with, and he’d destroy you.
  24. nondescript
    lacking distinct or individual characteristics
    And then there was nothing but me and the empty passageway, a nondescript door waiting at the end.
  25. pillage
    steal goods; take as spoils
    This was the architect of nearly everything bad that had happened in MidPass and Alke. The one who had stirred up the bone ships, the iron monsters, the hullbeasts, the brand flies. The evil behind the abductions of people and animals and the pillaging of their homes.
  26. peal
    a deep prolonged sound
    A peal of thunder rumbled in the distance.
  27. tendril
    slender structure by which some plants attach to an object
    I’d gotten Uncle Cotton’s tendrils out of the hull, and now the ship was preparing to return to the bottom of the sea, where it belonged.
  28. porthole
    a window in a ship or airplane
    There was no exiting the way we’d entered. That left the compartment behind us, where Eddie’s journal had been stashed, and I darted toward it. Maybe there was a porthole I could—
  29. flotsam
    the floating wreckage of a ship
    A few minutes after I emerged from the door in the cargo hold and stepped onto a large floating piece of wood, I watched the giant ship sink in front of my eyes. The survivors around me—people and animals who had been trapped within its planks—cheered weakly as they clung to their own pieces of flotsam and kicked toward the shore.
  30. sow
    introduce into an environment
    The assignment had sown even more distrust between Midfolk and Alkeans, dividing them at a time when, if they’d worked together, they could’ve stopped the Maafa before it had gotten so strong.
  31. saunter
    walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
    “Well, kiss my wrist, I bet you think you’re hot stuff now!” High John interrupted loudly as he sauntered up to congratulate me.
  32. chastise
    scold or criticize severely
    The snarky chastising rubbed every single one of my nerves the wrong way.
  33. incessant
    uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing
    “You did this! Your childish anger, your tantrums, your incessant”—he lunged forward again, but I was ready for it—“need for attention. You brat! You spoiled brat!”
  34. fickle
    liable to sudden unpredictable change
    A fickle breeze suddenly kicked up sand around us.
  35. cardinal
    serving as an essential component
    I walked over and picked up the smartphone. It had a shiny black case, and on the back, a gold spider stretched all eight legs in the cardinal directions.
  36. reprimand
    an act or expression of criticism and censure
    “Well? What sort of light reprimand did our friendly spider god get? A time-out and a stern talking-to?”
  37. doff
    remove
    High John doffed an imaginary hat and smiled right back.
  38. ordeal
    a severe or trying experience
    “If you two are quite finished, can we get this ridiculous ordeal over with?” Anansi’s tiny voice interrupted, full of impatience.
  39. blather
    talk foolishly
    “Some of us have work to do, and it doesn’t involve blathering about like bumpkins.”
  40. bumpkin
    a person who is awkward, uncultured, or unsophisticated
    “Some of us have work to do, and it doesn’t involve blathering about like bumpkins.”
Created on Mon Nov 18 16:36:49 EST 2019 (updated Fri Nov 22 10:44:02 EST 2019)

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