Any Day with You: Chapters 1–5

by Mae Respicio
Kaia spends her summer making a movie influenced by Filipino folklore, while trying to convince her beloved grandfather not to return to the Philippines.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–13, Chapters 14–28
35 words 87 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. psychedelic
    having vivid colors and bizarre patterns
    He’d come across animals like the psychedelic frogfish or the blue-ringed octopus, so wondrous they seem more like mythical creatures from the Filipino folktales he loves to tell.
  2. ovation
    enthusiastic recognition
    At the end of Lainey’s high school valedictorian speech, the crowd gave her a standing ovation, and my family cheered the loudest.
  3. ensue
    take place or happen afterward or as a result
    "Sure, but we’d still depend on the sun’s movement. The sun is a star. It’s the center of our universe," my sister says. "Which means Kaia’s right....Chaos would ensue. Especially in Hollywood."
  4. giddy
    exultantly proud and joyful; in high spirits
    I pull a brush through my wet black hair, trying to untangle the knots, when the sound of giddy chatter reaches my room.
  5. vanity
    low table with a mirror where one sits while dressing
    "Come in and join us, my dear," Tatang says, but I run to my room, shut the door, and sit at my vanity.
  6. scalloped
    decorated with a margin or border of semicircles
    I press a stencil of fish scales to my cheek, dip a triangle sponge into a shade called Shiny Shamrock, and dab it over the scalloped pattern so that my tan skin warms the green.
  7. fanciful
    indulging in or influenced by the imagination
    I know now I can’t be a real live mermaid, but it turns out I can transform anyone into a fanciful creature with a pop of color and my imagination.
  8. cue
    a reminder for some action or speech
    He can cry on cue without eye drops.
  9. thespian
    a theatrical performer
    "Trey! My favorite thespian!"
  10. striking
    having a quality that thrusts itself into attention
    Sometimes people think he’s an actor because of his striking face, strong biceps, and huge brown eyes.
  11. protrude
    bulge outward
    Then he stood up and made his stomach protrude like he’d swallowed a bowling ball.
  12. frantic
    excessively agitated; distraught with violent emotion
    A trail of teeny-tiny black ants creeps up the chalkboard wall. I place my finger near one and it crawls onto my nail. I study its frantic movement, then gently set it down.
  13. wispy
    thin and weak
    Right now she’s puttering about and sweeping the floor with her walis tambo, a broom with long, wispy bristles fanned out.
  14. prosperity
    the condition of having good fortune
    "Trey,” Mom says, “opening windows is for New Year’s, so we can let in all the good luck." She hands Trey a bowl. “Go into the kitchen and load this with ten of the shiniest round fruits you can find. That’ll help fill the house with prosperity.”
  15. gloat
    dwell on with satisfaction
    Dad likes to gloat that we’ve made everyone’s weekend thing our everyday thing.
  16. inspiring
    stimulating or exalting to the spirit
    When he finally retired, the school threw him a huge celebration, because he was the most inspiring teacher they’d ever had.
  17. promenade
    a public area set aside as a pedestrian walk
    "Wait up!” I shout, and we race to a stoplight across from the Third Street Promenade. It’s a long, closed-off street three blocks from the ocean lined with shops and cafés.
  18. gab
    talk profusely
    We’ve called our friend Gabby Abby since kindergarten because Abby knows how to talk.
  19. croon
    sing softly
    Strangers clap along as he croons “I Can See Clearly Now.”
  20. tranquility
    a state of peace and quiet
    The ocean is my daily dose of what Uncle Roy calls “mental tranquility.” Water calms the soul.
  21. grim
    harshly uninviting or formidable in manner or appearance
    She seems bored sitting there, filing her nails with a grim expression on her face. No one’s stopping to watch her act.
  22. impetus
    a force that makes something happen
    What I mean is that Frederick, Psychic Cat, does not aid in the way one might expect. But he is certainly an impetus for wonderful, magical things. Psychic Cat gets the ball rolling.
  23. manifest
    reveal its presence or make an appearance
    "People who meet him are able to manifest happiness because they just need a cute kitty as a jump start. But really...it is they who help themselves.”
  24. tarmac
    a paved road or surface, especially at an airport
    Tatang’s flight has landed. Somewhere, he’s taxiing on the tarmac, probably telling his seatmates corny jokes.
  25. ruckus
    the act of making a noisy disturbance
    "I thought I heard a ruckus in here,” a voice says.
  26. terrace
    make land into level shelves, as for cultivation
    I’ve heard his childhood stories enough that his memories have become mine. I can imagine how warm the sea feels and can picture wonders like the terraced rice paddies that climb thousands of feet up mountainsides, and hills that look like chocolate.
  27. mortar
    a vessel in which substances can be ground with a pestle
    One day the woman went outside to pound rice with her mortar and pestle, so she took off her necklace and comb and hung them from the sky.
  28. wistfully
    in a pensively sad manner
    Eliza picks up a guitar at her feet, looks wistfully out the window, and strums some chords.
  29. buff
    an ardent fan or follower
    “Ready for some super-exciting news, film buffs?”
  30. complimentary
    costing nothing
    The team for each winning film will receive ten thousand dollars, donated to its arts program; individual participants will receive complimentary enrollment in any of our Fall Youth in Film Conference workshops.
  31. jabber
    talk in a noisy, excited, or declamatory manner
    Dave Conway says, “I heard that there’s a red carpet and winners ride to the premiere in a stretch limo!” This gets everyone jabbering.
  32. dystopian
    of an imaginary place where life is extremely bad
    “A dystopian end-of-the-world kind of blockbuster would get us to the top for sure.”
  33. quad
    a rectangular area surrounded on all sides by buildings
    Kids in clusters march across the quad chanting "Red carpet! Red carpet!” and my stomach does a flip.
  34. prosthetic
    relating to or serving as an artificial body part
    Dad’s side has computer screens and laptops, and mine has caddies of pens and pencils sorted by color, stacks of sketch pads, four mirrors (one of them lighted), jugs of special powder for making prosthetic molds, and makeup containers galore.
  35. stylus
    a pointed tool for writing, drawing, or engraving
    “Nothing yet, just testing out my new stylus." He holds up a fancy computer pen.
Created on Thu Aug 26 09:39:49 EDT 2021 (updated Mon Aug 30 13:04:20 EDT 2021)

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