Operation Sisterhood: Chapters 12–17

by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
When eleven-year-old Tokunbo Marshall moves with her mother into a Harlem brownstone, she must adjust to an extended family that includes three new sisters who see everything in life as a possible project in their self-designed education.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–11, Chapters 12–17, Chapters 18–22, Chapters 23–29
35 words 3 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. manifesto
    a public declaration of intentions
    But now here she was, “taking charge of her own education and following her passions to new academic heights while developing critical-thinking and creative skills in an unstructured but supportive environment.” At least, that's what the “Freeschoolers' Manifesto” on the refrigerator said.
  2. deluge
    a heavy rain
    Whenever I used to hear “It’s a fluid situation,” that usually meant that things weren’t going so well. But in this family it’s supposed to be kind of a good thing, like part of going with the flow. But I know that that flow can turn into a waterfall—a DELUGE (yes, vocab!) quick fast, and I’m not trying to get caught out there.
  3. falter
    be or become weak, unsteady, or uncertain
    But as her mum got closer and Bo thought she could literally see Bill-shaped stars in her mother's eyes, she faltered.
  4. monotony
    the quality of wearisome constancy and lack of variety
    “I was doing something…’slightly transformed, just a bit of a break from the norm...’”
    Bo didn't miss a beat. ‘“Just a little somethin' to break the monotony’?” she rapped.
  5. indenture
    bind by a contract for work, as an apprentice or servant
    “Just because we call it a chicken mansion doesn't mean we're like indentured poultry servants,” said Sunday.
  6. stellar
    distinguished from others in excellence
    “Stellar production design, ladies,” said Papa Charles, looking around at the streamers and tinsel draped on the furniture.
  7. emphatic
    forceful and definite in expression or action
    Bo ran over to her drum set and gave the bass an emphatic whack for dramatic effect.
  8. momentous
    of very great significance
    “We are all in agreement that not celebrating this momentous occasion would be tragic,” finished Sunday.
  9. commendable
    worthy of high praise
    “It's a beautiful idea and a commendable plan.”
  10. ambitious
    requiring full use of your abilities or resources
    “It also sounds like a very ambitious project.”
    “We do big projects all the time,” Sunday said, waving her hand.
  11. bureaucracy
    unnecessary procedures that obstruct action
    Plus, a block party requires a permit and some complicated maneuvering of the city bureaucracy.
  12. patois
    a characteristic language of a particular group
    “That's what's so perfect—we have the whole summer! I mean, outside of field trips, research papers, French, Patois, cooking, sewing, HSA summer session—”
  13. aggrieve
    cause to feel distress
    Rubia gave her a look that Bo could only describe as aggrieved, and despite herself, she scratched under Rubia's chin in apology.
  14. tentatively
    in a hesitant manner
    “Maybe we can all go together next summer,” said Sunday tentatively.
  15. contempt
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
    She tapped lightly on the window to shoo the squirrel away. It glared back at her with something like contempt, took a bite of the nut it was carrying, then turned its back deliberately.
  16. cranny
    a small opening or crevice
    There were so many fabulous things about their house, but one of the best things about living in a really big, really old brownstone was that there were a lot of nooks and crannies to hide—and hear—in.
  17. nuance
    a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude
    “The INCREDIBLE ignorance, the LACK of understanding of nuance, the UNMITIGATED gall…,” began Papa Charles. Bo had learned that when Papa Charles got excited, he spoke in Thesaurus.
  18. unmitigated
    not diminished or moderated in intensity or severity
    “The INCREDIBLE ignorance, the LACK of understanding of nuance, the UNMITIGATED gall…,” began Papa Charles. Bo had learned that when Papa Charles got excited, he spoke in Thesaurus.
  19. gall
    the trait of being rude and impertinent
    “The INCREDIBLE ignorance, the LACK of understanding of nuance, the UNMITIGATED gall…,” began Papa Charles. Bo had learned that when Papa Charles got excited, he spoke in Thesaurus.
  20. vigilant
    carefully observant or attentive
    Parents thought that she couldn't say it out loud, but she felt deep down in the scariest part of her heart that if she didn't stay vigilant, their patchwork-quilted family could be torn apart just like that.
  21. stifle
    smother or suppress
    She stifled a giggle.
  22. soliloquy
    a dramatic speech giving the illusion of unspoken reflection
    Papa Charles’s voice had its soliloquy boom to it, which could mean a lot of sound and fury signifying...nothing.
  23. caper
    a crime (especially a robbery)
    It looked like it could be Something Serious. And if it was, that meant Lee would probably cry a lot, Lil would hatch a high-risk caper that involved action-movie-level stunts, and Sunday would drive them all to distraction with her list making and deductions of the obvious.
  24. citation
    a short note recognizing a source of information
    “And I'm sure we'll all be interested to see a detailed presentation from the four of you on the differences between a spirit of inquiry and snooping, and the consequences of not seeing your way out of A/B conversations. Along with that should be a companion report—with citations!—on age-appropriate strategies for stress management.”
  25. mulish
    unreasonably stubborn or rigid
    Bo, even though she'd just been worried about being split apart, felt mulish and contrary and added less feta to her bowl than usual.
  26. concoction
    an occurrence of an unusual mixture
    The girls had spent the morning cleaning, and Bo had to admit it had been pretty cool to use the concoctions they'd whipped up in a science lesson with Mama Hope.
  27. clamor
    make loud demands
    It wasn't just that her sisters were always clamoring for a group baking session.
  28. surly
    unfriendly and inclined toward anger or irritation
    “Right now, we have eleven cats, eight dogs, three bunnies, two turtles, one bird, three Madagascar cockroaches, and Ernest the Surly Iguana,” said Lee, who was now waving her arm around Beauty of the Beast shelter like she was taking Bo on a fancy house tour.
  29. pejorative
    expressing disapproval
    “Scaredy...boys!” Lee whispered. “I don't use ‘scaredy-cat’ as a pejorative,” she explained to Bo.
  30. mangy
    affected with a skin disease causing itching and hair loss
    “That mangy thing?” Ms. Tyler sniffed. “Looks like you just picked him up off the street five minutes ago. Probably full of fleas.”
  31. snippet
    a small piece of anything
    Bo had overheard enough snippets of conversation to know that even though Bill's Bookshop didn't sell too many books, he had a few regulars who traveled from Brooklyn to listen to Democracy Now! and Roland Martin on somebody's phone while they argued about politics.
  32. rig
    connect or secure to
    “If you guys can create a distraction for about twenty minutes, I'm pretty sure I can rig a pulley system up along the side of the house that can carry him directly to the practice room,” mused Lil.
  33. grubby
    thickly covered with ingrained dirt
    Unfortunately Bo would have to agree with Reese’s obvious disgust at her appearance; she'd worn her most grubby and worn-out clothes for a morning at the animal shelter, and from the way Reese’s friends were sniffing, she smelled as bad as she looked.
  34. lucrative
    producing a sizeable profit
    “I just want to perfect my backstroke,” said Sunday, “so I look like I'm in an old-timey movie. I may decide to be a synchronized swimmer one day.”
    Backstroke!
    “Sounds just as lucrative as children's book cartographer,” said Mama Hope lightly.
  35. nonchalantly
    in a composed and unconcerned manner
    A small group of little kids was practicing their kicks with foam boards, and the Twins immediately went over to a cluster of teenagers who were nonchalantly diving into the bright green water at the deep end.
Created on Wed Feb 15 10:01:09 EST 2023 (updated Wed Feb 15 17:07:00 EST 2023)

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