Finally Seen: Chapters 13–32

by Kelly Yang
Left behind in China with her grandparents, ten-year-old Lina Gao finally reunites with her parents and younger sister in California, where she discovers that her American life would not be what she'd imagined from letters and movies.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–12, Chapters 13–32, Chapters 33–55, Chapters 56–79
40 words 10 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. sheepishly
    in a manner showing embarrassment or shame
    I stare at the pencils. They look like a giant baby chewed them.
    Mom hands them to me sheepishly.
  2. nix
    command against
    But Mom nixes this idea with a shake of her head.
  3. pitch
    erect and fasten
    “We have six weeks to come up with the back rent money. Otherwise, we’re looking at pitching a tent in Pete’s field.”
  4. casually
    in an unconcerned manner
    “She designed rides?? I thought she just did the ticket sales!” I cry. How could Lao Lao casually gloss over a detail like this?
  5. gloss
    give a deceptive explanation or excuse for
    “She designed rides?? I thought she just did the ticket sales!” I cry. How could Lao Lao casually gloss over a detail like this?
  6. sassy
    improperly forward or bold
    “The district can pull your permit if they don’t like you. So mind your teachers and don’t be sassy, you hear?”
  7. distinguished
    standing above others in character or attainment
    A proud sign declares Winfield Elementary a California Distinguished School. I’m not sure what Distinguished means, but it sure sounds fancy.
  8. patron
    someone who supports or champions something
    “Oh, those are reserved for the school’s biggest donors,” Mom says, following my gaze. “They’re called the Blue Patrons!”
  9. custom
    made according to the specifications of an individual
    Thankfully, Mom’s too distracted by a custom order request we received from a customer named FunkyVeganMama to dig into me about my first day when I get home.
  10. canvas
    a piece of canvas cloth prepared as the surface for a painting
    I twist my body, glancing over at the powdery white balls on the kitchen table. They look like tiny white canvases to me. Suddenly, I have an idea.
    “What if we just paint a graduation hat on them?” I ask.
  11. pry
    move or force in an effort to get something open
    When I can’t pry it away from my sister’s sticky fingers, I shoot Mom a desperate look.
  12. expedite
    process fast and efficiently
    “With expedited shipping, it could get here earlier!”
  13. grimace
    contort the face to indicate a certain mental state
    “Expedited shipping will cost even more, though.” Mom grimaces.
  14. elaborate
    developed or executed with care and in minute detail
    I watch as Millie stops to say bye to Dad. The two of them do their elaborate high-five routine again.
  15. au pair
    a foreigner who lives with a family and provides childcare
    “You know Chinese??” I ask. Unfortunately, I forget to whisper, and Mrs. Carter looks over.
    Finn blushes. “Some. I had a Chinese au pair when I was little,” he says.
  16. inspiration
    arousal of the mind to unusual activity or creativity
    I try to guess Mrs. Carter’s awesome idea, taking inspiration from every episode of The Simpsons I’ve ever watched.
  17. emission
    the act of causing to flow forth
    When Mrs. Carter asks me if I know one of the top-five carbon emissions, I strongly consider saying cars, but then I glance over at Jessica and tense up.
  18. genuinely
    in accordance with truth or fact or reality
    He blinks at me, genuinely confused.
  19. nostalgia
    a longing for something past
    At the thought of cucumber and egg, my tummy fills with nostalgia.
  20. stoke
    increase or intensify an emotion or response
    My hopes shoot up. I would love to take a family trip to Beijing! Millie looks similarly stoked.
  21. spruce
    make neat, smart, or trim
    I watch as my sister spruces up my writing. She changes “Dear customer” to “Hi there!” Together, we come up with a great hook. When we’re all done, I stand back to admire my letter.
  22. nook
    a secluded place, corner, or recessed area
    There are comfy little reading nooks everywhere and even a reading tree house!
  23. policy
    a plan of action adopted by an individual or social group
    I gaze apologetically at Mrs. Hollins, because I’m not sure if she has a no-laughing-out-loud policy in her library.
  24. backfire
    return with an undesired effect
    We thank Rosa and race home to tell Mom about the relief checks. But Mom doesn’t believe it.
    “What if it backfires on us?” she asks.
  25. gravity
    alarming importance or seriousness
    “We’re immigrants, which means if there’s ever a choice between something easy and something hard, we pick the something hard.”
    I swallow hard. “Forever?” I ask.
    Mom doesn’t answer. The gravity of her words sits in the air.
  26. haste
    overly eager speed and possible carelessness
    In our haste to get everything into the molds, we didn’t mix it up well enough.
  27. wring
    twist, squeeze, or compress in order to extract liquid
    I fight the tears in my eyes. The one thing keeping me from jumping inside the washing machine and wringing myself dry is reading Flea Shop.
  28. engrossed
    giving or marked by complete attention to
    I’m so engrossed reading the part about the mean girls in Cat’s class making fun of Cat’s eyes, I almost fall off the washing machine.
  29. utterly
    completely and without qualification
    Cat’s so utterly depressed when it happens, she accidentally uses an ancient letter opener as a knife to make a peanut butter sandwich.
  30. rivet
    hold someone's attention
    He turns into a small parking lot at the top of the mountain, but I’m too riveted by the story to get out.
  31. blacklist
    add to a group to be boycotted, banished, or avoided
    “When Dr. Stone found out, boy, was he furious. Tai was toast. Blacklisted from every university.”
    “What does it mean, ‘blacklisted’?” I ask Dad.
    “It means no university would touch him now.”
  32. coarse
    rough to the touch
    Dad looks down at his coarse, cracked hands.
  33. initiate
    set in motion, start an event or prepare the way for
    Turning to Dad, I hesitate before holding my hand up midair. I’ve never initiated a high five before in my life.
  34. hearty
    endowed with or exhibiting great bodily or mental health
    To my surprise, Dad beams as he slaps the palm of my hand. The hearty sound of our two hands rings in my ears long after we descend the mountain.
  35. obnoxious
    causing disapproval or protest
    Then I think of yesterday on the mountain with my dad, the joy of our first high five together, the magical check-ins to the Imagination Hotel with Mom, and even cheering Millie up about her obnoxious friend...and I know in my heart, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.
  36. endeavor
    earnest and conscientious activity intended to do something
    “Do you have a thinner paintbrush? I think I want to go for a Van Gogh-esque self-portrait.”
    “Well, that is certainly an impressive endeavor,” Mrs. Carter praises Jessica, handing her a thin paintbrush.
  37. spellbound
    having your attention fixated as though witchcraft
    Finn watches as I draw, spellbound.
  38. zealously
    in an enthusiastic, eager, or ardent manner
    When I’m done, he nods zealously, fully understanding.
  39. exquisite
    of extreme beauty
    “Lina, this is masterful work. I love the details and shading on the airplane flying against the setting sun. And the emotions on your face—just exquisite!”
  40. scorching
    hot and dry enough to burn or parch a surface
    My skin turns scorching hot. My hands shake.
Created on Tue Jul 09 09:27:28 EDT 2024 (updated Tue Jul 09 21:10:20 EDT 2024)

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