Legendary Frybread Drive-In: "Mvskoke Joy," by Marcella Bell

by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Sandy June's Legendary Frybread Drive-In is a magical place where Indigenous teens can find love, support, comfort, and community — no matter where in space or time they come from.

Here are links to our lists for the first nine selections in this collection:
Maybe It Starts, House of Stray Cats, Mvskoke Joy, Game Night, Look Away, Patent Red, Braving the Storm, You Had One Job, Heart Berry
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. languish
    fail to progress or succeed
    It’s been nearly a year since we started Mvskoke AV, and everybody else has officially gone viral while I continue to languish in low-view hell.
  2. patronize
    treat condescendingly
    “Don’t patronize me,” he said, still grinning as he took the turn toward her house.
  3. prominent
    conspicuous in position or importance
    A huge sign, prominent and loud, that reminded everyone that Oklahoma was Indian Country—not like some PSA or historical marker about the Trail of Tears, but something alive and modern—neon and grease and a huge sign in the middle of town.
  4. smattering
    a small number or amount
    They arrived at the counter, its frosted-glass window taped with a smattering of flyers, some with print faded in the sun, the corners of their paper curling with age.
  5. engrossed
    giving or marked by complete attention to
    At his side, Harry scanned the tables, her attention catching on a table of people so engrossed in their game that they didn’t notice the girl staring at them just a few feet away.
  6. unscathed
    not injured
    It was unscathed.
  7. reparation
    something done or paid in expiation of a wrong
    “You made your reparations,” Sarah R. replied, nodding to the arm he’d used to shield her.
  8. integral
    existing as an essential constituent or characteristic
    She’d come up with the idea for their first post and later been integral to their first efforts going viral.
  9. enhance
    make better or more attractive
    When she spoke, her words enhanced the efforts of those around her.
  10. legacy
    anything handed down by someone or something in the past
    Whether our history becomes a legacy we uphold or one we untangle depends on who we want to be and the world we want to live in.
  11. uphold
    stand up for; stick up for; of causes, principles, or ideals
    Whether our history becomes a legacy we uphold or one we untangle depends on who we want to be and the world we want to live in.
  12. abundant
    present in great quantity
    But seeing the sign for Sandy June’s, seeing Native people abundant and at ease, tasting the frybread, salty and sweet, had reminded him of what it felt like to look into the future and believe his actions could make a difference.
  13. reconciliation
    the reestablishment of cordial relations
    Was the way forward with Freedmen as simple as acknowledgment and reconciliation?
  14. impassioned
    characterized by intense emotion
    Native kid makes impassioned pleas and cultural jokes.
  15. adamant
    impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, or reason
    But Sarah was adamant.
Created on Mon Feb 23 08:22:45 EST 2026 (updated Tue Mar 24 14:17:54 EDT 2026)

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