The Next New Syrian Girl: Chapters 6–11

by Ream Shukairy
Khadija Shami, a Syrian American high school senior, and Leene Tahir, a Syrian refugee, must unravel a secret that leads them back to Jordan and challenges who they are.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–11, Chapters 12–21, Chapters 22–32, Chapter 33–Epilogue
15 words 4 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. semblance
    the outward or apparent appearance or form of something
    I want there to be a semblance of moving on, no matter how much it hurts me.
  2. ghee
    clarified butter used in Indian cookery
    My family owned an olive tree orchard in Syria, so when our neighbors were cooking their meat and pastries in ghee, my family was immersing every ingestible substance in olive oil.
  3. pallid
    pale, as of a person's complexion
    When I steal a glance at Leene, her brows are pulled together in contemplation and her skin is a pallid color.
  4. autocrat
    a cruel and oppressive dictator
    How clever of her to have already learned to skirt around the autocrat that is my mother.
  5. credible
    appearing to merit belief or acceptance
    We browse the links she’s pulled up for volunteer sign-up pages, searching for the most credible opportunities.
  6. segue
    changing smoothly from one state or situation to another
    Knowing Nassima, she’s charming her way into a segue rather than getting straight to it.
  7. viscous
    having a relatively high resistance to flow
    My arm flails around me as I thrust my feet in the viscous liquid, trying to gain traction against the water.
  8. materialize
    come into being; become reality
    She acts through the motions of tears that don’t materialize.
  9. trawler
    a fishing boat that drags a net to catch fish
    The fishing trawler plummets back down to the sea with every choppy wave.
  10. dilapidated
    in a state of decay, ruin, or deterioration
    I’m as stiff as a board, sardined between Mama and an old teteh on the deck of a dilapidated vessel.
  11. influx
    the process of flowing in
    Most of us here are Syrian, but we have some Palestinian brothers and sisters who ride the wave of increased smuggling that came with the influx of Syrian refugees.
  12. discern
    perceive, recognize, or detect
    I spin my head, discerning what I can in the low light.
  13. supplication
    a prayer asking God's help as part of a religious service
    I try to pray, but my mind won’t settle on a single supplication.
  14. aftermath
    the consequences of an event, especially a catastrophic one
    With that blessing comes the witnessing of the aftermath.
  15. leach
    permeate or seep into gradually
    Desperation leaches into every word.
Created on Fri Oct 16 22:35:45 EDT 2026 (updated Tue Oct 27 12:29:44 EDT 2026)

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