Like Vanessa: Fifty Stinkin’ Years–Goin’ Up Yonder

by Tami Charles
Inspired by the first black woman to be crowned Miss America, thirteen-year-old Vanessa enters a local beauty pageant in the hopes of transforming her life.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Fifty Stinkin’ Years–Goin’ Up Yonder, Pray Myself Invisible–Baby Steps, Girlfriend, Rise of the Undead–Junito Shatters the Earth, A Long Way from Our World–Much, Much Too Late, Me and My Stupid Miss America Dreams–I Remember
40 words 55 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. prance
    move or step in a lively, spirited, or showy way
    I start prancing around the room, doing the Miss America wave.
  2. earthy
    sensible and practical
    Picture Daddy smiling again, wrapping his big old earthy hands around Mama’s tiny little waist, like he used to do.
  3. bulge
    swell or protrude outwards
    A knot the size of a baseball bulges in my throat, and here comes Tanisha, turning around, looking at me with those sad hazel eyes, mouthing, “I’m sorry.”
  4. flail
    thrash about
    “I’m not playing with you guys. Settle down—now!” Mrs. Walton calls out, flailing her little arms like a helpless newborn bird.
  5. jolt
    disturb (someone's) composure
    Like a bolt of lightning slicing through the clouds, my words jolt them and leave them frozen in their seats.
  6. scrawny
    being very thin
    I’m standing there, towering over his scrawny little behind, wondering where this voice came from. Me, the girl who’d rather chew on her fingernails than talk in class.
  7. hover
    linger or remain near a place
    The room empties, and Tanisha waits for me as I pick my things up off the floor. My whole body hovers there longer than it should.
  8. gyrate
    wind or move in a spiral course
    Tanisha’s dancing with the beat. She getting down too. Popping and gyrating her little body in ways that would get me slapped.
  9. bodega
    small shop selling groceries, especially in a Hispanic area
    She owns the bodega on the corner and is the mother of the most popular girl at King Middle, Beatriz Mendez, and Grafton’s number one gangbanger, Junito “El Diablo” Mendez.
  10. drastic
    forceful and extreme and rigorous
    The two drastically different music styles fight to the last note.
  11. hustle
    move or cause to move energetically or busily
    And in the mix of it all, the people of my ’hood are hustling. Hustling to catch the bus downtown to pick up a fresh new pair of Adidas. Hustling to get to their jobs.
  12. twinge
    a sudden sharp feeling
    But on the inside, I got a case of twinges in my heart and waves in the deepest pit of my stomach.
  13. dank
    unpleasantly cool and humid
    And I turn a sharp left down the dank alley toward the A building, alone.
  14. prosthetic
    relating to or serving as an artificial body part
    Pop Pop’s good leg is propped up on the couch, while his World War II one dangles off the edge. His prosthetic is on the floor, a reminder of all he lost while he fought in what he calls “the white man’s war to conquer the world.”
  15. unison
    the act of occurring together or simultaneously
    “Yes, Mrs. Walton,” we say in perfect unison.
  16. intrigue
    cause to be interested or curious
    Once again everybody’s laughing. But I’m intrigued.
  17. effeminate
    lacking traits typically associated with men or masculinity
    Mrs. Walton’s lips tighten as she shouts, “In this class, there will be no more insults! You are all capable of singing well. Curtis, you have a lovely, effeminate tone to your voice. You are an alto and will stand in the middle row.”
  18. tenor
    the adult male singing voice above baritone
    Curtis sinks his chest in a bit and makes his way to the middle row, away from his brassy-voiced friends in the tenor section.
  19. soprano
    the pitch range of the highest female voice
    “Excellent job, Vanessa. Tanisha was right the other day. You can sing. What a lovely soprano voice you have! Make your way to the front row.”
  20. seep
    pass gradually or leak or as if through small openings
    I blame that on Mama for seeping into my head and ruining what could have been a perfect night’s sleep.
  21. octave
    a musical interval of eight tones
    My voice has elevated two octaves.
  22. mode
    how something is done or how it happens
    When I place a third biscuit on my plate, TJ shoots me a look with his lip upturned and snatches it back. “You are officially in pageant mode!”
  23. blab
    speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly
    We sit around the table, and Pop Pop and TJ are blabbing away about the pageant.
  24. sequin
    a small disk of shiny material used to decorate clothing
    TJ says he’ll make my dress red with silver sequins because red would look good next to my skin.
  25. dignity
    the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect
    Every time Daddy walks through the door, I can hear the iron chains clank around TJ’s heart, stripping him of what little dignity he has left.
  26. barricade
    prevent access to by blocking off with barriers
    On the other side of that door, Daddy barricades himself in a room that is no doubt filled with nothingness.
  27. represent
    be a delegate or spokesperson for
    Who would want to represent that beat-up, run-down King Middle anyway?
  28. hobble
    walk unevenly due to pain, injury, or weakness
    Pop Pop picks up our dishes and hobbles to the sink.
  29. bliss
    a state of extreme happiness
    People are rocking hoodies and combat boots, and you just know the days of summer bliss are long gone.
  30. pulpit
    a platform raised to give prominence to the person on it
    Every year, they go so long I swear I can see his ghost rise up from the dead and take his seat right there in the preacher’s pulpit.
  31. ghetto
    a poor densely populated city district
    The sound coming out of his mouth is moving, cleansing, freeing. Like Maya Angelou’s caged bird being released, flying past the jungle, past the ghetto, and up, up to the heavens.
  32. linger
    remain present although waning or gradually dying
    That last line lingers in the air, stinging me right down to my toes.
  33. mauve
    a moderate purple
    Pop Pop wears his mauve bell-bottom suit and veteran’s pin.
  34. purity
    the state of being unsullied by sin or moral wrong
    Since it’s Founder’s Sunday, all the women wear white. It’s a symbol of purity and cleansing.
  35. arc
    something curved in shape
    One by one, beads of sweat form in an arc across my forehead.
  36. caress
    touch or stroke lightly in a loving or endearing manner
    Mama caresses my cheek.
  37. percussion
    section of a band or orchestra that plays struck instruments
    The organ thrums low as the percussion kicks in.
  38. dumbfounded
    as if rendered speechless with astonishment and surprise
    I stand there dumbfounded as Pop Pop wobbles up behind her.
  39. scheme
    form intrigues in an underhand manner
    I stand there, torn between wanting to whack TJ and Pop Pop upside the head for scheming behind my back, and trying to figure out why, out of all the kids at King Middle, Mrs. Walton’s interested in me.
  40. chime in
    break into a conversation
    “Yes, Lawd!” TJ chimes in, slapping fives with Pop Pop.
Created on Mon Jul 09 19:41:12 EDT 2018 (updated Tue Jul 17 12:24:08 EDT 2018)

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