The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street: Chapters 4–7

by Karina Yan Glaser
After learning that they are going to be evicted from their Brooklyn home, the five Vanderbeeker children come up with a scheme to convince their landlord to allow them to stay.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–7, Chapters 8–12, Chapters 13–18, Chapter 19–Epilogue
40 words 218 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. clamber
    climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling
    Together the Vanderbeeker children clambered down the steps to the kitchen, all talking at once.
  2. meringue
    sweet dessert or topping made of beaten egg whites and sugar
    Mama turned toward her children and pointed a canary-yellow spatula with a glob of meringue cream at them.
  3. forefront
    the position of greatest importance or advancement
    “So,” Oliver said, jumping right into the very topic at the forefront of everyone’s minds.
  4. synchronicity
    the relation that exists when things occur at the same time
    Based on the synchronicity and the force of the kicks, he was pretty sure they came from the twins.
  5. tread
    put down, place, or press the foot
    The tiles made the rooftop welcoming and soundproof. Nevertheless, the kids knew to tread in the same manner they did when visiting one another’s bedrooms late at night, being careful not to wake their parents.
  6. unrestrained
    marked by uncontrolled excitement or emotion
    Jessie heard unrestrained laughter from a group of people walking down the street on the other side of the building.
  7. gospel
    a genre of evangelical Christian music
    Laney, whose eyes were squeezed as tight as she could squeeze them, tried not to hear anything. Still, she heard Miss Josie’s rich voice singing a gospel tune.
  8. scoff
    laugh at with contempt and derision
    “Do you think we’ll really stay in Harlem?”
    “Of course,” scoffed Jessie, opening her eyes. “Papa said so.”
  9. communal
    for or by a group rather than individuals
    “Remember, not a word to Mama and Papa,” Jessie reminded them. The Vanderbeeker kids formed a tight circle and did a communal fist bump.
  10. crafty
    marked by skill in deception
    “Hyacinth should do the first Beiderman mission,” Jessie said. “She’s the craftiest person in the world.”
  11. obnoxious
    causing disapproval or protest
    “C’mon, Hyacinth! You’re the perfect person to go first. Not too overwhelming”—here Jessie shot a glance at Laney, who was busy drawing hearts on everyone’s hands with a felt-tip pen she had found in the REP bag—“and not too obnoxious.”
  12. doom
    an unpleasant or disastrous destiny
    Jessie sighed. “Fine. Send me to my doom. But someone’s coming with me.”
    “I’ll help, I’ll do it!” Laney yelled, waving an arm in the air.
  13. finesse
    subtly skillful handling of a situation
    “No, you’re not—for a boy—but you could use some...finesse,” said Jessie.
    “Finesse,” grumbled Oliver. “I have so much finesse, you don’t even know.”
  14. fend
    try to manage without help
    If you didn’t include Oliver because he was a boy, that left Hyacinth taking the true middle spot, fending for herself in a household of loud, strong-willed, attention-grabbing siblings.
  15. periodical
    happening or recurring at regular intervals
    Paganini was hopping in bizarre patterns around the living room carpet, periodically flinging himself into the air and spinning as if auditioning for a Broadway show.
  16. plait
    a hairdo formed by braiding or twisting the hair
    “Do you really think we can win the Beiderman over in four days?” she asked as she gathered her hair back and braided it in a long plait.
  17. woeful
    affected by or full of grief or sadness
    She settled down on the living room carpet and busied herself cutting red felt circles for her holly berry placemats. Franz looked on with his woeful basset hound eyes, then went to his food bowl and began the slow process of nudging it across the room until it banged into her knee.
  18. wrangle
    quarrel noisily, angrily, or disruptively
    “We’re off!” Jessie announced to Isa, Oliver, and Hyacinth as she wrangled Laney into her puffy purple jacket and sparkly winter boots.
  19. croissant
    a very rich, flaky, crescent-shaped roll
    “Make sure to buy extra cheese croissants,” Oliver said.
  20. borough
    one of the administrative divisions of a large city
    It had sat in that same location for decades and had a loyal following of people who would cross boroughs and state lines to buy bread and pastries there.
  21. renowned
    widely known and esteemed
    Mr. Castleman was the renowned neighborhood baker, and his wife managed the front of the store.
  22. furrow
    make or become wrinkled or creased
    “Okay, what is Santa Claus rolling down a hill? Wait. That’s not it. I forgot.” Laney’s eyebrows were furrowed with confusion.
  23. centrifuge
    an apparatus that separates particles from a suspension
    Meanwhile, Jessie’s mind spun like the centrifuge she’d used in science class last month.
  24. surreptitiously
    in a secretive manner
    Laney, who carried the Beezerman’s bag of pastries, surreptitiously peeked into the brown bag while they were walking home.
  25. cherub
    an angel portrayed as a winged child
    The tray was faded but still pretty, with a big rainbow in the middle and three cherubs with harps floating above it.
  26. artful
    marked by skill or cunning in achieving a desired end
    After Jessie stirred it, Isa placed the teapot on the tray, and Hyacinth artfully arranged the pastries from Laney’s bag.
  27. expletive
    profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
    “Oh fudge!” This time Jessie’s expletive was quite a bit louder.
  28. slink
    move or walk stealthily
    They slinked down the stairs, each one thinking that this was a huge setback to Operation Beiderman.
  29. beckon
    summon with a wave, nod, or some other gesture
    “Talk to me,” her mom said, beckoning Jessie to sit on the bed.
  30. depiction
    representation by drawing, painting, etc.
    Mama looked at the wall where six years ago an unsupervised three-year-old Oliver had drawn a post-impressionist-Picasso-like depiction of their family.
  31. gouge
    make a groove in
    “I don’t think the Beiderman—I mean, Mr. Beiderman—would appreciate us gouging a hole in his wall.”
  32. constrict
    become tight or as if tight
    Jessie’s throat constricted. She wanted to rewind the last hour and do it all over again.
  33. poise
    great coolness and composure under strain
    In her mind she saw herself handling the tray with elegance and poise, presenting it to a grateful Beiderman, who accepted it with a smile.
  34. barrage
    the rapid and continuous delivery of communication
    The second Hyacinth knocked, she knew something bad was going to happen. She knew before she heard the stomping from inside the third-floor apartment and the barrage of clicks and bangs from locks being disengaged.
  35. suppressed
    held in check or kept back with difficulty
    Oliver let himself in and closed the door behind him. “Can I come up?”
    There was no answer except suppressed sobs, so Oliver took that as a yes and climbed to the top bunk.
  36. gingerly
    in a manner marked by extreme care or delicacy
    He gingerly patted Hyacinth’s back and waited for her to be more coherent.
  37. coherent
    capable of thinking in a clear and consistent manner
    He gingerly patted Hyacinth’s back and waited for her to be more coherent.
  38. prospect
    belief about the future
    Oliver, alarmed by the prospect of Hyacinth crying again, suggested that they go downstairs so she could show him her collection of buttons.
  39. immaculate
    completely neat and clean
    Mr. Jeet was immaculately dressed in a pressed button-down shirt and crisp black trousers.
  40. sprig
    a small branch or stem, usually with leaves or flowers
    Miss Josie gave Mr. Jeet a sprig of cilantro, and Paganini’s rabbit nose led the way over to the delicious herb, where he plucked it from Mr. Jeet’s hands and ate it with both efficiency and speed.
Created on Thu Nov 07 20:24:42 EST 2019 (updated Thu Nov 14 16:14:34 EST 2019)

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