The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street: Chapters 13–18

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
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. reluctantly
    with a certain degree of unwillingness
    Oliver nodded; then he reluctantly told the small crowd that had gathered around him about the Christmas-present dilemma.
  2. wheedle
    influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
    “Please, Jess? Don’t you love me?” she wheedled.
  3. gloat
    dwell on with satisfaction
    “I knew you would like it!” Isa gloated.
  4. wispy
    thin and weak
    “These concerts are so boring,” Jefferson had said to a girl with long wispy hair and tiny ears.
  5. telltale
    disclosing unintentionally
    Jessie felt the telltale signs of her temper rising as hot blood rushed through her body.
  6. dumbfounded
    as if rendered speechless with astonishment and surprise
    Jefferson was too dumbfounded to say anything to this tiny sixth-grader with big black glasses and crazy hair getting in his face.
  7. strut
    walk in a proud, confident way
    I suggest you stop strutting around in that dumb-looking jacket and get some culture!
  8. delegate
    give an assignment to or assign a task to
    He was delegating the red rubber bands to Laney when his mom called to him from the kitchen.
  9. jaunty
    having a cheerful, lively, and self-confident air
    She handed him an enormous basket of cookies, all packaged in clear cellophane with jaunty little tags.
  10. sustenance
    a source of food or nourishment
    “That’s why I included sustenance!” Mama reached into the basket and pulled out a bag labeled “OLIVER.” The bag contained all six kinds of cookies he liked best.
  11. sheepish
    showing a sense of shame
    When Mr. Smiley could only offer a sheepish shrug, Angie rolled her eyes and stomped out the door.
  12. diversify
    make more varied
    “We need to diversify our strategy.”
  13. duress
    compulsory force or threat
    Jessie spoke slowly. “You gave the Beiderman cookies. From your own personal stash. Willingly. Not under duress.”
  14. prim
    affectedly dainty or refined
    “Thank you,” Isa said primly.
  15. noble
    having high or elevated character
    The smell of Castleman’s Bakery tempted the Vanderbeekers when they passed by, and each Vanderbeeker felt noble as they resisted the desire to take shelter in the cozy store.
  16. imposing
    impressive in appearance
    Imposing wrought-iron gates reached skyward, and beyond the gates was the college campus.
  17. wring
    twist and compress, as if in pain or anguish
    To the girl with the paper—who was now wringing her hands and crying—the gray-haired woman snapped, “Next time, don’t be late.”
  18. frazzle
    exhaust physically or emotionally
    “Oh, thank goodness,” the frazzled student said, slumping down against the wall.
  19. swathe
    wrap in or as if in strips of cloth
    While five-year-old Joseph carefully inscribed his name on a line, a middle-aged man in a worn overcoat and swathed in a bright red scarf approached them.
  20. stationery
    paper cut to an appropriate size for writing letters
    Hyacinth had given him stationery with drawings of pandas all over it for his poem, which Oliver thought was weird but his sisters insisted was cute.
  21. haiku
    an epigrammatic Japanese verse form of three short lines
    “Hey, how does this haiku sound?”
    I haven’t bounced my
    basketball in forty days
    Do you feel the peace?
  22. prong
    a pointed projection
    Jessie touched the remaining wires to two small prongs coming down from an LED light, and the light blinked on.
  23. translucent
    allowing light to pass through diffusely
    round translucent bead
  24. conductor
    a device designed to transmit electricity or heat
    Wires act as conductors, connecting zinc to copper and creating a high enough voltage to light the LED light
  25. galvanize
    cover with zinc
    Galvanized nail covered in zinc
  26. electrolyte
    a solution that conducts electricity
    Acid in lemon juice acts as electrolytes
  27. solemn
    dignified and somber in manner or character
    “Hey. What’s up?” he said around a mouthful of sticky sandwich.
    Angie looked at him with solemn eyes. “I found out something about the Beiderman.”
  28. lull
    make calm or still
    A few minutes later she watched Jessie slowly close her eyes, lulled to sleep by the violin playing and the warm air wrapping around her from the radiator.
  29. exasperated
    greatly annoyed; out of patience
    Mama was exasperated. Mr. Beiderman’s real estate agent had the nerve to call about someone seeing the place tomorrow.
  30. erratic
    liable to sudden unpredictable change
    The longer Franz went without a bath, the wilder and more erratic his behavior became.
  31. hunker down
    crouch or squat into a low position
    Franz hunkered down by the back door and tried to make himself invisible.
  32. petrify
    cause to become stunned or immobile, as with fear or awe
    Jessie was petrified. Isa had never, ever raised her voice to her like that.
  33. fitful
    intermittently stopping and starting
    When Isa finally drifted off an hour later, the brownstone groaned with relief as the last Vanderbeeker fell into a fitful sleep.
  34. sustain
    undergo, as of injuries and illnesses
    The driver, David Albertson, sustained minor injuries.
  35. disarray
    untidiness, especially of clothing and appearance
    First Laney appeared, wearing her panda coat and talking to her stuffed bunny about what presents she wanted for Christmas. Oliver stumbled into the kitchen next, his hair in disarray.
  36. apprehensive
    mentally upset over possible misfortune or danger
    Jessie tapped her pencil against her dinner notes. She felt uncharacteristically apprehensive. “Should we split up the list? I can make the beef stew and the cheesecake. Do you want to do the roasted vegetables and carrot cake?”
  37. squeamish
    easily disturbed or disgusted by unpleasant things
    Her stomach felt squeamish and unsteady—the last time she had felt like this was when she ate the fish head stew Allegra’s mom had made.
  38. deem
    judge or regard in a particular way
    Hyacinth sifted through a stack of boxes Mama had deemed too small to be useful for the move.
  39. procure
    get by special effort
    The cabinet was lined with old fuzzy blankets Hyacinth had procured from Miss Josie and Mr. Jeet.
  40. falter
    be or become weak, unsteady, or uncertain
    For a moment, Hyacinth’s resolve faltered.
Created on Thu Nov 07 21:03:33 EST 2019 (updated Thu Nov 14 16:14:48 EST 2019)

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