Keep It Together, Keiko Carter: Chapters 10–17

by Debbi Michiko Florence
Keiko has always counted on her best friends, Audrey and Jenna — but the girls' friendship is tested as they navigate seventh grade.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–9, Chapters 10–17, Chapters 18–24, Chapters 25–32
25 words 84 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. frumpy
    drab, old-fashioned, and unattractive
    She looked fresh and neat, while I felt rumpled and frumpy in my PJs.
  2. flounce
    walk in an emphatic or exaggerated way
    “Not if it’s your weird homemade kind.” She flounced to the fridge. At least she was talking to me.
  3. oblivious
    lacking conscious awareness of
    Conner strode across the kitchen, and Lumpy bounded over to him, tail wagging, oblivious to Audrey’s glare.
  4. gangly
    tall, thin, and awkward
    The rest of the pictures were of Lumpy. Lumpy as the skinny puppy Conner had found, wrapped in a dirty blanket by a trash bin. Lumpy looking gangly months later, tennis ball in his mouth.
  5. dread
    fearful expectation or anticipation
    I followed Jenna down the hall, a mixture of dread and hope filling me.
  6. strew
    spread by scattering
    The homemade banner was shredded to pieces, and the fake flowers strewn around the room.
  7. roil
    be agitated
    I didn’t want to imagine what it would be like if Jenna and Audrey and I weren’t talking to each other. My throat felt tight and my stomach roiled.
  8. pry
    move or force in an effort to get something open
    I pried my eyes open and realized I’d fallen asleep on the floor of Conner’s room.
  9. spur
    incite or stimulate
    Two knocks on the door spurred me into sitting up. Three knocks later, I stumbled to the door and unlocked it.
  10. scrounge
    collect or look around for
    Teddy and Doug mumbled that they were going to scrounge for food and left for the kitchen.
  11. morgue
    a building or room where dead bodies are kept before burial
    “It was like sitting around a morgue.”
  12. fiasco
    a complete failure or collapse
    She seemed fine in social studies, but we hadn’t talked about the fiasco weekend.
  13. reluctantly
    with a certain degree of unwillingness
    I sighed and reluctantly accepted Jenna was a no-show.
  14. stifle
    smother or suppress
    Audrey stifled a giggle as I nudged her.
  15. contraption
    a small mechanical device or tool
    Another link led me to an image of a contraption made of springs that looked like a torture device.
  16. savor
    taste appreciatively
    I had never loved a strip of potato like this before. I ate it slowly, savoring.
  17. monopolize
    have or exploit an exclusive control of something
    But, just like yesterday, Gregor didn’t acknowledge me when I got to class. Nicole and Kimmie were there first, monopolizing Gregor.
  18. maneuver
    direct the course of or determine the direction of traveling
    I expected to be bored, but I watched the game intently as Conner, Teddy, and Doug maneuvered all over the court, making shot after shot.
  19. fortification
    the act of increasing the strength of something
    I left Dad in front of the TV and swung by my room for a piece of TCHO extra-dark chocolate for fortification.
  20. embark
    set out on, as an enterprise or subject of study
    As she recited her lines, my sister faded away, and in her place appeared a girl embarking on a quest.
  21. rift
    a personal or social separation
    I watched Macy and Claire, their heads together, as they followed Mrs. Margolis out of the auditorium. Seeing them gave me renewed determination to mend the rift.
  22. mirage
    optical illusion in which hot air distorts distant objects
    I blinked. Nope. Not a mirage.
  23. contemplate
    consider as a possibility
    As more time went by, I contemplated taking out a book to look like I was reading, but I didn’t want to sit there by myself anymore.
  24. luscious
    extremely pleasing to the sense of taste
    But a minute after I swallowed the last luscious bite, the buzz faded.
  25. prance
    move or step in a lively, spirited, or showy way
    I turned to chase Lumpy but stopped when I saw him prancing around Doug and Teddy.
Created on Fri Mar 19 19:54:15 EDT 2021 (updated Mon Mar 29 12:48:10 EDT 2021)

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