Lupe Wong Won't Dance: Chapters 1–3

by Donna Barba Higuera
In order to get the chance to meet her favorite pitcher, Lupe Wong must get an A in gym class — which means conquering the dreaded square dancing unit.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–6, Chapters 7–9, Chapters 10–17, Chapters 18–27
30 words 72 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. straggler
    someone who strays or falls behind
    Coach Solden returns to the locker room and flicks the fluorescent lights on and off. The last few stragglers jump into line.
  2. relish
    derive or receive pleasure from
    I’m relishing my successful SBD bombing mission, so I lose focus and don’t remain as still as I should.
  3. billow
    rise and move, as in waves
    A fresh cloud billows up.
  4. collateral
    accompanying; following as a consequence
    Niles shakes his head at me. “Really? I’m right here too.”
    “Sorry,” I whisper. “Collateral damage.”
  5. rafter
    one of several parallel sloping beams that support a roof
    He nods and stares past me toward the rafters, which makes it easier for him to have conversations, especially if he’s a little stressed.
  6. lull
    a pause during which things are calm
    Coach Solden claps her hands, taking advantage of the lull in activity. “I have an announcement, everyone! Gather round.”
  7. aghast
    struck with fear, dread, or consternation
    I glance down the line. Most faces are aghast, like they just saw their grandma in her underwear. Except Carl Trondson’s mouth is slightly ajar and his eyes are closed.
  8. ajar
    slightly open
    I glance down the line. Most faces are aghast, like they just saw their grandma in her underwear. Except Carl Trondson’s mouth is slightly ajar and his eyes are closed.
  9. flail
    thrash about
    Finally, the torture of the music and watching Coach Solden jog around flailing her arms and legs is over.
  10. advocate
    a person who pleads for a person, cause, or idea
    I might be what my mom calls “a social justice warrior,” but Niles is a huge advocate for our region’s endangered species.
  11. autism
    a condition involving social and communication difficulties
    Niles is on the autism spectrum, so they’ve worked his schedule so he doesn’t have to spend too much time in the halls.
  12. jostle
    make one's way by pushing or shoving
    The school hallways are outside, so even when it’s barely sprinkling (which is nearly every day in the Northwest), everyone rushes more. Kids jostle past one another like salmon in the river by our school.
  13. scoliosis
    an abnormal lateral curve of the spine
    On the first day of middle school, Gordon Schnelly ran head-on into a kid with a scoliosis brace and chipped one front tooth and lost the other.
  14. pummel
    strike, usually with the fist
    Niles executes an impossible last-minute side step before he gets pummeled by a sprinter.
  15. scoff
    laugh at with contempt and derision
    Andy scoffs. “That’s not really helpful, you guys.”
  16. mandate
    make obligatory
    Between her mom’s mandated after-school computer coding and Colloquial Japanese for International Business classes, Andy probably doesn’t have room left in her brain for pondering much of anything else.
  17. colloquial
    characteristic of informal spoken language or conversation
    Between her mom’s mandated after-school computer coding and Colloquial Japanese for International Business classes, Andy probably doesn’t have room left in her brain for pondering much of anything else.
  18. spout
    talk in a noisy, excited, or declamatory manner
    Gordon insists on wearing his protective goggles even though we haven’t started any experiments yet. He spouted off something about remnant toxic fumes and his corneas on the first day.
  19. remnant
    a small part remaining after the main part no longer exists
    Gordon insists on wearing his protective goggles even though we haven’t started any experiments yet. He spouted off something about remnant toxic fumes and his corneas on the first day.
  20. lisp
    a speech defect that involves mispronouncing "s" and "z"
    Gordon speaks with the lisp he’s had since that fateful day with the scoliosis brace.
  21. fateful
    having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences
    Gordon speaks with the lisp he’s had since that fateful day with the scoliosis brace.
  22. monotone
    an unchanging intonation
    Mr. Lundgren, our science teacher, starts speaking and the mumbling around the classroom stops. His voice never shifts out of the low tractor gear of monotone. “Today class, we will be studying the miracle of the Krebs cycle.”
  23. gibberish
    unintelligible talking
    I peek at Gordon who’s already drawing arrows coming into and off a circle on his paper. Letters and gibberish go into the circle and more gibberish comes off.
  24. pennant
    a flag that usually tapers and is longer than it is wide
    University of Washington purple-and-gold pennants plaster over any empty space like wallpaper, and a stuffed Huskies mascot stares back at me from the front of her desk.
  25. revelation
    an enlightening or astonishing disclosure
    I need to sidestep that revelation completely.
  26. prune
    cultivate, tend, and cut back the growth of
    Our next-door neighbor, Delia, is sitting on the ground pruning her catnip when I walk by.
  27. concoction
    any foodstuff made by combining different ingredients
    When I unlock the front door, I’m immediately fume-blasted with what can only be another Crock-Pot concoction.
  28. rehash
    old material that is slightly reworked and used again
    I’m stunned into paralysis by a rehash of the terror I endured earlier.
  29. slink
    move or walk stealthily
    So when we finish eating, I slink away while she’s busy doing some dance she calls the running man.
  30. subliminal
    below the threshold of conscious perception
    “Do you think they’re brainwashed with subliminal messages by the guy calling out the dance moves?”
Created on Fri Jul 16 22:34:15 EDT 2021 (updated Mon Jul 26 14:15:09 EDT 2021)

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