Saint Louis Armstrong Beach: The Story of Saint Louis Armstrong Beach–The Absolute Best Day of My Mostly Good Before.

by Brenda Woods
Twelve-year-old Saint and his dog, Shadow, grapple with the devastating Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

This list covers "The Story of Saint Louis Armstrong Beach"–"The Absolute Best Day of My Mostly Good Before."

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3
25 words 51 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. canine
    a dog, wolf, jackal, or other closely related mammal
    He’s coal black, mostly Labrador, we think, and if I could, I’d own him. But Pops keeps saying no because when he was a kid a dog bit him twice, right on the butt, and since then he’s had it in for canine creatures.
  2. clique
    an exclusive circle of people with a common purpose
    In no time flat, she became a member of this pretty-girl clique who kept on her about why the little boy was always hanging around her house.
  3. goatee
    a small chin beard trimmed to a point
    I rang Money’s doorbell and this high school dude with a goatee and a thick gold chain who I’d seen around now and then, always with a different cutie, answered the door like he lived there.
  4. slur
    utter indistinctly
    “It’s li’l boy,” one of the girls slurred, and took a sip from her paper cup. Snickers followed.
  5. snicker
    a disrespectful laugh
    “It’s li’l boy,” one of the girls slurred, and took a sip from her paper cup. Snickers followed.
  6. stammer
    speak haltingly
    “H-hey, Money,” I stammered.
    “My name ain’t Money, it’s MonaLisa, everyone knows that,” she proclaimed, then asked, “What’re you doin’ here, Saint?”
  7. mock
    imitate with derision
    “MonaLisa’s li’l boyfriend,” one of the girls mocked.
  8. glare
    look at with a fixed or angry gaze
    The one with the goatee glared at me as he slipped his arm around Money’s waist.
  9. nuzzle
    gently rub or push one's nose or face against something
    Later that day, Shadow must have heard the sad song I was playing on my clarinet. He squeezed through the gate into the backyard and nuzzled my shoulder like he wanted to play.
  10. gumbo
    a soup or stew thickened with okra pods
    I pointed to the kitchen, where Mama was getting the roux started for her gumbo.
  11. mantel
    a shelf that projects from the wall above a fireplace
    I peered into the front room at the painting of my granddaddy Saint that hangs over the fireplace mantel, placed my hand over my heart, and declared, “I swear on King Daddy Saint’s grave, I’m tellin’ the truth.”
  12. scurry
    move about or proceed hurriedly
    “Merry Christmas, Mercedes...you too, Saint. Sorry,” Olympia Lafayette apologized again, and she scurried home.
  13. hogwash
    nonsensical or ridiculous speech or writing
    Part of me wanted to talk hogwash and tell him he didn’t look his age—you know, that stuff grown-ups always say—but Smokey has gray hair and a bunch of wrinkles.
  14. virtuoso
    a musician who is a consummate master of artistry
    He stood in front of me, put his hands together, and bowed. “You gettin’ pretty good with that thing, Mister Saint. Keep it up and one day you’ll be a virtuoso.”
  15. saunter
    walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
    Abruptly, he stopped playing, turned to me, tipped his hat, and replied, “No such thing as good-bye for me and you, Mister Saint.” With that, Smokey resumed playing and sauntered away toward Jackson Square.
  16. versatility
    having a wide variety of skills
    They were impressed by my versatility, I could tell. By the time they left, my hat was brimming with bills.
  17. constellation
    a configuration of stars as seen from the earth
    Most people, including me, call her Jupi, but some call her Star Girl because she knows two tons of stuff about astronomy. You know, planets, constellations of stars, even stuff about other galaxies.
  18. indebted
    owing gratitude to another for help or favors
    I’m kind of indebted to her because she helped me study for the planet test and even taught me how to remember them in their order from the sun—My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us No Pizza—Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto.
  19. blurt
    utter impulsively
    She held my hand again and blurted, “You have a very short life line.”
  20. fume
    be mad, angry, or furious
    A clump of tourists surrounded me, forcing me to stop fuming and get back to business.
  21. makeshift
    done or made using whatever is available
    My stuff included my money, which I keep in a makeshift safe inside a secret compartment in my closet.
  22. blubber
    cry or whine with snuffling
    It was Money. I rushed downstairs, tiptoed past the living room where my parents were snuggled together watching a movie, and snuck outside. She was still blubbering.
  23. snivel
    cry or whine with snuffling
    “Go away, Saint,” she sniveled.
    “Whatsa matter? Did someone die?”
  24. beeline
    the most direct route
    Like an eel, I squeezed through the fence into her yard, half expecting her to make a beeline inside, but she stayed on the top back porch step, hunched over, sobbing away.
  25. ramble
    continue talking or writing in a purposeless manner
    “And all summer, my nana’s been making me read the Bible to her for hours, claims she can’t see the words. She needs to get some glasses and soon,” she rambled.
Created on Tue Aug 31 10:46:27 EDT 2021 (updated Tue Sep 07 13:44:25 EDT 2021)

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