Starfish: "For Just a While"–"Tug-of-War"

by Lisa Fipps
Ellie, an 11-year-old girl from Texas, learns to stand up for herself and confront bullies who tease her about her weight.

This list covers "For Just a While"–"Tug-of-War."

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3
25 words 677 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. blistering
    extremely hot
    The water is bathwater warm
    but feels cool
    compared to the blisteringly hot air.
  2. spawn
    call forth
    “Splash spawned a tsunami!”
    my sister, Anaïs, shouted.
  3. abandon
    the trait of lacking restraint or control
    My dog, Gigi, a pug,
    runs circles around us as
    we sing at the top of our lungs
    along with the bands and
    dance with complete abandon
  4. blare
    make a loud noise
    But that uncomfortable-in-my-own-skin feeling
    fades as the music blares
    and Catalina squeal-screams,
    going all bananas with us
  5. katydid
    large green long-horned grasshopper of North America
    Right on cue as the sun sets,
    the katydids start their singing
  6. jut
    extend out or project in space
    Her bottom lip juts out
    as she pouts,
    and when she huffs,
    her stick-straight blond bangs
    with blueberry tips
    stand straight up for a second.
  7. mourn
    feel sadness
    Today I’ve been in the water so long,
    my fingers look like raisins,
    but I plan to swim and float for hours more,
    mourning my first day without Viv
    and the last day of summer vacation.
  8. kibble
    pellets of coarsely ground grain used as animal feed
    Every morning,
    my pug stands on her hind legs,
    snatching kibble out of the scoop
    before I even have a chance
    to dump the food into her bowl.
  9. grub
    food
    “Grub’s ready.”
    Dad slides omelets and toast onto plates.
  10. beeline
    the most direct route
    I surrender my food to Liam,
    who’ll be a junior in high school this year,
    and make a beeline for the fridge
    for some fat-free yogurt
    that’s yet to make me fat-free.
  11. spree
    a brief indulgence of your impulses
    Dad promises me a shopping spree.
  12. straddle
    sit or stand astride of
    Dad straddles the chair next to me.
  13. conjugate
    add inflections showing person, number, gender, or tense
    While conjugating verbs in French class,
    I imagine Viv
    at her new school and
    figure I stink
    because I don’t want to think
    of her making new friends.
  14. boutique
    a shop that sells women's clothes and jewelry
    “While you were with Dr. Wood,
    I texted Aunt Zoey, and she told me
    about a new boutique
    for plus-size kids and teens.”
  15. kvetch
    express complaints, displeasure, or unhappiness
    She always tells me to try on clothes
    that won’t even fit over my head
    and then kvetches
    that I need to stick to my diet.
  16. embroider
    decorate with needlework
    My eyes lock onto
    an orange peasant top with
    embroidered turquoise flowers,
    my two favorite colors.
  17. twinge
    a sudden sharp feeling
    I feel a twinge of envy
    thinking about having a mom like hers,
    someone who accepts us
    and adapts the world to fit us,
    instead of trying to make us
    fit in the world.
  18. premonition
    an early warning about a future event
    While Mom was pregnant with me,
    she had a premonition that
    something was wrong.
  19. inventory
    make or include in an itemized record or report
    And she inventories the food.
  20. barge
    push one's way
    I found out the hard way years ago
    when she barged into my bedroom
    and freaked out on me.
  21. pry
    move or force in an effort to get something open
    Dad came in just in time to see
    Mom try to pry my mouth open,
    determined to remove every crumb,
    as if I’d swallowed poison.
  22. rift
    a personal or social separation
    It’s part of my self-imposed
    peacekeeping mission, since
    I already cause
    a whale-sized rift
    between my parents.
  23. squirrel away
    save up, as for future use
    Ever since then, every chance I get,
    I squirrel away food.
  24. bound
    confined by bonds
    I feel powerful and powerless,
    free and bound,
    all at the same time.
  25. lard
    soft white semisolid fat obtained from pigs
    “I guess it pays
    to have a lard butt around sometimes,”
    Marissa says as she ties the anchor loop
    around my waist.
Created on Thu Jan 06 12:26:42 EST 2022 (updated Fri Jan 07 16:42:02 EST 2022)

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