Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief: Prologue–Chapter 6

by Wendelin Van Draanen
In this first book of the mystery series, seventh-grader Samantha Jo Keyes looks through her binoculars and sees a burglary at the Heavenly Hotel.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Prologue–Chapter 6, Chapters 7–12, Chapters 13–19
25 words 19 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. account
    the grounds or reason for
    Anyhow, it’s on account of Mrs. Graybill that I was stuck inside when I wanted to be outside.
  2. seedy
    shabby and untidy
    Grams hates the Heavenly Hotel—calls it seedy, but I think she’s wrong.
  3. practically
    almost; nearly
    When I got the binoculars adjusted so that I could practically see him breathing in and out, I got the strangest feeling that I’d seen this guy before.
  4. embroider
    decorate with needlework
    She comes over to me with this measuring cup full of rice and says, “To knit, or crochet, or embroider—that’s it! I’m going to teach you how to embroider.”
  5. constructive
    emphasizing what is laudable or hopeful or to the good
    “It would be fun. Trust me, you would enjoy it! Besides, it would give you something constructive to do on the days when you have to stay in.”
  6. jamb
    a vertical side piece of a door or window frame
    With the fire escape all I have to worry about is that someone’s going to notice the wad of gum I put in the jamb to keep it from locking, and so far no one has.
  7. blare
    make a loud noise
    Just then the mall loudspeakers blare, “Good afternoon, shoppers! This is Rockin’ Rick comin’ atcha from the KRQK rock party booth..."
  8. commotion
    a disorderly outburst or tumult
    And with all the commotion at the hotel—well, there was no way I could just pass by without taking a peek inside.
  9. prop
    support by placing against something solid or rigid
    And since the door was propped open, I just walked right in.
  10. juvenile
    of or relating to children or young people
    I remember throwing the ticket away in a Dumpster, feeling like I’d just hit a home run, and now here I was—face to face with the Borsch-man, on the verge of getting thrown into Juvenile Hall.
  11. vicinity
    a surrounding or nearby region
    Look, little girl, we’ve had five burglaries in this vicinity in the past two weeks.
  12. gawk
    look with amazement
    East Jasmine is where they have gates in front of their driveways and riding mowers for their lawns. East Jasmine is where people from out of town go just to gawk.
  13. snub
    refuse to acknowledge
    At first Firehead just snubs us, but then she notices my shoes.
  14. glare
    look at with a fixed or angry gaze
    Now while Taylor’s talking to Marissa, Firehead’s getting real roasty around the collar. And when he’s done telling us how to get to B-2, she glares at us, then throws her nose in the air and goes back to talking to Taylor.
  15. petrify
    cause to become stunned or immobile, as with fear or awe
    Firehead pulls a face like Oh, I’m so scared and then leans over again and says, “Whatcha gonna do? Kick me with a high-top?” She puts her hand in front of her mouth. “Ooooh...I’m petrified!”
  16. maturity
    the behavior or manner expected of or appropriate to an adult
    Well, Miss Acosta, maybe your elementary school teachers allowed you to talk during the Pledge, but you’re in junior high school now and we expect a degree of maturity from you.
  17. variable
    a quantity that can assume any of a set of values
    In math, Mr. Tiller sat us in alphabetical order and then tried to get us fired up about the “concept of variables.” We all just kind of stared while he and X danced around the whiteboard.
  18. warble
    sing or play with trills
    It might have been an okay film, but the narrator’s voice kept warbling around and the tracking kept going off.
  19. catty
    deliberately and often slyly spiteful or cruel
    Heather gives me this catty little smile, then does something really weird—she moves over to my side of the table, gets right in my face, and says, “Was I talking to you?”
  20. dumbfounded
    as if rendered speechless with astonishment and surprise
    “You did what?”
    “I punched her in the nose.”
    Marissa’s still dumbfounded and I’m still gnashing away on my peanut butter and jelly when this man in a suit and a scuba watch shows up.
  21. plaque
    a tablet that commemorates a person or achievement
    So I follow him to an office with a big brass plaque on the door that reads: MR. CAAN, VICE PRINCIPAL.
  22. reflection
    a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
    “Samantha, I think you should spend a little time in our Reflection Room thinking about what you’ve done today. Spend some time reflecting on why hitting Heather was not a good solution to your problem with her.”
  23. apparently
    seemingly; as far as one can tell
    “You waved at him? What were you thinking?”
    “Apparently I wasn’t.”
  24. bogus
    fraudulent; having a misleading appearance
    I hate telling fortunes—it’s so bogus.
  25. prance
    move or step in a lively, spirited, or showy way
    He starts prancing around like he doesn’t know which way to run, then jumps on his bike and takes off.
Created on Wed Apr 26 10:16:06 EDT 2023 (updated Wed May 10 14:46:44 EDT 2023)

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