Join the Club, Maggie Diaz: Chapters 13–21

by Nina Moreno
Seventh grader Magdalena Victoria Diaz hopes that proving to her parents she can be responsible will change her life in exciting ways.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–12, Chapters 13–21
30 words 8 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. menacing
    threatening evil or danger
    There’s a lot of sharp, menacing tools. Someone in the back is using an electric saw that screams and shrieks, and the whole place smells like the hardware store.
  2. digit
    a finger or toe, or a corresponding body part
    “Safety always. We want to keep all the digits we walked in here with, right?”
  3. necessarily
    in an essential manner
    But I play soccer and surf because I like to. Same reason I tutor. But I don’t think any of that necessarily defines me.
  4. doily
    a small round piece of decorative linen or paper
    There are knitted socks and doilies all over my bedroom.
  5. unfurl
    unroll, unfold, or spread out
    Abuela nods, her hands smoothly flying. The ball of yarn beside her slowly unfurls.
  6. doozy
    someone or something excellent of its kind
    “I want to make a skateboard,” I announce at the next meeting.
    “Whoa,” Mr. Santiago says with a laugh. “That one seems simple but is a doozy.”
  7. overwhelm
    charge someone with too many tasks
    “I’m not here to glue Popsicle sticks together,” I tell him.
    “I see that, but let’s start with something just a little easier, so you don’t get overwhelmed.”
  8. pessimism
    a general disposition to expect the worst in all things
    I tell her it’s broken, but she just waves my pessimism away and sets it on the counter. She decides it’s a great place to dry the sandwich bags she also reuses.
  9. tarp
    a sheet of waterproofed canvas
    It’s under tarps right now to protect it from all the afternoon thunderstorms.
  10. wheelhouse
    a person’s area of interest, skill, or expertise
    “That’s out of my wheelhouse. But maybe you could help me with that?”
  11. grant
    any monetary aid
    Thanks to a grant from the University of Miami, we have a school garden I had no idea about, but it’s full of fruits and vegetables that are used for our lunches.
  12. budding
    beginning to develop
    Each one is a small green bud that will somehow grow into an entire vegetable. Even testing the soil is interesting and makes me feel like a budding (ha ha!) scientist.
  13. confine
    to close within bounds, limit or hold back from movement
    She’s growing so much stuff out here, but it’s nothing like the school garden. There are no wooden beds, or any kind of layout confined by geometry. It’s a wild and tangled maze of flowers, vines, and fruits.
  14. mocking
    playfully vexing, especially by ridicule
    “And then what?”
    “And then what?” she repeats in a mocking tone. “¡Qué tontería! And then I give you more work.”
  15. glint
    be shiny, as if wet
    She smirks and the light glints off a gold tooth before she waves me off.
  16. glimmer
    a flash of light
    I keep running toward the small glimmer of porch light.
  17. hysteria
    excessive or uncontrollable fear
    “You told me to help Mrs. García and I overwatered her aloe and now she’s cursed me!”
    Mom ignores my hysteria as she leans closer to study the spots.
  18. finesse
    subtly skillful handling of a situation
    This situation requires finesse. Calm but smooth self-control.
  19. plantain
    starchy banana-like fruit
    She stops to pick through the green plantains.
  20. blase
    nonchalantly unconcerned
    Abuela glances over it, then hands it back with a blasé shrug.
  21. transcript
    an official record of a student’s academic performance
    “But I think I need to try something that will add more to my transcripts.”
    Mom looks confused. “Transcripts? Maggie, you don’t have to worry about that right now.”
  22. plummet
    drop sharply
    I put Future Leaders and woodworking on hold in order to save my plummeting grades.
  23. grating
    unpleasantly harsh in sound
    Dad pulls the saw down on a piece of wood. It makes a loud, grating sound as it cuts down on the plank, but the earplugs tone the noise down.
  24. mode
    a particular functioning condition or arrangement
    Julian is in total art-geek-out mode as he describes all the ways he used the paint to create dimension and shadows and how cool Ms. Pérez is for picking his idea and letting them run with it.
  25. optimistic
    hopeful that the best will happen in the future
    By November, the D in math is a very nice C. Mrs. Bermudez congratulates me, and I’m optimistic that I can get it to a B before my next report card.
  26. laminate
    a sheet of material made by bonding two or more layers
    “Want to help me get down the rest of this laminate flooring?”
  27. mallet
    a tool resembling a hammer but with a large head
    “I think I’m going to be a one-hit wonder.” I return his mallet.
  28. oasis
    a shelter serving as a place of safety or sanctuary
    It’s like a hidden oasis where I can hide away from all the noise for a little while.
  29. marinate
    soak food in a seasoned or flavorful liquid before cooking
    Dad’s grilling pork that Abuela marinated for hours, so I’ll definitely be back before dinner.
  30. smother
    envelop completely
    Zoey cheers, then they both immediately smother me in a hug.
Created on Mon Jun 12 13:05:23 EDT 2023 (updated Mon Jun 12 17:00:26 EDT 2023)

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