Black Boy Joy: List 1

by Kwame Mbalia, Jerry Craft, Jason Reynolds
In this collection of stories from seventeen authors, in settings ranging from Atlanta to outer space, the joys of growing up are emphasized in the experiences of Black boys from ages nine to thirteen.

This list covers “The Griot of Grover Street: Part One” by Kwame Mbalia, “There’s Going to Be a Fight in the Cafeteria on Friday and You Better Not Bring Batman”
by Lamar Giles, and “The McCoy Game” by B.B. Alston.

Here are links to our lists for the book: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5
40 words 55 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. marquee
    a structure, often with a signboard, over an entrance
    The church marquee read ANTOINETTE ROBINSON’S HOMEGOING, FRIDAY 5:30 P.M., and it was wrong.
  2. repast
    the food served and eaten at one time
    She had the warmest hugs, the biggest smiles, and the sweetest apple turnovers Fort Jones had ever tasted, which she dusted with sugar and served after church services at the repast.
  3. turnover
    a dish made by folding a piece of pastry over a filling
    Fort would miss the turnovers, not because they were delicious (they were) or because she made one special for him when he couldn’t sit still during the sermon and got sent to the kitchen to help (she always had one set aside), but because as he sat there kicking his feet and eating the hot, sticky dessert, Aunt Netta would sing.
  4. materialize
    come into being; become reality
    There Fort was, running out the Grover Street Church’s double doors into the Carolina sun, sprinting through the parking lot to the grassy field on the other side, cuffing the tears out his eyes, when the man materialized out of nowhere.
  5. derby
    a felt hat that is round and hard with a narrow brim
    He wore a long cape—black on the outside, purple on the inside—silver pants, mismatched flip-flops with the tag still attached, and, to top it all off, a yellow derby hat with a white feather, the words “Gary the Griot” stenciled on the brim.
  6. griot
    a storyteller in West Africa
    He wore a long cape—black on the outside, purple on the inside—silver pants, mismatched flip-flops with the tag still attached, and, to top it all off, a yellow derby hat with a white feather, the words “Gary the Griot” stenciled on the brim.
  7. gawk
    look with amazement
    Fort gawked at him, but when the man finally looked up and their eyes met, the boy hurried to help.
  8. understatement
    something said in a restrained way for ironic contrast
    Actually, maybe humongous was an understatement.
    The jar came up to Fort’s waist, and he was tall for his eleven years.
  9. dismay
    the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles
    “The joy, the joy! It’s gone! My last delivery, gone!” The man waved his arms in the air—which should’ve been impossible because he still held the jar—in dismay.
  10. preposterous
    inviting ridicule
    It was so preposterous that Fort started to smile, which of course was the exact moment when Mama whirled around and laid into him.
  11. prance
    move or step in a lively, spirited, or showy way
    Fort held all the items, confused, but the old man had already twirled around (yes, twirled, with more agility than seemed possible) and pranced over (yes, pranced, is this going to be a thing?) to the wagon before Fort could ask any questions—like what, exactly, they were meant to be collecting.
  12. sweltering
    excessively hot and humid; marked by sweating and faintness
    Instead of revealing the other side of the parking lot, bright and sweltering in the midday sun, Fort saw cool darkness and silver stars dangling at ground level on the other side.
  13. nebula
    an immense cloud of gas and dust in interstellar space
    Imagine walking through the stars. An interactive planetarium where you can reach out and touch worlds. Galaxies. Nebulas.
  14. astronomical
    inconceivably large
    Traveling from world to world would be terribly inefficient if not for the Between. Could you imagine the fuel costs? Astronomical.
  15. replenish
    fill something that had previously been emptied
    Besides, you broke the collecting jar, so now you have to replenish the joy.
  16. brandish
    move or swing back and forth
    Mr. G grinned, held out a tiny bottle labeled Gary the Griot’s Splendiferous Story Solution and the bubble wand (now taped back together), then brandished the butterfly net like a baseball bat.
  17. coax
    influence or persuade by gentle and persistent urging
    “Joy is a fragile thing, my boy, and must be treated as such. Too harsh and it disintegrates. Rush, and it disappears. So we coax it forth. Feed it, like kindling to a fire.”
  18. patent
    obtain a document granting sole rights to an invention
    And what’s more fun than blowing bubbles? Nothing. Unless you’re blowing one of my patented splendiferous bubbles.
  19. deftly
    in an agile manner
    Mr. G deftly snagged the giant bubble, now heavy with shimmering, smaller bubbles inside.
  20. promptly
    with little or no delay
    The bubble wobbled into the giant jar, where it promptly burst.
  21. dawdle
    waste time
    But no time to dawdle, young Fortitude. We’ve more worlds to visit, more joy to find!
  22. funky
    having an offensive or unpleasant smell
    Inside, the funky-ripe smell of the overfull kitchen trash can suggested they had work to do.
  23. foyer
    a large entrance or reception room or area
    Cornell rushed through the dining room, scooted by Mom’s home office, cut through the foyer, kicked his shoes off before stepping into the living room no one ever sat in, and came to a skidding stop at the den, where he found his brother on the wraparound couch with a guest.
  24. nimble
    moving quickly and lightly
    Cornell fished the list from his back pocket and hopped over the back of the couch. It was a nimble leap.
  25. contemplate
    look at thoughtfully; observe deep in thought
    Carter cracked the fridge, grabbed three ginger ales in the glass bottles that Dad liked while he contemplated the list.
  26. versatile
    having great diversity or variety
    Okay, seems to me you need a pretty versatile team to be safe. Someone techy. Someone magic. Maybe some kind of wild card. Like a telepath, or a teleporter.
  27. shamble
    walk by dragging one's feet
    Dad’s breathing was normal again—thank goodness—and he shambled to the couch, patting the cushion next to him.
  28. murky
    cloudy, dirty, and difficult to see through
    Pop-Pop held two fancy colognes for Cornell to see. One in murky blue glass shaped like a seashell. The other in a smoke gray bottle that looked like a test tube.
  29. tempt
    dispose, incline, or entice to
    I’m tempted to remind her that she and Dre’s dad, my uncle Ray, don’t get along either, but last time I did that Ma went on and on about how I need to stay out of grown folks’ business.
  30. coordinate
    a number that identifies a position relative to an axis
    That laughter got quiet after I tracked the coordinates to an old house way out in the country listed under Grandad’s government name: Gerald McCoy.
  31. glare
    look at with a fixed or angry gaze
    We glare at each other until a loud whirring sound gets our attention.
  32. assume
    take to be the case or to be true
    “I ASSUME YOU TWO ARE JAMAL AND ANDRE?" the robot squeaks.
  33. thrive
    make steady progress
    See, Big Mac had this theory that there are these really cool caretakers that look out for all life in the universe. Humanity was born in Africa, and Grandad said those caretakers stopped by early on to teach us stuff like math and science. Basically how to survive and thrive.
  34. frantically
    in an uncontrolled manner
    I glance around frantically, heart pounding as I feel the two-minute time limit slipping away.
  35. jolt
    move or cause to move with a sudden jerky motion
    The jet pack jolts me to a sudden stop.
  36. partial
    having a strong preference or liking for
    I'M QUITE PARTIAL TO NOT GETTING EATEN, YOU SEE.
  37. rank
    very offensive in smell or taste
    The light is so dim down here and the smell so rank, it’s hard to concentrate.
  38. slump
    fall or sink heavily
    Out of breath, I slump down next to Dre.
  39. static
    crackling or hissing noise caused by electrical interference
    Grandad’s staticky voice sounds through a speaker.
  40. reckon
    expect, believe, or suppose
    Reckon I really just wanted to say that I love you both, and that spending the summers with you was something I looked forward to every year.
Created on Thu Nov 02 15:17:54 EDT 2023 (updated Fri Nov 03 17:04:21 EDT 2023)

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