The Dubious Pranks of Shaindy Goodman: Chapters 11–16

by Mari Lowe
Despite living in what she describes as one of the most Jewish towns in the United States, where her sixth grade class is the nicest of the school, Shaindel Goodman decides to join her neighbor in setting up pranks on other students.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–10, Chapters 11–16, Chapters 17–23
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. oppressive
    weighing heavily on the senses or spirit
    It’s dark in the building, the lights all out and the silence oppressive.
  2. fawning
    attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
    I remember that the third had been What is another name for Rosh Hashanah? and Gayil’s doctored paper says, Morah Neuman Appreciation Day. Other answers are less fawning and downright disrespectful.
  3. inundate
    overwhelm or fill quickly beyond capacity
    We’ve spent a month of school being told about teshuva, about changing and making amends, and at this point, we’re so inundated with reminders to be better that it’s easy to let them wash over us.
  4. aspirational
    having a strong desire for success or achievement
    I know that she’s not just aspirational—I don’t just want to be Gayil, I want to be hers. I want to belong to Gayil like Devorah and Rena do, to be her friend outside the cover of night, and if this is a test, then I’m failing it.
  5. waver
    pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
    I am nothing if not loyal to the rare people who reach out to me, and I waver in place, torn.
  6. foreboding
    a feeling of evil to come
    There is a bear on the desk, a stuffed one that’s sitting there as though it belongs, and I watch it with grim foreboding.
  7. reprimand
    an act or expression of criticism and censure
    Gayil speeds up, moving faster than I am, and her friends keep up. I hang back, my heart sinking, and I recognize the reprimand for what it is.
  8. despondency
    feeling downcast and disheartened and hopeless
    Gayil’s distance makes perfect sense when she talks about it to me, when we’re together and she’s giving me her full attention. When she isn’t, I feel a creeping despondency, a shame that burns at my throat and makes my eyes water up.
  9. tangible
    perceptible by the senses, especially the sense of touch
    I touch the apple charm, a tangible reminder of what I mean to Gayil, and I glide down the block with my eyes fixed on Gayil’s back.
  10. monotony
    the quality of wearisome constancy and lack of variety
    We bury ourselves in the happy monotony of our Succos projects, sticking pins through sequins and affixing them to the boards.
  11. affix
    attach to
    We bury ourselves in the happy monotony of our Succos projects, sticking pins through sequins and affixing them to the boards.
  12. atonement
    the act of making amends for sin or wrongdoing
    “So we move forward,” she says, “And we go from judgment to atonement. Yom Kippur is the day to atone. Most of you will be fasting, and most of you will spend the day in shul, reliving your worst actions in the past year and how you might make them right.”
  13. terse
    brief and to the point
    “Tzivia,” Morah Neuman says, her voice terse. “Please join me in the hallway.”
  14. ashen
    pale from illness or emotion
    Tzivia’s eyes are wide, her face ashen, and she looks terrified.
  15. strident
    unpleasantly loud and harsh
    I do hear Tzivia this time, loud and strident.
  16. utterly
    completely and without qualification
    Gayil speaks, and I’m not surprised when she sounds utterly convincing.
  17. reproof
    an act or expression of criticism and censure
    “You’re all right. We’re going to get to the bottom of this. Not today,” she adds hastily, looking around in reproof.
  18. implicate
    bring into intimate and incriminating connection
    I’m sure that I’ll be implicated tomorrow. There’s no way that Morah Neuman won’t see right through me.
  19. pariah
    a person who is rejected from society or home
    I’m going to be kicked out of school, or suspended, and become the class pariah.
  20. trepidation
    a feeling of alarm or dread
    She still looks upset, but she pats the spot beside her, and I sit with trepidation.
  21. grudge
    a resentment strong enough to justify retaliation
    “Someone has a grudge, and she’s taking it out on us.”
  22. niggle
    worry unnecessarily or excessively
    But there is something that niggles at me, something that rings true about Tzivia’s suspicions.
  23. perpetrator
    someone who commits wrongdoing
    Why would she keep it up when the class is angry and afraid instead of enjoying the pranks? When the school is fed up with them enough to hunt down the perpetrator?
  24. malice
    the desire to see others suffer
    She talks with her friends, breezy and unworried, and she shows no sign of malice.
  25. quirky
    strikingly unconventional
    Sari is in a completely different group of girls than anyone else here. She’s confident and a little quirky, the kind of girl who might have been bullied in a class less welcoming than mine.
  26. engrossed
    giving or marked by complete attention to
    Gayil is sitting on the steps of her porch when I come outside, engrossed in a book that she squints at in the dim light of sunset.
  27. resigned
    accepting that something unpleasant cannot be changed
    Gayil seems perpetually stressed by what everyone else thinks of her, even more than I do. Maybe because I’m resigned to my fate, and hers is something worth holding on to.
  28. haughty
    having or showing arrogant superiority
    “Shaindel Goodman,” she says in a haughty, proper voice. “Did you have anything to do with the pranks in my classroom?”
  29. stifle
    smother or suppress
    I have to stifle a laugh.
  30. peal
    a deep prolonged sound
    Tzivia laughs, a surprised little peal.
  31. decry
    express strong disapproval of
    It might be really cool, nice enough that my classmates will appreciate the prank instead of decrying it.
  32. flub
    blunder; make a mess of something
    Hopefully, I won’t flub the questioning today.
  33. conscience
    a feeling of shame when you do something immoral
    Everyone has a guilty conscience, even though none of them are actually guilty.
  34. poised
    marked by balance or equilibrium and readiness for action
    Tammy is poised at the top step of the stage, hands outstretched to begin her cartwheel.
  35. falter
    be or become weak, unsteady, or uncertain
    She spares another smile for me, and I smile back.
    It falters as we start to pack up, everyone chattering about what had just happened.
  36. underhanded
    marked by deception
    Gayil has been targeting them, sabotaging them each in underhanded ways.
  37. ominous
    threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
    I look down, catch sight of her charm bracelet, and see that she isn’t wearing my S today. Instead, there’s a little music note hanging from it, wound around a pretty A, Gayil’s favorite charm. It feels like an ominous change.
  38. chastise
    scold or criticize severely
    I hang back, chastised and humiliated and so confused, and I hear her murmur, “Weird,” to Rena as they file out of the auditorium.
  39. consternation
    sudden shock or dismay that causes confusion
    “Oh, no,” Temima whispers from behind me, sniffling.
    Morah Neuman is at the door, and she moves past us swiftly, staring at the projects in consternation.
  40. impassive
    deliberately unexpressive
    I can see Gayil near the teacher’s desk, watching me impassively, her friends beside her.
Created on Sat Mar 30 15:02:56 EDT 2024 (updated Sun Mar 31 14:59:39 EDT 2024)

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