Kwame Crashes the Underworld: Chapters 8–9

by Craig Kofi Farmer
Twelve-year-old Kwame is struggling to face the death of his beloved grandmother. But a heroic journey through the Ghanaian underworld, filled with mythology and magic, offers him a transformative experience ultimately preparing him for his grandmother’s celebration of life.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapters 5–6, Chapter 7, Chapters 8–9, Chapters 10–11, Chapters 12–15, Chapters 16–18,
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. scythe
    an edge tool for cutting grass
    But the akrafena doesn’t care about me or my plan. The vicious blade dives into the pool like a scythe and surges toward me, an exhaust trail of bubbles erupting from the hilt. The akrafena apparently isn’t concerned with the laws of physics either; somehow, it moves just as fast underwater as it did in the air.
  2. improvise
    perform without preparation
    “Time to improvise,” I mutter.
    I sprint toward the blade. The inscriptions on the akrafena glow, as if it’s anticipating its next kill. At the last second, I hit a baseball-style slide. The akrafena sails over me, and the stray pool water on the floor carries my slide halfway to the door. I pop up, dive for the door, rip it open, and shut it just in time for the akrafena to stab itself through.
  3. reinvigorate
    impart new strength, vitality, or energy
    We hustle downstairs. Our adrenaline reinvigorates us, the fear of being eviscerated keeping us alert and aware. We only get a three-second head start before the akrafena slices a hole large enough for it to wiggle through and chase after us.
  4. dissipate
    go away, scatter, or disappear
    “Ama,” I whisper. “What happens if two alive kids die in Asamando?”
    ...“You want the truth?” Ama asks.
    Bang!
    “Yes, please.”
    “Your physical body dissolves, your sunsum dissipates into the air, and your spirit goes to whatever underworld you are most tied to.”
    “Oh, great.”
  5. impenetrable
    not admitting of passage into or through
    The blade stops in midair and rattles to the ground—lifeless once more.
    Tano exhales and scoops the akrafena off the ground. “This is why I kept this thing in a case. I put a slew of enchantments over it, which was supposed to make the trophy case impenetrable!”
  6. unfazed
    not worried, disturbed, or dismayed by circumstances
    “The Queen Mother will be fine—she cannot die a second time. Your friend and that aboatia, though, will drown soon,” Tano says, unfazed, as if he’s giving a presentation on dolphins at SeaWorld.
  7. tectonic
    pertaining to the structure or movement of the earth's crust
    Images of Grandma’s smile flash through my mind. I lost her once. And if there’s even a chance that Ama is actually my grandmother…then I’m not losing her again.
    I see red. Or, rather, I see brown.
    I see the Earth and the tectonic plates underneath. The thick scent of soil fills my nostrils, and I imagine lava bubbling up to my heart.
  8. levitate
    be suspended in the air, as if in defiance of gravity
    The ground begins to shake with a violent vengeance. The podium falls. The tables capsize and roll toward the window on my right. Tano almost loses his balance, and he levitates in the air to steady himself.
    Tano’s disorientation, however, is enough to break his concentration. The water encasing Autumn, Ama, and Woo explodes.
  9. validate
    show or confirm the effectiveness or worthiness of something
    “All right, Mother!” Tano calls, reaching out to me. He has a zealous smile on his face, like he’s just been validated. “You’ve proved it! I believe you!”
  10. absolve
    excuse or free from blame
    But seeing Tano’s panicked face absolves me of those worries....What matters is that Tano and all who follow him feel the wrath of the Earth today.
    “You’ve made your point, Mother!” Tano pleads amid the chaos.
  11. gargantuan
    of great mass; huge and bulky
    The building’s bottom half crumbles right, toward the Sands of Asase, and its top half falls to the left—toward the gargantuan swirling portal below.
  12. careen
    move at high speed and in an uncontrolled way
    We fly through the open window and tumble into free fall. I grip the dashiki for dear life as we careen toward the bright purple portal I saw from the windows in Tano’s vanity office.
  13. reprimand
    censure severely or angrily
    “Ah, the mighty Taakora,” a voice says—smooth, confident, and reprimanding. “Look how far you’ve fallen.”
    Without even opening his eyes, Tano groans. “Nansi. You know I hate puns. Especially your puns.”
  14. trounce
    defeat in a competition, race, or conflict
    “Whatever the circumstances, you’ve let yourself get trounced by two children, a Queen Mother, and their weird pet. And you call yourself War Lord.”
  15. unrequited
    not returned in kind
    Nansi puts a hand on Tano’s shoulder. “Brother, in your heart, you know what is happening. Mother died because of her misplaced and unrequited love for humans. She gave them a beautiful Earth, and they set it ablaze. She’s gone —”
    “Stop saying she’s gone!”
  16. flinch
    draw back, as with fear or pain
    “My poor, lost children.”
    I flinch and turn to see a woman who’s at least seven feet tall. Her deep brown skin looks smooth and polished. She’s wearing a dress of white sand, decorated with seashells and diamonds. A river lily rests in her afro. I feel her sunsum even through the dream, comforting me and pulling me closer.
  17. kinship
    relatedness or connection by blood or marriage or adoption
    The more I look at her, the more…familiar she feels. I feel like I’m looking at a distant ancestor of mine, someone who shares a kinship with me.
    Even though I’ve never met her before, I know exactly who she is—the woman from my dreams. “Asase Yaa. Mother Earth?”
  18. grimace
    a contorted facial expression
    “It’s a great pleasure to meet you, my child. Although I wish that our first meeting occurred under different circumstances. I know you never intended to end up here—nor did you ask for any of this.”
    Just that sentence makes my eyes well with tears. I blink them back and try for a lopsided smile…but it deflates and melts into an ugly grimace. “Why…why is this happening?”
  19. acutely
    in a sharp or intense manner
    “But…but I got what I came for,” I say, holding up my dashiki. I’m acutely aware that I sound just as selfish as Tano at this point, but I don’t care. “Can’t you just take me and Autumn back to where we came from? Can’t someone else do this?”
  20. realm
    a domain in which something is dominant
    Asase’s eyes look like the core of a fire. “It means that you have a chance to rewrite the future and save your fellow children of the Earth. If you take it, you’ll have to descend farther into this realm—and survive the banes of the sea, the farm, and the woods. It is your decision…and I hope you make the right one.”
Created on Mon Mar 24 21:27:06 EDT 2025 (updated Fri Apr 11 18:20:41 EDT 2025)

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