Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All: List 3

by Chanel Miller
With her friend Iris Lam, 10-year-old Magnolia Wu goes on a quest to return all the socks left behind in her parents' laundromat.

This list covers "Salty Muscles"–"The Final Sock."

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

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. brainstorm
    try to solve a problem by thinking intensely about it
    Magnolia spent all night pacing back and forth across the laundromat, brainstorming ideas for an apology.
  2. graffiti
    unauthorized drawings or writing on walls in public places
    New York storefronts were always getting tagged with graffiti; sometimes strangers spray-painted cupcakes or skulls, wrote phrases like The world is ending or Miss you the most.
  3. conjure
    summon into action or bring into existence
    Magnolia conjured the image in her mind of thirty women pouring onto the sidewalk behind Ms. Lam, the man sprinting for his life.
  4. underlying
    in the nature of something though not readily apparent
    In the silence, they shared the unspoken understanding that the underlying message was Go back to where you came from.
  5. mundane
    found in the ordinary course of events
    She thought of the day she met Iris, the way she’d taken interest in every mundane detail of the laundromat, picking up and admiring a seashell.
  6. fluorescent
    brilliantly colored and apparently giving off light
    Iris slowly examined the details: the lumpy floor, the plastic fan, and the fluorescent sunshine.
  7. funky
    stylish and modern in an unconventional way
    “Whoa, that’s kinda funky. Did you make it?” said Magnolia.
  8. go ballistic
    get very angry and fly into a rage
    “Me, my mom, and my dad. But my dad had a temper. Like, once, I wanted to show him how soft my new sweater was and rubbed it against his cheek. I didn’t know the tag was still attached, and it scraped him and he lost it, went ballistic.”
  9. abundant
    present in great quantity
    Coconuts did not grow in New York City, but coconut-scented products were abundant.
  10. bodega
    small shop selling groceries, especially in a Hispanic area
    If anyone knew anything about coconut-scented goods, it’d be Ali, who ran the bodega on the corner.
  11. outdated
    old; no longer valid or fashionable
    Mister Pants and Pockets were good friends—the narrative that dogs and cats were enemies was quite outdated.
  12. silhouette
    a filled-in drawing of the outline of an object
    The label of the floor polish caught Iris’s eye: silhouettes of palm fronds with black spheres beneath them.
  13. courageous
    able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching
    She thought of her young mom, who was courageous enough to leave home and cross that vast blue ocean to come here and build a new one.
  14. ricochet
    spring back; spring away from an impact
    The basketball ricocheted off the rim, and when he turned to catch it, he saw them and froze.
  15. rapt
    feeling great delight and interest
    The gym went silent. Aspen, Magnolia, Iris, Luis, and Jessica huddled together in rapt attention as Mr. Ishioka stepped out of his sandals and tugged both gym socks onto his feet.
Created on 六月 8, 2026 (updated 六月 9, 2026)

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