“The Treasure of Lemon Brown” by Walter Dean Myers

1. “The Treasure of Lemon Brown”by Walter Dean Myers

2. Just A Few Notes AboutOur Featured Author:Walter Dean Myers One of his newest novels!

3. Walter Dean Myers1937 - ? • He was born in West Virginia, but grew up in the New York City neighborhood of Harlem. He grew up with a good deal of family turmoil, spending part of his childhood in a foster family.

6. He dreamed of becoming a professional writer, but believed that his poverty and lack of a formal education would prevent him from reaching his goal. After entering and winning a writing contest, he’s never looked back. He has published many books and has won numerous writing awards.

7. His stories center around young black men who live in Harlem and the challenges they face. • Basketball almost always makes an appearance in his stories.

8. Vocabulary

9. Impromptu(adjective) • unscheduled; unplanned When we get together with our instruments, we often play impromptu pieces of music—what’s typically called “jamming.”

10. Ajar(adjective) • open slightly I left the back door ajar so our golden retriever Stanley could easily come back in.

11. Tentatively (adverb) • hesitantly; with uncertainty; potentially This horse will be using his legs tentatively until he feels comfortable in his casts. The horse’s date for being taken out of the casts is tentatively set for early May.

12. Tenement(noun) • old, run-down apartment building In our short story, a young boy enters an abandoned tenement, which is not a good idea.

13. Bodega(noun) • a small grocery store serving a Latino neighborhood Ethnic neighborhoods often have stores catering to its people. Latinos call their stores in such neighborhoods “bodegas.”

14. Tremor(noun) • an involuntary shaking of the body or limbs. Many diseases cause their victims to have tremors, such as Parkinson’s disease.

15. Intently(adverb) • sharply focused attention Here are some dumplings writing intently in their language arts class.

16. Harmonica(noun) • a small musical wind instrument played with one’s mouth. Lemon Brown is an accomplished harmonica player in our short story.

17. Peer(verb) • to look at, with the intent to “figure out” something. We peered at microbes through microscopes in our science class.

18. Banister(noun) • a railing along a staircase I held on tightly to the banister as I alighted the stairs.

19. Thugs, Scalawags, Scoundrels(noun) • people who cause trouble; minor criminals It’s a good idea to avoid keeping company with thugs and scalawags.

20. Ominous(adjective) • describing something that is threatening or “warning” of harm or evil to come These ominous clouds will soon bring a blizzard along with hazardous driving weather.

21. Astute(adjective) • smart; with-it Our guidance counselor Mrs. Watkins always has astute advice regarding friendship problems.

22. Gnarled(adjective) • twisty; knobby My grandmother’s hands are painfully gnarled with arthritis.

23. Eerie(adjective) • creepy; spooky Walking through a cemetery at night can be very eerie, especially during a gibbous moon.

24. Stock-still(adverb) • describing something that is absolutely still; without movement whatsoever Hunters learn to remain stock-still in the forest while waiting for prey to walk by.