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The One-Room Schoolhouse
In the tiny desert town of Lofgreen, all the children of the railroad workers squeeze into one room with one teacher who teaches every single grade at once. Coey is the only child in first grade, so the teacher holds him back — not because he is behind, but because he is all alone. He learns that being one-of-a-kind is not the same as being left out.
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schoolbelongingone-of-a-kind
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Lantern in the Dark Barn
Every morning before sunrise, little Coey and his Mama walk together to the shed where their cow waits. Hattie holds the lantern high because Coey is too small to be trusted with the light, so Coey milks — slowly, patiently — while the cow swats him with her tail and, more than once, steps right into the pail. They carry the milk home anyway and strain it through cloth, warm and proud.
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responsibilitymotherly lovefarm life
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Turkey Summer on the Hillside
One summer Coey takes a job herding turkeys on the slopes of Mount Nebo, camping up high in the hills while his home sits tiny and far away in the valley below. He can see it every single evening — the roof, the little yard — but he cannot go back. He learns that missing a place can make you love it even more.
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homesicknessgrowing upbelonging
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The Girl on First Base
At a summer softball game in Spanish Fork, young Coey spots a girl on first base and decides to tease her, just a little, through the chain-link fence. Her name is Jean, and before the evening is over he has invited her to the carnival — even though his friend had seen her first. Some stories begin with a fence and a smile.
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first meetingssummerbravery
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The Cow Who Stepped in the Pail
No matter how carefully Coey positions the pail, the family's milk cow seems to wait for exactly the right moment — then steps right in. Dirt swirls through the white milk, but Hattie fetches her cloth, strains it all out, and not a drop is wasted. Coey learns that a little mess does not mean something is ruined.
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persistenceresourcefulnessfarm life
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Left Alone on the Tarmac
The day all of Coey's army friends board the plane for Korea, the officer calls every name — except his. The plane taxis away and Coey stands alone on the wide, empty tarmac, not knowing what comes next. What comes next turns out to be something he never expected: he gets to stay and teach.
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belongingunexpected giftscourage
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The Soldier Comes to School
When Coey comes home on army leave he arrives at Jean's school in his full uniform to pick her up early. Every single girl in the hallway stops and stares. Jean walks out beside her soldier and tries very hard not to let her smile get too enormous. She does not quite manage it.
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pridelovegrowing up
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Daddy Watching from the Ground
Jean's father follows the young couple all around the carnival, keeping a very close eye on his daughter. Up goes the Hammer ride — higher and higher — and for just one moment, at the very top, Jean's father cannot see them. That is the moment Coey gives Jean her first kiss. Down on the ground, her father has no idea.
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first lovegrowing upcourage
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The Best Shot in the Army
After the army discovers Coey's extraordinary aim, they ask him to stay and teach the new soldiers how to shoot — and then send him traveling all across the country on the Army Shooting Team. A boy who grew up watching trains in the desert turns out to have a remarkable, quiet gift.
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hidden talentsprideunexpected paths
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The Smell Along the Tracks
Working alongside his father Julius one summer, young Coey notices a terrible smell drifting up from beside the rails. They find a man who had fallen from a passing train, alone and gone. It is the quietest, saddest moment of the summer — and Coey learns that the railroad world, for all its wonder, is also serious and real.
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seriousness of lifefathers and sonsempathy
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