Confirmation
by
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That was the extent of the attention span of Mike Martin and Greg Cox. They were slouched in the last seats of rows one and three. Greg with his black curly hair and deep black eyes sat in row one by the window and Mike with his new blonde crew cut and bright blue eyes anchored row three.
Greg scribbled a note and quickly dropped it on the floor. With his foot, he pushed it toward Jane Anne’s seat in row two and nodded in Mike’s direction. Jane Anne did her little huff with her “oh, you boys look” on her face and moved the note into the aisle beside Mike’s desk without anyone noticing.
Mike’s desk at the back of row three let him hide behind tall Vaughn and slip easily down to swoop up Greg’s note. Soon it was safe to open the note and Mike got the message.
"How 'bout a bike adventure after school? We could go up on Dry Ridge or out through the tunnel?" Greg wrote.
Mike wrote his answer. "Can't today. Have to go buy my Mother a birthday present. Want to come?"
The note went back to Greg the same way it came and he nodded a yes.
Mike smiled and realized that things were already getting better. His best friend was back in town, and their adventures could begin again. The past summer had been a real challenge for each of them. Both Mike and Greg hoped that the fall might be better.
Mike occupied his mind for the rest of the school day with thoughts of his Mother's birthday party. “Let's see…today is Monday…only six days away. It would be great to have a picnic with all the aunts and uncles and dozens of cousins and friends. There would be plenty of food, lots of cake and ice cream, and ...
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About the Book
Mike Martin spent his twelfth summer dodging two neighborhood boys and their invitations to join night time adventures. Since his summer has been nothing but a lonely bummer, he looks forward to the start of the school year. The sixth grade classroom at
In religion class, Mike and Greg prepare for the Sacrament of Confirmation. After class they get to know a local shop keeper a little better. Mr. Moore introduces the boys to his favorite spiritual friend, St. Francis of
Events of the first week of school quickly show Mike that Confirmation’s gifts will be very helpful as he tries to deal with complicated situations. He knows he must find the truth about the stories he heard, secretly disbelieved, and yet protected all summer. Mike also applies the philosophy of St. Francis to his own life when he stumbles on the truth he dreaded to admit. Mike must answer questions from the local police, the Chief himself, from his parents, and from Greg.
The first week of school is busy but exciting because Mike and Greg take on new responsibilities. An after school job, a classroom presentation, and a surprise celebration demand their focus. Underlying the activities, however, is the ever present issue in Mike’s mind of what he can say and what he shouldn’t say. Friday brings painful revelations, and by Sunday life in the neighborhood has changed dramatically. Greg and Mike must agree on an answer to the question, “Can we do the Christian thing here?”
About the Author
Dr. Barbara Yeager has been teaching, writing, editing, and producing, in one genre or another for forty years. Throughout her university classroom career, she taught composition, technical writing, and creative writing to graduate and undergraduate students, along with courses in British and American Literature, Children’s and Adolescent literature. Her other teaching assignments included courses in world religions and a variety of philosophy courses including ethics and introductions to classical and medieval, and modern philosophy. .
Her published works include poetry, two outdoor drama productions The Secret of the Cellars and They Walked Our Land, and a text for teachers of pre-school children, Leading to Learning. Dr. Yeager edited collections of Appalachian short stories, Stories from the Hills, and a reader for Appalachian middle school students, named The Wooden Tower.
When Barbara Yeager writes for adolescents, she draws ideas from her experiences while raising her five children. They gave her plenty of conflict for plots, serious dilemmas for themes, and their friends helped create a house full of well developed characters to study. That generation has now produced ten grandchildren with twice the material to enjoy.
Retirement gives her the time to write and bring to the public the works that have been simmering in progress over the years. After studying, full-time teaching and an active family life with the children and her busy husband Jack, Barbara now enjoys the life of author and grandmother.
When asked about Confirmation, Dr. Yeager says, "The religious minority group novel imparts information, and positively influences the mind, judgment, and imagination of young readers while it tells a story. That makes the genre potentially powerful and places great responsibility on the writer to be accurate and authentic in the presentation. I believe Confirmation achieves these goals."