The Summer Before Boys

by Nora Raleigh Baskin
Lexile:  720
Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Julia and Eliza are cousins, but they are also best friends who get to spend an entire summer together.  Julia's mother is in the National Guard and is serving in Iraq.  Julia worries about her constantly, but hopes that a summer doing fun things with Eliza will help take her mind off her worries.  Things are going well until Julia meets Michael and suddenly finds herself making up excuses to put herself in situations where she might get to see him.  Can Julia keep her best friend and have a first boyfriend?