The Summer Before Boys Nora Raleigh Baskin

Julia and Eliza are best friends. Julia’s mother is serving in the National Guard in Iraq, and Julia spends all of her time trying not to think about what could happen. So the girls lose themselves in their summer, hanging out at the resort where Eliza’s father works. But when they meet a new boy, neither of them is prepared for how it impacts their friendship, and Julia has to cope with the possibility of being separated from yet another person she loves.

Award-winner Nora Raleigh Baskin delivers a poignant look at the way a first crush can come between best friends—and the importance of not rushing to grow up.