The summer before she was 12 Julia got to stay with her best friend, Eliza. Julia's mother has been sent to Iraq as a nurse in the National Guard. She only joined up to have a little extra money and then September 11 happened and America went to war. Julia and Eliza are best friends but this summer something changes. Julia meets a boy named Michael and starts doing things and saying things she doesn't understand. Is a boyfriend something you trade your best friend for? Will her mother come back safely? This is a summer of change, a summer of feelings, a summer of finding your self as you emerge from your childhood and head toward becoming your adult self. Ages 10-13 208 pages 978-1416986737