Mother, Please Don't Die (Lurlene McDaniel Books)

Feisty, thirteen-year-old Megan McCaffery is proud to be a tomboy, and she just can't relate to the "southern belles" in her hometown of Charleston, South Carolina. Her older sister, Audrey, is driving her crazy with constant talk about her upcoming wedding. When a popular girl at school takes an interest in Megan's best friend, John-Paul, Megan is surprised at her own jealousy. Was she losing her tomboy edge? But when her mother's mysterious headaches turn out to be a brain tumor, Megan's world is truly turned upside-down.