I Heart Ed Small by Shirley Johnson

From Goodreads.com:
   In the summer of 1968 Baby Hunnicutt's mama dies and her daddy gives her to her aunt to raise. The only trouble is Aunt Clem works all day and leaves Baby in the hands of her teenage twins. Stoic protector Allen and kind and gentle Jeffrey, along with the help of their best friend, the unwashed and untamed Ed, raise up Baby the best they know how.
   I Heart Ed Small takes the reader back in time to the late sixties, when adventure and friendship were to be found outside in the hot sun of public pools and the smoky haze of pool halls. It's the story of how one little girl gets three lazy hippie boys to get of the couch, clean up their language, and grow up. I Heart Ed Small is the coming of age story of how Baby Hunnicutt captures the wildest heart from the very beginning and never relinquishes it from her sweet little hand.
   As the twins and Ed raise Baby they teach her about everything they deem important from playing pool and cussing to smoking and belching and yet she still remains pure and innocent and follows her own path as she grows up. These three smart-mouthed ruffians are the ones who are left with the responsibility to guide Baby as she begins her journey through puberty. They are the ones left  to help her deal with something Ed knows a lot about; the tricky persistence that is boys. But just as Baby needs the three of them most, they leave her life. The Vietnam War, marriage, and the call of adventure pull the boys away until the tragic threads of life reunite them all once again.

   I found I Heart Ed Small through one of my many daily emails for free! It took me a couple weeks to get around to reading it, but once I did, I just kept right on reading. The writing was nice and flowing, there isn't anything to get caught up on.
   I felt the gamut of emotions while growing up with Baby Hunnicutt. Grief at the loss of her mother, confusion, happiness, contentment, more confusion, love, hope, and grief of a different kind. The boys really stepped up for Baby helping her through times a teenage boy shouldn't have to help a young girl through. They took care of Baby as much and as best as they could. Even though the title is very leading, I still enjoyed the journey getting there.
   If you're looking for a simple book to just get lost in, this would be a great choice (not that the story is "simple" but the book is just easy to read and follow.) Also, I just read that there will (hopefully) be a sequel to this book, which I am very much looking forward to, so read this before it comes out.