Flipped
 Wendelin Van Draanen
 (Student Reviewer - Karrie G.)
 2003 Knopf
 ISBN: 0375825444

The uplifting, romantic, hilarious & wonderfully wise story of teenage Juli & Bryce.

Associate Student Reviewer Karrie G. writes:

From the very first moment Juli heard a boy her age was moving into her neighborhood, she couldn't wait for him to arrive. All the other kids were too old or too young to hang out with, & she wanted Bryce to be the playmate she'd always wanted. But Bryce was much more than Juli had hoped for. When she sees him, with his shiny black hair & bright blue eyes, she knows it's love. She knows this boy is ‘carrying around’ her very first kiss. She flipped.

Unfortunately, Bryce has a very different first impression of Juli. She's an annoying, know-it-all kid with muddy shoes & a bad habit of glueing herself to his side. From the very first moment he sees her climbing over the boxes in the moving van, “helping” & leaving tracks of muddy footprints all over, he knows this girl is no good. The situation is made even worse when his mother catches sight of the kid holding his hand & thinks it's all very cute. In an effort to keep Juli at bay he spends his first week inside, watching TV. “Buddy,” he tells himself, “beware.”

Over the years Juli & Bryce continue to bump into each other, & as Juli's love for him grows, his aversion to her becomes stronger. He feels the need, however, to be nice to her. After all, during tests she whispers the answers in his ear & you just can't ignore someone that's keeping you from failing English.

Then, when Juli catches Bryce throwing away the eggs she's been giving him every week for free (from her pet chickens) she starts to see Bryce in a different light. With the help of Chet, Bryce's grandfather that has taken a liking to the girl, she realizes that she doesn't know him at all. All these years, she's never even had a real conversation with him. Maybe, she thinks, he's not worth it.

As fate would have it, Bryce is finally beginning to see Juli for who she is. He had never noticed how her eyes sparkle, or how smart she is, or how she does everything with a passion, with an enthusiasm that never wavers. Bryce hates to admit it, but maybe Grandpa is right, maybe there is something special about Juli. But why was Juli being so...normal these days? Why isn't she staring at him or trailing after him? It's starting to drive Bryce crazy.

When Bryce is chosen as a ‘basket boy’, a boy whose lunch is auctioned off, (though it's usually the boy himself the girls want when they buy the lunch) Juli ‘buys’ another boy. Bryce flips & tries to kiss her in a desperate attempt to show her that he cares, before she starts trailing after this other boy.

Juli is shocked. Does Bryce love her? & if so, is he even worth her time?

I really enjoyed the way they kept shifting from whose view the relationship is written, so you can understand both of them. I read it in one sitting, & by the end of the book you'll wonder how it can end in a way that will satisfy both your need to see them together & to punish Bryce for all he put Juli through. But Wendelin Van Draanen manages to end it perfectly, with the possibility of love.

Flipped is the best book I've read all summer. Read it, & you'll agree.

More from Wendelin Van Draanen:
How I Survived Being a Girl
Shredderman: Secret Identity
Sammy Keyes and the Skeleton Man
Sammy Keyes and the Search for Snake Eyes
Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief
Sammy Keyes and the Hollywood Mummy
Sammy Keyes and the Art of Deception
Sammy Keyes and the Curse of Moustache Mary
Sammy Keyes and the Sisters of Mercy & many more!
(08/24/03)

Karrie G.
A RebeccasReads.Com Associate Student Reviewer

Reviewer's Bio:
Karrie G. lives in The Netherlands. She is 15 years old, attends a Dutch Language School & is originally from Wisconsin, USA

Her favorite colors are: light blue, sea green, lavender & black!
Favorite sports are: swimming & soccer.
Favorite school subjects are: languages & creative writing class.
Favorite things to do are: playing the piano, reading, writing short stories & poetry, drawing & going to the movie theater.
The Netherlands is one of the smallest countries in Europe. Most people call the Netherlands Holland & it is about the size of Connecticut, but with a lot more people, sixteen million. You may think of tulips, chocolate, windmills & wooden shoes when you think of Holland. Although there are still lots of tulips & chocolate, & there are still some windmills, you wouldn't see many people wearing clogs today.