Flipped Book Review

Flipped

Wendelin Van Draanen

Published May 13th 2003 by Knopf (first published October 1st 2001)

Edition Language

English

Characters

Bryce Loski, Julianna Baker

Literary Awards

• Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award Nominee (2004)

• South Carolina Book Award for Junior Book Award (2004)

• Nevada Young Readers' Award

• Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee (2003)

• Virginia Young Readers Award

• South Carolina Children's Book Award

• California Young Readers Medal

• The Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children's Literature Honor (2002)

Rating:

My Summary:

Flipped talks about Juli Baker, who fell immediately in love when she first saw 7-year-old Bryce Loski, as he was moving into her neighborhood. From that moment on, Juli becomes completely obsessed with him and took any opportunity she had to see him. However, Bryce was completely annoyed by the idea and he tried to avoid her every time he saw her. However, things begin to flip when Juli withdraws herself when Bryce makes it clear he is not into her. Bryce regrets his decision when Juli stops showing at his house to give them eggs, or when she is not longer hugging him in school, and when they go through each other in school, she doesn't even look at him. He realizes he needed Juli more than she needed him.

Goodreads Summary:

Flipped is a romance told in two voices. The first time Juli Baker saw Bryce Loski, she flipped. The first time Bryce saw Juli, he ran. That’s pretty much the pattern for these two neighbors until the eighth grade, when, just as Juli is realizing Bryce isn’t as wonderful as she thought, Bryce is starting to see that Juli is pretty amazing. How these two teens manage to see beyond the surface of things and come together makes for a comic and poignant romance.

Likes:

• The story is really unique and makes anyone who reads it connect with the characters and feels their thoughts.

• The author writes both character's point of view in every scenario, which lets you see the story according to two different opinions, that way you can understand better what is happening and why each character act the way they do.

• It leaves you with a very powerful message, doesn't matter how you get it, it leaves you thinking about the true meaning of love and how you cannot deny it.

• It has a very timeless story that can be enjoyed by anyone who reads it.

• Flipped is not the typical boy-meets-girl-and-fall-mutually-in-love story, and even though it has a similar setting that those books, it is not anything alike.

• The author really knows how to shift things up, by giving each of the characters a valuable lesson for the rests of their lives.

• It takes place around 1950, here we can take a glimpse of how things were back then by the way the parents react when they discover the situation and how the town thinks about them.

Dislikes:

• I want to start the dislike section by stating that the ending incredibly sucks, everything is perfectly accommodated for the perfect ending everyone has been waiting, but instead it leaves you hanging wishing for the kiss ending.

• The story is very short, I just wished there was more to the development of the plot. I still consider this book as one of the best ones you can find regarding teen romance, however, for the most part of the book I was waiting for something unique that went beneath the story.

• In my personal opinion, the exciting part of the story started very late, there were some parts in the beginning that I found exhausting.

• I was really looking forward to a sequel or any type of continuation where they continue their love story and see how they fall in love in high school. However, this never happens, and you just have to leave what is left of the story to your imagination.

Final Thoughts:

Besides the horrible ending you might hate, just as most of the readers did, the story is very well developed and the originality of the plot will leave you fascinated. Most readers will agree with me that the story is still very engaging and the characters will stay you forever, because of either way, you will connect with one of the characters to the point where you will identify yourself with him/her. Finally, I give this book 4/5 flipped chickens because I have never read a book that captures the true essence of a teenage romance story as this one, however, the very disappointing ending stops me from putting 5/5.