Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen

Bryce Loski has been avoiding Julie Baker since the day he moved across the street from her in second grade. Julie has had a crush on Bryce since the day he moved across the street in second grade. By the time they are in Junior High, their relationship...or lack thereof...is pretty much routine. Then in eighth grade things begin to change. Bryce begins to see that there is more to Julie than meets the eye...Julie begins to think that in Bryce there's less. They've flipped. But will they be able to meet in the middle?

This is certainly a book for readers in their early to mid teens, but I would encourage parents to read it with them as well for a couple of reasons. First, this book is about teenagers re-examining the way they've always thought and acted and deciding what kind of person they want to be. Reading their different perspectives on the same events allows the reader to sympathize with Bryce and Julie as they experience growing pains, acknowledge their mistakes, and try to learn from them. Reading this book together with your teen or preteen is a fantastic way to stimulate a discussion on character and points of view.

Secondly, Bryce learns throughout this book that his father is not the ideal role-model he should follow. There are some uncomfortable scenes in this book that reveal his father's character, climaxing in a brief scene of violence that ultimately shows him to be a coward and a bully who looks down on others in order to build himself up. This story definitely encourages adults to examine their own thoughts and behaviors and consider how they are influencing their children.

"A painting is more than the sum of its parts." Julie's dad tells her.

This is a difficult concept for me, as an adult, to remember. What is it that really attracts you to this person/movie/book/music artist/church/fill in the blank. It is it just the outward appearance? Are they more, less than, or equal to the sum of their parts? These are important questions to ask if we want our lives to be full of meaningful relationships and quality experiences.



Activities/Discussion points:
*Take an excerpt from any book where a situation or an event is described from one character's point of view. Re-write that scene from another character's perspective.
*Discuss:
-Who is someone you admire? Why do you admire them? Does your admiration of them help you to be a better person?
-Who is someone you don't particularly like? What do you know about them that makes you not like them? Do you think there is a reason for them being the way they are? Would knowing that change the way you acted towards them?

P.S.
**Side note**I would also highly recommend the movie, which I actually enjoyed more than the book because of the oldies music. Though the book was written in the early 2000s, it translates well into the 1960s. The writers and actors did an excellent job and it is very true to the book!**End Side note**