Book Review: Flipped

I will be completely honest. This is not the latest book that I have read, but it is the latest book that I have finished that I think has more morals and substance to it than any other contemporary novels. 


Flipped was written by Ms. Wendelin Van Draanen and published in 1996. So to have read it and seen its relevance to today's pre-teens is an indication that it is a good book to get kids to start reading about their new emotions. The book not only carries these lessons for kids but for adults as well.


Ever heard of the phrase "love is blind"? What about "don't judge a book by its cover"? These are age old phrases that will show the reader just how important it is to look beyond what you see first in a person. The book presents a juxstaposition between how these phrases are from both the children's perspective and the adults' perspective. The result is the uncanny moral obligation that results from what we call parenthood and adult responsibility. Simply put, adults or grown ups must know how to be responsible for what they say around their children. And in this book, this social setting presents another subplot, which is the family. The book not only shows how family ties affect children's social, mental, and emotional growth.


The form of narration is in the alternate. It takes on a "he said-she said" presentation in each chapter. This gives the reader a clearer perspective of what each character might have been thinking during those pivotal events in their lives, rather than just leaving the reader in the dark to surmise on his own. This style is especially helpful given that this is in a way a children's book.



                    

Flipped

By 

Wendelin Van Draanen

     

The book is a story-telling of how two neighbors grow up around in each other. Bryce just moved in and Julianna immediately spots him, finds him cute, and decides that she likes him. They were seven years old. Through the years Bryce grows irritable of how Julianna keeps acting towards him and around him, while Julianna, or Julie, kept thinking he was so cute and perfect. That is until one day, all her dreams about him were crushed when she saw just how much he really could care less for her. She decides then and there that she would like to like him less. It was hard because they always see each other in school, but she tries. Just as Julie decides to like Bryce a little less, Bryce is developing a curiosity for Julie and her family. And he just may be beginning to like her a little more.


Family is also a key subject here. Through the narration of the two characters, the reader and the characters discover that the two live in very different family set-ups. I am not going to elaborate on the matter because it is part of what makes the plot special. It is also part of the argument that our two heroes have while they discover more about the other person.


After a few debacles about chickens, eggs, yards, and basket boys, the two finally have an understanding. In the end, they decide that they need to talk about something else about each other beyond just what they see. 


It is a very short novel, but a very emotionally and thoughtfully engaging one. It is about the mental and emotional growth that children go through. It is a good guide for children just coming out of the first blushes of youth. But it can also be a good guide for the grown ups who don't mind looking at some life experiences with a little hindsight.

I grew not only to love the characters, but also to respect them. I especially loved how Julie grew up and how her thought process matured, realizing that family is more important than anything else. I also loved her relationship with Chet, Bryce's grandfather. I have always said friends come in different ages and sizes. 


So the next time you turn into the children's section of your local bookstore, don't be too quick to dismiss the books and grab this when you see it on the shelf. If you have not read it, I guarantee you will learn a lot more than you think you already know. If you have read it, then I guarantee you will remember just how it is you should be acting as a person.


I give this book 5 stars! 






Dani

January 16, 2015- 11:48am

Learn to live and love yourself before others ahead.