102. Flipped

Flipped. Wendelin Van Draanen. 2001. 212 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: All I've ever wanted is for Juli Baker to leave me alone. For her to back off--you know, just give me some space. It all started the summer before second grade when our moving van pulled into her neighborhood. And since we're now about done with the eighth grade, that, my friend, makes more than half a decade of strategic avoidance and social discomfort. She didn't just barge into my life. She barged and shoved and wedged her way into my life.

Premise/plot: Bryce Loski and Juli Baker narrate this he-said, she-said middle grade novel. It was love at first sight--in second grade--for Juli Baker. But for Bryce, well, Juli is a pesky, pesty neighbor that follows him--literally--everywhere. But in eighth grade, however, roles seemed to have flipped. She begins to doubt her feelings for him--there's more to attraction that just eyes and smile--and he begins to see her in a whole new way. 

This one opens with a flashback scene of sorts showing the introduction or "meet cute" of this unlikely pair. But most of the story chronicles sixth grade through eighth grade. Reader see the same exact events through two pairs of eyes.

My thoughts: I am rereading this one after watching the movie for the first time. I ADORED the movie. It definitely changed some things up. For one, it took the contemporary setting of Flipped and made it a period piece. In the movie, the story unfolds in 1957-1963. And the soundtrack is FANTASTIC. I think one reason--pure speculation--to make this switch is it feels a little less controversial to have a girl literally chasing down a boy and smelling him if you set it in the distant past. Also some of the viewpoints of the characters seem to align more with what you'd expect in days long ago. (Teasing about being having a  r****d in the family, etc.) Some of the scenes just have JERKS. 

This one is thought-provoking. Love it or hate it. I definitely think the book doesn't address consent or boundaries--a must for a contemporary book being published post #metoo. The main message, I believe, is looking beyond appearances. What makes someone attractive. What makes you "flip" for someone. Juli is best for illustrating this. She's so accustomed to "loving" or "crushing" on Bryce, that she doesn't stop to consider WHO he is. What kind of person is Bryce? What is his character? If she really knew him--actually knew him--would she still love him? Is her attraction all surface-level? As for Bryce, he seems much less self-aware and just a bit clueless and immature. (Not for not liking girls. But just on processing and observing the world.) 

 The book definitely is open-ended and ambiguous. As is the movie--to a certain degree--but the closing music, "Let It Be Me" and the fact that she joins him outside to help him plant the new tree, does add an element of hope that the book doesn't quite reach.

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