Flipped

Flipped is a contemporary young adult novel by Wendelin Van Draanen. The main characters, Juli Baker and Bryce Loski, are neighbors in Mayfield, a fictional American town. Now in eighth grade, the two protagonists reveal the story of their relationship in a dual narrative of alternating first-person chapters that recount how Juli “flips” for Bryce at a young age but later decides she is not interested…right around the time Bryce finally “flips” for Juli. The book was originally published in 2001. It won the South Carolina Children’s Book Award, the California Young Reader Medal, the Nevada Young Readers Award, the Virginia Young Readers Program Award, and the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award in Illinois. Rob Reiner directed a 2010 movie version of Flipped. This guide references the 2001 edition by Alfred A. Knopf.

Content warning: Several characters use the word “retarded” to refer to a character with an intellectual disability.

Plot Summary

The story of Flipped is told in 14 first-person chapters that alternate between the perspectives of Bryce Loski and Julianna Baker, eighth graders at Mayfield Junior High. Bryce opens the story in his viewpoint, sharing how Juli Baker becomes the bane of his existence when he and his family move across the street from the Bakers just before the start of second grade. That day, Juli offers to help Bryce with the moving boxes and will not take no for an answer; she chases him down, holds his hand, and resists leaving his side. From Juli’s perspective, it is Bryce who takes her hand and clearly wants to kiss her. Their point-counterpoint narration continues as they relate the events of each year until present-day eighth grade. Juli demonstrates her enthusiasm for Bryce by befriending him and clinging to him in primary school; saving him from Shelly Stalls, in whom Bryce is plainly not interested, in fifth grade; and sharing answers with him in sixth-grade spelling. What Juli does not realize is that Bryce never intended to kiss Juli, hates her advances, and purposely acquires Shelly Stalls as his girlfriend just to give Juli a hint. He willingly takes the spelling answers but feels guilt in doing so, as he just can’t stand Juli Baker.

Bryce hopes to better avoid Juli once seventh grade at Mayfield Junior High begins. They share a bus stop, however, and Juli manages to annoy him there every morning: She climbs a massive old sycamore tree in a nearby abandoned lot and hollers a countdown as the bus approaches, block by block. Climbing the tree is nothing new for Juli; one day, she climbed to the highest points to rescue Bryce’s stuck kite. Bryce does not know that Juli became so enamored with the tree while rescuing his kite that she wants to start every day by climbing it; she loves the magical feeling of flying in the high branches. By eighth grade, she appreciates how all the tree's components, wind, and view add up to more beauty than simply the sum of their parts. She invites her father to share the view with her, but tree cutters arrive to demolish the tree before he can do so. Juli attempts to stop them by refusing to leave the high branches; her father convinces her to climb down out of safety, and the workers destroy the tree. Bereft, Juli tries to reconcile with change.

Meanwhile, Bryce is harboring a years-long secret: He purposely throws away the gift of fresh eggs that Juli brings to his family weekly. This began in fifth grade when Juli’s successful egg incubation science fair project resulted in six healthy chicks raised in her backyard. When the hens begin laying the following year, Juli sells the eggs to two neighbors. She gives eggs to the Loskis, though, for free; the chance to see Bryce’s fine blue eyes at the door once a week is worth it. Juli does not know that Bryce once spied on her backyard to ascertain if a rooster lived with the hens, as his mother feared that Juli’s eggs might randomly contain chicks. No rooster could be seen, but Bryce is horrified by the backyard’s messiness and mountains of chicken poop. He and his mother decide they cannot risk salmonella, and his father tells him to shut down Juli’s generosity with the eggs. Bryce wimps out, however, and instead of just telling Juli that his family does not want her eggs, he intercepts them directly from her each week and throws them promptly in the trash. He has done this secretly for two years.

A few weeks after Juli’s sycamore tree is cut down in their eighth-grade year, she catches Bryce pitching the eggs. Instead of apologetically explaining, he tells her that his family fears food poisoning from her dirty yard. He also tells her that her house and front yard are the worst-looking ones in the neighborhood. Mortified and incensed, Juli flees, determined to be done with Bryce Loski.

Juli tells her parents that she would like to fix up the yard. They reveal that their home is rented, not owned; they cannot afford to buy a home because of the expense of Julie’s uncle, who was born with an intellectual disability severe enough to warrant care in a residential facility. Juli digs into the front yard to improve its aesthetics and repair its fence. Bryce’s grandfather Chet Duncan, who lives with the Loskis and recalls the newspaper write-up about Juli when she attempted to save the sycamore, begins helping her with her yard project. Much to Bryce’s chagrin, Granddad learns about his egg debacle and critical comments. His grandfather’s disappointment in him drives Bryce to work up the nerve to apologize to Juli, and he feels much better.

When Bryce’s father makes derisive comments about the Bakers at dinner, Bryce is surprised and uncomfortable. Granddad and Mrs. Loski are angry. Mrs. Loski decides to invite the Bakers to a dinner party so they can all get to know each other. The week of the party, Juli overhears Bryce going along with his friend Garrett’s derogatory comments about her uncle. Angry again, she tells Bryce at the dinner party that she never wants to talk to him and cuts off his attempt to apologize. By the end of the night, though, she realizes the Loskis are much different than she assumed, and she apologizes to Bryce for her curt behavior. Juli does not know that Bryce has “flipped” for her and does not know how to deal with his newfound feelings. After the party, Mr. Loski makes arrogant and unfounded accusations regarding Juli’s older brothers, infuriating his family members. Bryce sees that his family is less grounded in love and communication than the Bakers, whom he always previously judged as chaotic and peculiar.

At school, his classmates vote Bryce into the pool of “basket boys.” The basket boy fundraiser is an auction sponsored by the booster club to benefit the school. Bryce must bring a packed picnic basket to school and stand on display while the girls place bids on the chance to have lunch with him. Shelly Stalls and Miranda Humes combine their money and win Bryce. Their inane banter and his jealousy at the sight of Juli having lunch with another basket boy, Jon Trulock, drives Bryce to action: He takes Juli’s hand and tries to kiss her in front of all the lunch attendees. Juli pulls away, deeply embarrassed, and returns to Jon. She then avoids Bryce and ignores his attempts to call and visit for days.

Finally, Bryce understands that he must offer Juli a message more meaningful than a verbal apology. After acquiring permission from Juli’s parents, he plants a young sycamore tree in Juli’s newly improved front yard. Then he cleans up, goes home, and waits. The final perspective in the novel is Juli’s as she decides she is ready to learn more about the true, changed Bryce Loski.