March 24, 2005
YA40: Flipped
I didn't even realize that this book was by the author of the Sammy Keyes series (Amytha had recommended them for my 6-12 class and I loved Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief and later listened to Sammy Keyes and the Runaway Elf, and I often recommend the series to folks when they're looking for a good mystery for kids) It's a fun, quick read.
Flipped
Wendelin Van Draanen
Trade Paperback | Knopf Books for Young Readers | Juvenile Fiction - Love & Romance; Juvenile Fiction - Humorous Stories| 0-375-82544-4 | $8.95
A fun, "he-said, she-said" romance told in alternating chapters by two eighth graders (Bryce and Juli) who describe how their feelings change about themselves and each other from when they meet at age 7 until their teenage interactions. It reminded me a lot of Star Girl -- down to Bryce's grandfather's advice that "Every once in a while you'll find someone iridescent, and when you do, nothing will ever compare." There could be a whole subgenre of amazing, eccentric girls and the cowardly, conformist boys who barely realize what they're letting slip away from them.
The Amazon review explains that, "With Flipped, mystery author Wendelin Van Draanen has taken a break from her Sammy Keyes series, and the result is flipping fantastic. Bryce and Juli's rants and raves about each other ring so true that teen readers will quickly identify with at least one of these hilarious feuding egos, if not both. A perfect introduction to the adolescent war between the sexes." Publisher's Weekly wrote that, "With a charismatic leading lady kids will flip over, a compelling dynamic between the two narrators and a resonant ending (including a clever double entendre on the title), this novel is a great deal larger than the sum of its parts." From School Library Journal: "Right from the upside-down chick on the book's cover, there's lots of laugh-out-loud egg puns and humor in this novel. There's also, however, a substantial amount of serious social commentary woven in, as well as an exploration of the importance of perspective in relationships. Well-rounded secondary characters keep subplots rolling in this funny, fast-paced, egg-cellent winner."
Ages 10-14, Grade 6-9
Posted by Emily at March 24, 2005 10:27 PM