Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen

The novel, Flipped, was a classic coming-of-age story. With the back and forth switching of character narrative in each chapter, it brought the characters to life beyond the page. The voice of each character really emphasized what they felt, thought, and believed in. Bryce’s annoyance and frustration could be felt from the first line of the book. As the story went on and each character gave their voice and outlook on the situations, the relationship between the two grew stronger and stronger without them realizing it.

Although the story fell between children’s and young adult genre, the author used understandable and heartwarming symbolism. The biggest metaphor she used was the hatching of Juli’s chicks. It symbolized Juli’s new birth of her future and what she really wanted. The eggs from her chickens helped Juli create a small business, one she made a significant amount of money from for an eighth grader. It also served as plot points in the story. For example, when the eggs first hatched, it marked the beginning of a new Juli Baker. When the eggs were thrown away by Bryce and rotted in the garbage it symbolized Juli’s and Bryce’s relationship being rotten with lies. A minor metaphor in the story was the sycamore tree. In the end it became the second ultimate boon of the story. But when Bryce planted a new sycamore tree in Juli’s front yard, it symbolized the regrowth and birth of their relationship.

Van Drannen really knew how she wanted her characters to act and what they would say or wouldn’t say in certain situations. Each character introduced in the story had their own background, whether complex or simple, and they each had their own unique voice. Van Drannen even touched upon heavy topics, such as mental illness and abusive relationships. Yet, she kept it subtle through the character’s innocent voices. She knows when to reveal information and how not to spoon feed information. There’s nothing more annoying in the world, than to be spoon fed information we can figure out on our own. Van Drannen is an author definitely worth reading and considering.

#WendelinVanDraanen #Flipped #babychicks #childhoodromance #austismspeaks