Bibliography
Van Draanen, W. (2003). Flipped. New York, NY: Ember. ISBN: 0375825444
Plot Summary
Julianna Baker is a bit of an iconoclast. She loves sycamore trees to the point of camping in one when developers threaten to cut it down. She raises chickens and sings to them. And she's in love with a boy that actively avoids her. Bryce Loski, the object of her affection, is everything that Juli isn't. He's popular, obsessed with his image, and a bit of a bully. When Bryce's grandfather Chet moves in, he makes Bryce question his assumptions about the neighbor girl and his treatment of her all these years.
Review
Bryce Loski is a subtle bully in the way that he quietly gossips about and undercuts Juli's confidence. He says his mean actions are to get her to leave him alone, but really he's trying to get her to conform to convention, something that she's unwilling to do. Bryce's father is also a bully, openly mocking Juli's family when they come to dinner. This reinforces the common idea that many tween behavior problems are a result of bad parental example. Chet's influence causes Bryce to see things different, particularly his own behavior.
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