Flipped

Flipped

• Genre: Fiction; young adult contemporary
• Originally Published: 2001
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 720L; grades 6-9
• Structure/Length: 14 chapters; approx. 256 pages; approx. 7 hours on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: Eighth graders Bryce Loski and Julianna Baker alternate narrating chapters that tell the story of their relationship since second grade. Juli “flips” for Bryce first, but he is not interested—until she starts losing interest in him.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Use of the word “retarded” in dialogue; some profanity

Wendelin Van Draanen, Author

• Bio: Born in 1965 in Chicago; taught high school math and computer science for 15 years before turning to writing full-time; her Edgar Award-winning Sammy Keyes mystery series has been called “the new Nancy Drew”; her novel Flipped was adapted as a feature film (2010) directed by Rob Reiner; enjoys running and playing electric guitar; lives in California with her husband and two sons, with whom she plays in a rock band called Risky Whippet
• Other Works: Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief (Book 1 of 18; 1998); Runaway (2006); The Running Dream (2011); Wild Bird (2017); The Peach Rebellion (2022)
• Awards: IRA-CBC Children’s Choice Book (2002); IRA-CBC Teacher’s Choice Book (2002); School Library Journal Top 100 Children’s Novels for the 21st Century

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• Change as a Result of New Perspective
• Apology and Forgiveness as Markers of Coming of Age
• Seeing Individuals for Who They Really Are

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the social and cultural contexts regarding financial hardship and perspective that incite Juli and Bryce’s conflict.
• Analyze paired texts and other resources to make connections via the text’s themes of Change as a Result of Perspective, Apology and Forgiveness as Markers of Coming of Age, and Seeing Individuals for Who They Really Are.
• Plan, design, or construct a grand gesture to extend to a person or organization you appreciate based on details from the novel.
• Analyze and evaluate the theme and character details to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding the Loski and Baker families, coming of age, and other topics.