How would you feel if someone followed you everywhere you went since the beginning of second grade? This is what one of the main characters, Bryce Loski, of Flipped felt like. Bryce couldn’t get away from Juli Baker, another second grader. To Bryce, it was torture. For Juli, all she wanted was a kiss from Bryce, her first love. Even though most people would not follow their crush around all of the time, it’s simple to relate to Juli. Flipped, written by Wendelin Van Draanen, has complex characters that are easy to connect to.
Almost everyone can connect with both of these main characters. When we were Juli and Bryce’s age, all of us would go to extremes to get the other gender to notice us. Juli did the exact same thing to Bryce, following him, staring at him from across the street, never leaving him alone. She went wherever he went, no questions asked. Would I ever go to the lengths that Juli did with Bryce? I don’t think I would. Even though it’s a little bit far-fetched to me, what Juli did, I still understand where why she was doing this. Bryce was her first love, and with love, people can change their whole sense of reality.
Even though it’s simple to center in on Juli’s feeling about Bryce, don’t forget his side of the story. Since the summer before second grade, Bryce Loski had his own personal stalker. He could never get away from Juli, even for a minute. Also, he could do nothing about it. Anything he tried wouldn’t work; she would just ignore it and keep trying. Bryce was basically going insane. Could I connect to Bryce and how he was attempting to avoid Juli? It’s easier for me to relate to Bryce than Juli, yet I would also try to get to know Juli better, if I was in his place. There might have been more to her that meets the eye. Getting to know Juli more might have changed his perspective of her, and Bryce definitely needed a change in the way Juli was thought about in his mind.
Wendelin Van Draanen’s novel is a great story that shows you what happens with first love, and when that love is not returned. Juli Baker loved Bryce Loski, and did whatever she could to make her feel the same way. Bryce just wanted Juli to stay away from him. It’s very easy to connect with both characters, no matter who you agree with. Which character can you connect with? Flipped, a story by Wendelin Van Draanen, is a wonderful story about the glory and heartbreak of first love.
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