Recently, I read Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen. It’s a cute book, and a really easy read. It’s a little over 200 pages, and the print is big. Flipped is the lighthearted story of first love, set in a quiet suburban town. It has two narrators: Bryce Loski, and Julianna Baker. Julianna has had a crush on Bryce since she first met him when he moved in across the street from her when they were six. Ever since then, Bryce has wanted nothing more than for Julianna to leave him alone. The book follows Bryce and Julianna’s story from 1^st to 8^th grade. By the end their feelings for each other, and their perception of the world around them, has truley “Flipped.”  On the surface, it’s a sweet story; it’s not angsty, or sad, and the subject matter is not very mature. The deceptively lighthearted storyline is fleshed out with insight into life, the perception of the world around us, and how these things change as we grow. It’s these themes explored by Van Draanens entertaining writing style, through the eyes of endearing Bryce and Julianna which make this book memorable.  This book has a subtle power to make you think and feel, and experience Bryce’s and Julianna’s stories. Personally, I found this book extremely relatable. Every reader can see a little bit of themselves in Bryce and Julianna, and will see their family mirrored in either the Loski or the Baker households.

     “The whole is more than just the sum of its parts.” This theme is explored throughout the book; how pictures, and families, and people can be more, or less, than the sum of their parts. Personally, I think this book is more than the sum of its parts, mostly because, when I break it down, I really shouldn’t have liked it as much as I did. I mean, what is it really? Part love story, part coming of age, with some deep passages mixed in.  But somewhere in those pages, the combination of all these things creates magic, giving Bryce and Juliannas endearing story a special place in my heart. I highly recommend Flipped. It’s an easy read that will stick with you long after the final page.