A boy and a girl tell the story of their years as neighbours, from opposite points of view
Two sides of the same story
When Bryce Loski moves into the neighbourhood in second grade, Juli Baker falls for him instantly and decides he is the one. Bryce spends the next six years trying to avoid her. Then, in eighth grade, everything flips: Juli begins to see Bryce more clearly, while Bryce starts to realize that Juli is far more interesting than he ever noticed.
Who will enjoy it
Readers aged about ten to fourteen, and adults, who enjoy funny, warm stories about growing up, first crushes and family.
What you will get
A funny, touching story told from two points of view about first crushes, family and learning to look beneath the surface of people.
Flipped Facts: Pages, Genre and Setting
Genre
Children’s Books · First crush · Two narrators · Family
Length
256 pages · ≈ 8 h
More about this book
The chapters alternate between Juli and Bryce, often describing the same events in completely different ways, which creates much of the humour. Juli loves the old sycamore tree where she sits to look at the world, raises chickens and gives eggs to the Loski family, and stands up for what she believes in. Bryce, more concerned with what others think, makes choices he later regrets.
Beneath the comedy are serious themes. Juli's family struggles with money partly because they care for her uncle, who has a learning disability, and Bryce's grandfather, who lives with his family, sees qualities in Juli that Bryce has missed. Both children learn about character, honesty and seeing people as they really are. The story is gentle and suitable for younger readers, with a sweet, satisfying ending. The anniversary edition includes extra material from the author.
Warm, funny and wise, a story that many readers remember long after childhood, and a great choice for reading together and talking about kindness and honesty. It was later adapted as a film. About 256 pages in the Ember paperback.
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