When Juli meets Bryce in the second grade, she knows it's true love. After spending six years trying to convince Bryce the same, she's ready to give up - until he starts to reconsider.
In 1957, when second-graders Bryce Loski and Julianna "Juli" Baker first meet, Juli knows it's love, but Bryce isn't so sure and tries to avoid Juli. By the sixth grade, in 1961, Bryce tries to get rid of Juli by dating Sherry Stalls, whom Juli despises. However, Bryce's best friend, Garrett, takes an interest in Sherry and eventually tells her the truth about Bryce asking her out; she doesn't take it well. From Juli's perspective, Bryce returned her feelings, but was shy. After finding out Bryce and Sherry broke up, she thought she could have Bryce back. But then they reconsider their decisions as time goes on. In 1962, Bryce's grandfather Chet Duncan moves in with the family. Chet has different views about Juli. There's a large, old sycamore tree that Juli loves which no one else understands. One day, it's cut down by a group of landscapers so a house can be built there, despite Juli's opposition. She becomes very depressed afterwards, as the tree let her see the world in a more enlightened way. Her father gives her a painting of the tree.
1963. The Loskis and the Bakers have lived across the street from each other since 1957 when the Loskis moved into the neighborhood. They, as families, have never spent any time together socially in the differences especially between the family patriarchs, judgmental Steven Loski who has always viewed the Bakers as beneath him especially since they won't even maintain their yard, while free-spirited Richard Baker has other priorities in life with the family's limited funds to worry too much about what Steven thinks. Juli Baker, now in the eighth grade, has had a crush on classmate Bryce Loski ever since the Loskis were unloading their moving truck when she and Bryce were in the second grade, and Juli looked deep into Bryce's eyes. Bryce, however, has done whatever he felt he needed to do to avoid who he considered overbearing and thus annoying Juli. Bryce's maternal grandfather, Chet Duncan, who recently moved in with the Loskis, sees Juli in a different vein, she the rare soul that is a beacon of light, much like his now deceased wife. Several events in Bryce and Juli's lives are shown this year - seen individually from Bryce and Juli's very different perspectives - that may change the tide in their relationship, the ups and downs which are also affected by external forces combined with the strength or weakness within each of Bryce and Juli.—Huggo
Juli Baker devoutly believes in three things: the sanctity of trees (especially her beloved sycamore), the wholesomeness of the eggs she collects from her backyard flock of chickens, and that someday she will kiss Bryce Loski. Ever since she saw Bryce's dazzling brown eyes back in second grade, Juli has been smitten. Unfortunately, Bryce has never felt the same. Frankly, he thinks Juli Baker is a little weird--after all, what kind of freak raises chickens and sits in trees for fun? Then, in eighth grade, everything changes. Bryce begins to see that Juli's unusual interests and pride in her family are, well, kind of cool. And Juli starts to think that maybe Bryce's dazzling brown eyes are as empty as the rest of Bryce seems to be. After all, what kind of jerk doesn't care about other people's feelings about chickens and trees? With Flipped, mystery author Wendelin Van Draanen has taken a break from her Sammy Keyes series, and the result is flipping fantastic. Bryce and Juli's rants and raves about each other ring so true that teen readers will quickly identify with at least one of these hilarious feuding egos, if not both. A perfect introduction to the adolescent war between the sexes.—anonymous
In 1957, when second-graders Bryce Loski (Callan McAuliffe) and Julianna "Juli" Baker (Madeline Carroll) first meet, Juli knows it's love, but Bryce isn't so sure. Girl-phobic and easily embarrassed, young Bryce does everything he can to keep away as much as possible from Juli for the next six years, which isn't easy since they go to the same school and live across the street from each other.When they start the sixth grade, Bryce hopes that he can get rid of Juli, so he asks the girl Juli hates the most, Sherry Stalls (Ashley Taylor), out on a date. This plan of Bryce's works for a while up until his best friend, Garrett (Israel Broussard), takes an interest in Sherry and tells her the truth about Bryce asking her out. Juli finds out Bryce and Sherry break up; she goes back to her regular Bryce-obsessed self.
From Juli's point of view, when she and Bryce first met, he returned her feelings but was just shy and embarrassed. When he "held her hand" she thought she would get her first kiss from him in the second grade. Juli knew that she was flipped from then on. After finding out that Bryce and Sherry broke up, she thought she could have her old Bryce back. She spent the whole year smelling his watermelon-scented hair and wondering if she'd ever get her kiss.
In 1963, now in seventh grade, Bryce's grandfather Chet Duncan (John Mahoney) moves in with the family. Chet finds Juli different, special, and a rare kind of girl who's hard to come across. He continues to tell Bryce this with hope. There's a large, old sycamore tree that Juli loves which no one understands. One day they start to cut it down she tries to protect it by climbing it, refusing to come down. After much attention from the town, her father Richard (Aidan Quinn) talks her down and it is removed. Juli is inconsolable until he gives her a painting of it, which calms her. An article is printed about it in the local paper. Her voice narrates her love for the tree that let her see the world in a much more enlightened way.
Juli starts raising chickens in their backyard using chicks from a school project and they soon start laying eggs, which she sells to their neighbors but gives to the Loskis as a gesture. She is hurt upon discovering Bryce has been throwing them away because of his father's fear of salmonella. Referencing their yard's poor state, Juli is embarrassed, so decides to fix it up.
After reading the article about Juli, Chet helps her with her yard work. He grows fond of her, as she reminds him of his late wife. When Bryce's father Steven (Anthony Edwards) criticizes the Bakers' seeming lack of pride in their property, Chet points out they rent. Most of their finances go into caring for Juli's mentally-disabled uncle Daniel (Kevin Weisman), so it's the landlord who should maintain the yard. As Chet spends more time with Juli and encourages Bryce to open his mind, Bryce realizes he has feelings for her.Chet and Juli form a strong friendship over time while he helps her work on her messy lawn.
Meanwhile, as Juli is encouraged to broaden her mind by Chet, she starts to question if she actually likes Bryce. Going with her father to visit Daniel on his birthday, they have a difficult but ultimately positive interaction. Afterward, Juli is told by a classmate that Bryce has been admiring her, but she overhears Bryce agreeing with Garrett as he makes fun of her and Daniel, causing Juli to completely lose interest. Unbeknownst to her, Bryce is disgusted with Garrett's attitude and distances himself from him, but they remain friendly.
Juli tells Bryce she never wants to speak to him again. Feeling bad about their apathy towards the Bakers, Bryce's mother Patsy (Rebecca De Mornay) invites them over for a family dinner.At the dinner Bryce's dad is considerably rude to her family. Juli confronts Bryce about what he said about her uncle and tells him she doesn't want to speak to him again, not ever.
During dinner, they sit opposite each other, she never talks or makes eye contact with him. After dinner she apologizes for the way she acted. Bryce is upset that she apologizes, because that means that she doesn't care enough to hold a grudge.
As the annual school basket boy auction charity event approaches, Bryce discovers he has been selected as a basket boy so will be auctioned off to the other students along with a homemade lunch.Juli hears that Sherry is planning to bid on Bryce against another one of the school's "finest" girls. Bryce thinks that Juli is planning on bidding for him because he hears she walked in with a wad of cash (which she wasn't planning on having with her). Bryce begins to worry about what would happen if she does bid for him just when she bids all her cash on basket boy number eight, the boy before Bryce. Sherry wins Bryce.
Later, during the basket boy bidding lunch, Bryce and Sherry sit at a table across from Juli and basket boy number 8, Eddie Trulock (Matthew Gold). She's facing Bryce and he can't help but stare at Juli the whole time. He sees she's having a good time with her date and gets jealous. He grabs her to talk to her and attempts to kiss her in front of everyone. He chases her after she dodges his kiss. Juli gets on her bike and cycles as fast as she can home. Garrett chases after him, and the two break off their friendship after a confrontation.
Juli bikes home crying. Bryce continuously tries to talk to her, ringing the doorbell, calling her house, coming to her bedroom window, despite her ignoring him. Finally, one day Juli sees Bryce digging a hole in her front lawn which infuriates her. Her father said he gave him permission and she watches Bryce continue to dig. After he digs the hole, he leaves.Juli is confused but Bryce comes back carrying a baby Sycamore tree and places it in the hole. She goes outside to help him. Knowing that he redeemed himself, Bryce covers Juli's hands with his, they share smiles and then continue planting the sycamore tree.
