Bryce Loski

Character Analysis

Flipped's main man is none other than Bryce Loski. We go along on Bryce's journey from being a seven-year-old kid to a teenager—and he goes through tons of change by the time he reaches eighth grade. And since he's one of our narrators, we've got front row seats to a lot of these changes. But Bryce isn't just a VIP to us—his neighbor Juli thinks he's pretty important too.

From Cowardly Lion to the Bravest Bloke Around

If Bryce gets called one name a lot in this book, it's coward. Everyone from Papa Loski to Granddad Chet says that Bryce is a coward—even Juli uses this word to describe her favorite neighborhood hunk. And if Juli's saying it, then we've really got a situation on our hands.

Bryce deals with a lot of fears. He's afraid to climb the sycamore tree. He's too frightened to eat Juli's eggs… or even to talk to her about them. Plus he's too much of a scaredy-cat to stand up to his dad when he's being a jerk.

Clearly Bryce hasn't always been the bravest guy, but over time his courageous side starts to shine through and by the end of the book, Bryce is so brave that he tries to kiss Juli. And in public, no less. Yep, that's a huge change. Just check out what Bryce is willing to do so Juli can see he's turned into a good guy:

And how am I going to make her listen to me? I'd scale that monster sycamore if I could. Right to the top. And I'd yell her name across the rooftops for the whole world to hear. And since you know what a tree-climbing weenie I am, I think it's pretty clear that I'm willing to do anything to get her to talk to me. Man, I'll dive after her into a chicken coop full of poop if that's what it takes. I'll ride my bike all the stinkin' way to school for the rest of eternity if it means being with her. (13.192)

Back in fifth grade, Bryce tried to climb the sycamore tree… and got super scared. But that scaredy-cat is long gone, folks, and nowadays Bryce is ready to be a tree-climbing champ. Just check out the gusto in his tone here. He sounds pretty brave and determined to us.

What do you think of Bryce's newfound bravery?

Don't Smell My Hair, Or How Bryce Gets Wound Up

Bryce spends a lot of his time getting annoyed. And let's be honest—sometimes he doesn't have the best reasons for being so riled up. How does he react when Juli just wants to be friends? He's irritated as all get-out. And what are his feelings about the eggs Juli drops off? He's pretty angry about those, too. He sure can get wound up over the little things.

But other times, we can't blame Bryce for getting infuriated. His big sis Lynetta definitely pesters him a lot, and we have to admit that having a girl smell your hair in class would be pretty aggravating.

But the thing that makes Bryce the angriest is when Mr. Loski and Garrett both make cruel comments about Juli's disabled uncle. For Bryce that crosses the line in a big way. Take a look at Bryce's reaction after Garrett makes fun of Juli and her uncle:

My heart started pounding and my hands clenched up. And for the first time since I'd learned to dive away from trouble, I wanted to deck somebody. (9.121)

Check out how physical Bryce's anger is. He feels it in his head and in his hands—and he's so upset, he almost loses his cool. But even though Garrett made a mean comment, Bryce never actually hits him. So he keeps his anger under control… though that doesn't mean he's about to forgive Garrett anytime soon.

So what do you think of Bryce's tendency to get annoyed or even angry? Is it a flaw he should try to fix? Or is part of what makes him strong? Or maybe a bit of both?