Flipped Chapter 4 Summary

The Sycamore Tree (Julianna)

  • We're back to Juli's side of the story. And based on this chapter title, it sounds like we're going to get her scoop on the sad sycamore tree.
  • Juli starts out by telling us about her dad. He loves to paint landscapes while sitting in their backyard, and Juli loves to chat with her pops while he paints. Sounds like a pretty nice time to us.
  • One day over a painting-bonding session, Mr. Baker asks Juli a zinger: why does she like Bryce so much? Juli has a tough time answering this question. She basically talks about how cute Bryce is, which doesn't really satisfy her dad.
  • Over time Juli and her dad keep having these deep chats about life. One especially important convo happens when Mr. Baker says that a "painting is more than the sum of its parts" (4.16). Juli totally discovers what this means when she's hanging out in the sycamore tree.
  • We already know that Juli loves the sycamore tree almost as much as she loves Bryce. She loves playing in it, and she especially loved the very first time she climbed super high to rescue a kite.
  • The kite turns out to Bryce's, which inspires Juli to overcome any fear she feels about climbing high in hopes of having a chance to bond with her favorite boy in town. As a bonus, she sees a super amazing view that takes her breath away.
  • When she slides down the tree, Juli rips her pants open—she thinks Bryce notices since he laughs and runs off. So much for bonding.
  • Embarrassing pants-rip aside, Juli is pretty stoked about the view from the sycamore tree, and she keeps climbing up there to sit in the same spot and enjoy the view. She can't believe that her classmates don't want to climb up there too. Plus, while sitting in that tree Juli gets to really feel what it means for a picture to be more than the sum of its parts.
  • Juli gets so attached to the tree that she starts talking to it.
  • One day Juli tells her dad about the tree and how magical it is. Her pops even promises to try to climb it with her the next day.
  • Well let's just take a guess about what happens the very next day… yep, the chain saws come out. When Juli finds out they're cutting down the tree to build a house in its place, she's not having it and she tries to stay in the tree as long as possible to stop them.
  • Juli's mom freaks out, and then her dad tells her it's time to come down. Poor Juli misses school that day and spends the next couple weeks in tears.
  • A few weeks after the tree gets chopped down, Juli's dad gives her a seriously sweet painting. It's of a big sycamore tree with a little girl in it. The painting has Juli all choked up, remembering how her whole world changed when she climbed up in that magical tree.