Character Analysis
Juli is Flipped's leading lady and she's just the best. She's a good friend, a stellar daughter, and she can raise hens to boot. What more could you ask for? To get to know her super well? Well we get to do that too, since she's one of our narrators.
But even though Juli is pretty great, she also goes through some difficult stuff. Growing up is just tough sometimes, and because she's a head honcho in this book, we get to experience all Juli's growing pains right along with her.
Two-in-One: Thoughtful Gestures and Punch-Throwing Spunk
Juli sure is one kind-hearted girl—she's always trying to make her parents happy, she's the best mama around to her little chicks, and she's even sweet enough to give away her eggs to the Loskis. (Okay—that last part is also motivated by her crush on Bryce, but it's still pretty nice of her.)
So when Jon Trulock is up for auction at the Basket Boys event and no one bids on him, Juli steps up to the plate:
"But why isn't anyone biding on him? He's… he's so nice."
Darla nodded. "Exactly."
That's when I realized what I had to do. My hand shot into the air and I called, "Ten!" (14.134-136)
Juli doesn't hesitate before she does a kind deed—Jon is a nice guy, and she decides to be nice right back. Sure she feels a little guilty that she voted for Jon to be a Basket Boy in the first place, but even when Juli contributes to some guy's embarrassment, she's right there to help make it better too.
Now just because Juli's nice doesn't mean she never gets angry, though—in fact, even though she's being super thoughtful when she bids on Jon, she's feeling pretty annoyed at Bryce at the same time. She thinks he insulted her Uncle David, and that's a big no-no for Juli. Plus, when it comes to phony Shelly Stalls, Juli is about as revved up and ready to throw punches as she can get.
In other words, in addition to being kind and thoughtful, Juli is strong-minded and spunky too—our leading lady's got a bit of fight in her. Which side of Juli do you think wins out in the end? The side that is super kind, or the side that can get a wee bit angry?
The Most Persistent Gal You Ever Did See
Granddad Chet says it best: Juli has an "iron backbone" (3.54). This means that she's determined as can be and strong as steel. Whether it's working hard to hatch her science fair eggs or pruning bushes to clean up her yard, Juli is a seriously diligent lady who's not about to let anything get in her way.
One of the coolest things Juli does is stand-up for her favorite sycamore tree. When folks come to chop it down, she refuses to climb out of the branches:
The bus was three blocks away. I'd never missed school for any reason other than legitimate illness, but I knew in my heart that I was going to miss my ride. "You're going to have to cut me down!" I yelled. Then I had an idea. They'd never cut it down if all of us were in the tree. They'd have to listen! "Hey, guys!" I called to my classmates. "Get up here with me! They can't cut it down if we're all up here! Marcia! Tony! Bryce! C'mon, you guys, don't let them do this!" (4.81)
Juli is persistent as can be when she stands up to those chain saws. What do you think of her tone here? Sounds to us like she's ready for a fight. Yep—this girl is willing to do whatever it takes to save her tree, even if it means calling out to classmates who never join her or threatening to stay in the tree when they cut it down. Sure she eventually comes out when her dad insists, but we still think Juli's got a seriously impressive iron backbone.
Juli's Timeline