Reviews for Flip-Flop Girl

The average rating for Flip-Flop Girl based on 2 reviews is 2 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2020-04-15 00:00:00 TAKUMI ENDO Paterson is indeed brilliant. She gets that kids aren't always angelic, and that parents aren't perfect either, even when a family isn't dysfunctional. Mistakes are made. Naughty impulses are acted upon. Mistakes are made. And yet, somehow, by the end, there's real hope for healing. Still, it's such a struggle to get there, and there is some weak characterization sometimes, and the unreliable narrator drove me nuts (is Grandma that difficult, or is Vinnie whiny, for example)... well, I just did not enjoy reading this, or feel enlightened, as I have done with other books by the author. I am not surprised to see that the reviews are polarized. If a reader knows someone like Vinnie, or feels empathy for her, s/he'll probably like this a lot. Others will not like or respect the characters, and not like the book. I recommend it for Paterson completists, maybe others who feel like most tween fiction is unrealistic.

Review # 2 was written on 2012-10-15 00:00:00 Tom Matthews This book for kids is about siblings who recently lost their father. Little Mason refuses to talk and older Vinnie is supposed to "help" her mother as they move into Grandmom's house, start at a new school and meet new friends. I can't really say what the point of this books is. That the kids were disturbed? That no one ever seemed to talk to Vinnie? That Grandmom and mom were both bullies and only seemed to care for Mason's problems? That the only adult nice to Vinnie ended up being the target of her vandalism? From an adult's perspective I know what the author wants to do with this, but frankly I can't see reading this book with fourth or fifth graders because I just don't think they'd get it. I think that Vinnie's responses to her life would make sense and the ending is too abrupt and doesn't actually resolve any of the problems. The only redeeming part of the book is that Vinnie learns that there are people who are kind no matter what and sometimes friends are found in the most surprising places.