Wendelin Van Draanen'sFlipped (Knopf, 2001), a coming-of-age he-said she-said romance, has been adapted to the big screen by director Rob Reiner and opened to wide release on August 27. The week before, Van Draanen—author of the popular "Sammy Keyes" (Random) series—had her very own red carpet screening for friends, family, and about 200 local kids in her hometown of San Luis Obispo, CA. Even a few of the movie's lead actors showed up for the event, which helped raise money for local schools and libraries.
SLJ spoke to the author about her involvement in the movie and what effect it's had on her writing.
When Flipped came out in 2001, it made our Best Books List. Our reviewers thought it was fresh and funny, and called it "another winner." How did it end up becoming a movie? The moral of this story is, never underestimate the power of state awards! Flipped was assigned reading in Rob Reiner's son's school because it was a California Young Reader Medal winner. From what I understand, Rob and his son were on a flight to Hawaii and wound up reading it together. Rob fell in love with the book and fought through lots of tangled red tape to get it made into a movie. I don't know if he would have gone through everything he did if he'd just been "pitched" the story. I'm really lucky that he read the book and wanted to stay true to it.
The book switches back and forth between the voices of eighth-graders Bryce and Juli. Do you feel it translated well to the big screen? I think they did a marvelous job. I've seen it three times now and the interesting thing to me is that it wears well—I like it better each time I see it.
Were you involved in the screenwriting? Not officially, but anyone who's read the book will recognize that much of the voice-over and dialog is taken straight from the book. When complimented on the screenplay, Rob's always very gracious to point out that "Wendelin did all the heavy lifting." It really is more like the book than any movie I've ever seen.
At the red carpet screening. From left: Madeline Carroll (Juli), Stefanie Scott (Dana), Van Draanen, Callan McAuliffe (Bryce) and Israel Broussard (Garrett)
Were you pleased with the casting? I had no say in it, but when I found out that Madeline Carroll was playing Juli, I knew it would be good. I'd seen her in Swing Vote with Kevin Costner, and I thought she stole the show. For such a young actor, that girl's got chops!
You have a great feel for the way kids think and express themselves. How do you hone those skills as a writer? I listen. I observe. I remember what it was like. I just imagine myself in those shoes and feel it.
Does having a movie under your belt affect your writing? I'd say no. I feel like I'm on a rugged quest to get to the last (18th) Sammy Keyes book, and this has been a little surprise banquet with gold goblets and tasty treats laid out for me along the way. It's been absolutely delicious, but I can't stay. I've got work to do.
So the way you create scenes remains unchanged? I've always imagined scenes very visually before I've written them, so this has not affected how I write. I don't write with the thought of movies. I write books. I do understand that there are adjustments that need to be made in making a movie from a book, and in the case of Flipped I am aware of my good fortune in having the script parallel the book so closely. Rob discussed with me the changes he wanted to make—he had sound reasons, and I was okay with all of them.
Do humorists get the same respect and recognition as "serious" writers? Which one are you? I'm in the Seriously Funny category. Ha! Yes, I think the importance of humor is often underrated by critics/reviewers, but never by children, and children are the ones I write for. I like to wrap important topics or issues for consideration in the comforting arms of humor. I find kids "get it" and enjoy it much better that way.
I heard that libraries had a special place in your heart while growing up. I loved summer reading programs at our public library. Summers were hot, the library was cool, and the place smelled like magic to me. I loved the comfort of the children's section, the way the librarian did her hair, and the endless choice of books. I have a great relationship with my local libraries, and of course I've now visited a lot of school libraries across the country. They still smell like magic to me.
Where do your ideas come from? I observe my kids—and their friends—but brainstorm with my husband. He is the best! And he's given me some key moments in my books. He also is almost always aligned with my editor—I've had the same one for all 27 books—which drives me crazy. He'll give me his opinion about some aspect of my story, and if I disagree I'll leave it as is...until Nancy reads it and says the same thing. I'll stomp my foot and go "Dang!" but at that point I'll know I'd better take the advice.
Tell us what you're working on now? I'm in the middle of writing the 14th Sammy Keyes (Sammy Keyes and the Night of Skulls). Sammy Keyes and the Wedding Crasher will finally be out in October—it was delayed because I got sidetracked by a very intense stand-alone novel, The Running Dream, which will be released in January. The Running Dream has been a huge part of my existence for the last couple of years. Extensive research and just a very emotional story for me. I can honestly say it's changed my life. I hope kids who read it feel the same.
The article states that this movie was going into wide release August 27; however, I can't find anywhere in the Chicago area that is showing it. I've been looking forward to it all summer as this is one of my all-time favorite middle school novels. Does anyone know anything about its release?
Posted by Mary Clare on August 31, 2010 02:43:37PM
Good news! Starting today (9/10) Flipped is playing in about 450 new theaters nation wide. There are many in the Chicago area. Hope you enjoy the movie!
Posted by Wendelin on September 10, 2010 12:32:10PM
how do we find out where the theatres are? I'm in the detroit area
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