Flip

Gr 9 Up–Once again, Chi-Chi Ekeh finds herself crushing on yet another rich white boy at her boarding school. But when Chi-Chi’s crush, Flip Henderson, gets her video promposal, things go wrong in ways that neither of them could have expected. First, he accidentally plays her video during their AP English class in front of everyone. Then he says no in front of everyone. Then Chi-Chi and Flip switch bodies, and things get even more complicated. Readers will enjoy the madcap Freaky Friday vibes of the body swap plotline as well as the lessons the characters learn about friendship, communication, mental health, and self-worth. While a lot of time is spent with Chi-Chi and Flip, the well-drawn supporting characters add plenty of heart and humor to this story. Chi-Chi’s friends deserve their own spin-off book where readers can learn more about the history of their friendship, their love of K-Pop, and the challenges of being minority students in a predominantly white school. This is a sweet story that also sparks with moments that will make readers laugh out loud. The colorful illustrations pack a powerful punch, and the visual conceit of having a character wear a mask with the other person’s face effectively signals to readers who is in whose body. Chi-Chi is Black, Flip is white.