Paterson, Katherine. Flip-Flop Girl. Puffin (1996). ISBN-10: 0140376798

Plot Summary

Flip-Flop Girl by Katherine Paterson is about Vinnie (or Lavinia), a girl whose father has recently died. She and her remaining family move from Washington D.C. to a small town in Virginia, and Vinnie has a hard time adjusting to her new school, making new friends, and working through the death of her father. She often lashes out in anger, and she has to deal with the fact that all of her mother’s attention is now given to her brother Mason who has become essentially mute after their father’s death. Eventually, Vinnie does come to terms with her father’s death, but not without the help of the “flip-flop girl."

Critical Evaluation

Katherine Paterson does an amazing job of making the characters in her books quite believable. Flip-Flop Girl is no different! What is especially enlightening is that Vinnie is just a normal child who is forced to deal with her own emotions, which is not easy to do for children her age. Paterson shows kids that they can survive the death of a parent even though this might seem impossible.

Reader's Annotation

Teaser is from p. 90-91 of the book…

Why is Vinnie hiding in the hamper? What is she afraid of? What is so bad that she would risk “death by noxious fumes”?

About the Author

Katherine Paterson was born in China in 1932. Patterson’s parents were missionaries, eventually returning to the U.S. after the 1937 Japanese invasion of China. Because the family moved often, Paterson attended over a dozen schools by the time she graduated from high school in 1950. It was difficult for her to make new friends, and her school years would eventually become a huge influence in her writing. In 1954, Paterson graded from King College in Tennessee where she studied literature. After spending some time as an elementary school teacher, she decided to become a missionary. She received her master’s degree in English Bible and Christian Education in 1957.

Eventually Paterson decided that she wanted to become a writer. But, most of her initial works were rejected by publishers. A friend later suggested that Paterson take an adult education course on creative writing, after which she took a class on writing for children. During this class, Paterson wrote her first novel, The Sign of the Chrysanthemum, which was set in Japan, and was released after years of revisions in 1973.

To date, Katherine Paterson has written over two dozen books, and won over fifty awards. Nearly all of her books have won multiple awards; Bridge to Terabithia, for which she is perhaps most well known, won eight awards, including the 1978 Newbery Medal.

Genre

Realistic Fiction

Curriculum Ties

Realistic Fiction

Booktalking Ideas

Lavinia has just lost her father. Her family moved to Washington, D.C. She is alone, and she is filled with great sorrow. But, she meets the “flip-flop girl" and learns that there really is life after experiencing death. Check out Katherine Paterson’s Flip-Flop Girl.

Reading Level/Interest Age

Ages 9-12, Grades 4-6

Reason for Book Selection

I like that this book shows students that they can face even the most trying experiences and still survive! And, that the “weirdo” classmate isn’t so bad after all!