You probably know by now that Nancy and I are both suckers for sweet romantic stories, so of course we both positively flipped when we read Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen. And then we flipped AGAIN when we found out the book was being made into a movie. And now there’s just a couple days to go until it’s in theaters! (At least, if you live in L.A. or Sacramento or Austin. Sadly, the rest of us have to wait until August 27th.*)

Are you as excited for this film as we are? Here’s the trailer:

Looks cute, huh? Although I was pretty surprised to see that the film is set in the 1950s and 60s! The book is actually set in today’s times, but I can see that it would work in the past. What do you guys think?

If you haven’t already read Flipped, I suggest you run out and get a copy right now. It’s not a cutesy tween girl book with bubbly pink lettering on the cover; it’s a thoughtful story of two kids who make up their minds about one another early on, and then eventually start looking deeper, only to realize that their views of each other say a lot about who they are themselves — and what kind of people they want to be.

Plus it’s told in alternating points of view between Juli and Bryce, so you get both perspectives, which is a refreshing change from most books involving crushes and all that. (You can’t fool us — we know boys think about girls too!)

Of course, that’s all MY point of view. In the spirit of the book, I also want to present Nancy’s review of Flipped, which she shared in our Romance theme podcast:

So, what are you waiting for? You’ve got two days to read the book (or re-read it) before the movie comes out on Friday!

And also check out this post from Wendelin van Draanen’s blog, where she talks about her trip to visit the movie set during filming. Apparently there were a bunch of coincidences that led to a very magical experience for her. I TOTALLY got teary-eyed reading about it — not to mention even more excited for the upcoming movie! Nancy and I will be seeing it when it opens in New York. How about you?

— Karen

Karen’s first crush was on Chris, a boy who went to her preschool. She used to tell people they were going to get married. But then in elementary school, she shifted her affections to Matt, the boy who stood behind her in line and pulled on her braid. So fickle.

More about Karen »

* UPDATE 8/5/2010: So, I have some good news and some bad news. Which do you want to hear first? Uh, I can’t actually hear your answer, so I’m going to pretend that you said you want the bad news first. Here it is: Turns out that Flipped is only opening in limited release tomorrow, August 6th. According to this awesome movie fansite that I just discovered, the film opens only in Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Austin tomorrow. For the rest of us, the wide release date is August 27th. Boo! Cry… But remember I said I have good news too? Well, this just means you have more time to read the book before the movie hits the big screen! Hey, silver linings, people…

Judy Moody has: become famous, saved the world, predicted the future (those three things seem like they should have happened in reverse), become a doctor, declared independence, gone around the world in 8.5 days, and gone to college.

And now, she’s going to the movies! Well, not going to the movies, but starring in one! The Judy Moody series, created by author Megan McDonald and illustrator Peter Reynolds, will be brought to life on the silver screen — in a movie titled Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer.

Author Megan McDonald co-wrote the movie screenplay, so I think it’ll probably be true to the original characters. The movie will be live action — with human actors* — but I’m guessing they’ll use illustrator Peter Reynolds’ drawings for inspiration. I mean, with something like this… how can you not?

From Judy Moody Predicts the Future.

But don’t fret, book purists! When the movie comes out, Candlewick Press will also release a full-color hardback, Judy Moody Goes Hollywood. If you can’t wait that long, Judy Moody, Girl Detective, is coming out on August 10 (is there anything that girl can’t do?!).

There’s no news on casting or exact release date yet, but the director will be John Schultz, who directed Aliens in the Attic. The movie will be produced by Gary Magness and Sarah Siegel-Magness, who decided they wanted the film rights to the Judy Moody series after their daughter read one of the books. Thank you, daughter of Gary Magness and Sarah Siegel-Magness!

Judy is in 3rd grade, and her brother, Stink, is in 2nd grade. Who do you think should play them in the movie?

— Nancy

*You’re probably wondering why Nancy specified human actors. She’s pretty bummed that robot actors are still discriminated against in Hollywood.
More about Nancy »