Flipped Tone

Candid, Intimate

Juli and Bryce tell it like it is. When Juli is feeling giddy about the cute new neighbor (hint: it's Bryce), we get to hear about it; and when Bryce is getting irritated about the tree-climbing gal (oh yes, that would be Juli), then we get all the details. And this is because both our storytellers have a super candid tone. They don't do a little song and dance around their story—instead they give us the tale with a good healthy dose of sincere frankness.

And all this honesty means we get to see what Bryce and Juli really think about, well, everything. In their chapters, they have a heart-to-heart with us like we're old chums, just sharing a candy bar during passing period and telling our deepest, darkest secrets. Take a look at how this candid, intimate tone crops up when Bryce and Juli tell us two sides of the same story:

Here's Bryce's take on Juli helping him to cheat on spelling tests:

Juli'd always be sly about sniffing, which really bugged me because no one ever noticed her doing it, but she was just as sly about giving me answers, which was okay by me. The bad thing about it was that I started counting on her spelling in my ear. I mean, why study when you don't have to, right? (1.66)

And here's Juli's take on the same event:

And even though it bothered my conscience, I'd lean in and whisper answers to him, hoping that maybe I could spend lunch with him instead. His hair smelled like watermelon, and his earlobes had fuzz. Soft blond fuzz. And I wondered about that. How does a boy with such black hair wind up with blond ear fuzz? (2.45)

So Bryce and Juli have different motivations for cheating, but they use a similar tone when they tell us about them. Even though they're talking about something they definitely shouldn't be doing, they're both candid about their feelings. And did you notice how Bryce and Juli ask the reader questions? Just like we're doing right now? It makes the tone pretty intimate, as if we're buds just chatting it up.