The Flip Side: A Graphic Novel - by Jason Walz (Hardcover)

About the Book

After losing his best friend to cancer, grieving Theo navigates a haunting alternate reality that embodies his depression, where he faces a shapeshifting monster and teams up with a mysterious girl to survive in a world where everyone has vanished.

Book Synopsis

In this breathtaking supernatural graphic novel, a grieving teen finds himself in a haunting alternate reality--the frightening embodiment of his depression.

"Imaginative horror meets honesty about emotional pain."--Kirkus Review

"Walz balances heavy ruminations on death and mental illness with a tragicomic tone and earnest intention."--Publishers Weekly

Theo's best friend has died, and he can't pull himself out of his sadness--a sadness that those around him don't seem to respect or even notice. And then something even more disconcerting happens: His town literally flips upside down and everyone disappears, except for a threatening, shape-shifting monster and a snarky teenage girl who knows her way around this flipped world. Is Theo doomed to spend the rest of his life in this scary state?

Tremendously unique and suspenseful, The Flip Side tackles grief and depression in a fascinating and affecting way.

Review Quotes

Booklist Editors' Choice
School Library Journal Best Books of the Year
YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens
Minnesota Book Award

"The Flip Side is a truly sinister place, with labyrinthine cityscapes and apocalyptic colors. Details, such as the grotesque body of the shape-shifting monster, which is born of negative emotions, effectively convey the nightmarish tone, and bold black lines enhance the well-paced action. The intriguing premise and striking visual representation convey lessons about depression and grief. Imaginative horror meets honesty about emotional pain."--Kirkus Reviews

"This emotionally resonant graphic novel depicts vulnerable, bittersweet friendship against the backdrop of a high-concept, speculative premise. Walz balances heavy ruminations on death and mental illness with a tragicomic tone and earnest intention."--Publishers Weekly

"Walz transcends the already top-notch adventure story and gives readers something more profound, more accessible, and more relevant. This makes for a riveting, heartfelt ride."--Booklist, starred review

"Color is as much a part of the storytelling as the text, with muted panels showing Theo's real world and memories before his friend died contrasting sharply with garish reds, blues, and yellows reminiscent of bruising that create the saturated, sometimes visually overwhelming flipped world."--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

About the Author

Jason Walz worked for many years as a special education teacher, and is the creator of several previous graphic novels, including the Last Pick trilogy and the Eisner Award-nominated Homesick.