Starfish

Starfish is a beautiful middle grade novel-in-verse that captures the pain of living in a fatphobic world when you’re a fat kid and tween.

Ellie experiences the casual cruelty of ill-fitting clothing, as well as the piercing hurt of bullying, especially at the hands of family. Her Fat Girl Rules ring devastatingly true and I had a few more of my own growing up, like don’t breathe hard in gym class, even if it makes you feel like fainting.

But what I loved most about this book is that it is hopeful. We can move past self-hate and self-blame. We… show more.

My youngest has a grandma-granddaughter book club with my mother. Every time we visit, they read a novel together.

Her grandmother is a former children’s librarian, so the book picks are always top-of-the-line. I knew this book would be my daughter’s favorite read of the year when she said we needed to buy a copy for Grandma.

My daughter loved how the heroine of this book figured out how to work through the bullying she faced from other kids (and sometimes from her own family!) about her weight.

Starfish made me cry in public. This is a touching middle-grade novel-in-verse about a tween girl who is bullied for her weight.

Ellie lives by what she calls Fat Girl Rules — mantras like, “avoid eating in public” and “no making waves.” Her safe space is the swimming pool, where she feels weightless and free. In the pool, Ellie can “starfish,” taking up as much space as she wants.

Over the course of the story, with help from her supportive dad, her therapist, and a new friend, Ellie learns to “starfish” for real.

I’ve written about body image in my… show more.

Ellie has been bullied about her weight for some time and her mom insists on dragging her to doctors who can help her “manage her weight.”

Ellie wants to stand up to her bullies and her mom but sometimes she just doesn’t know how. While Ellie struggles to find the words she needs to advocate for herself, she finds solace in swimming. Because under water is where she feels the most weightless and free and it’s when she loves herself and her body the most.

With therapy and the help of her new best friend, Ellie shows us how true… show more.

Starfish by Lisa Fipps has captured the hearts of many this year. Ellie is bullied by many for her weight, and it is heartbreaking to read but, through the help of a therapist and a new friend, Ellie learns to feel confident about herself and find her voice. Verse wise, the concept of what it means “to take up space” works as a theme in the narrative but also as a poetic concept.