• Starfish

Starfish

Author
Publication Date
May 02, 2023
Genre / Grade Band
Fiction /  6th − 7th
Starfish

Description

Ellie is tired of being fat-shamed and does something about it in this poignant debut novel-in-verse.

Ever since Ellie wore a whale swimsuit and made a big splash at her fifth birthday party, she's been bullied about her weight. To cope, she tries to live by the Fat Girl Rules--like no making waves, avoid eating in public, and don't move so fast that your body jiggles. And she's found her safe space--her swimming pool--where she feels weightless in a fat-obsessed world. 

In the water, she can stretch herself out like a starfish and take up all the room she wants. It's also where she can get away from her pushy mom, who thinks criticizing Ellie's weight will motivate her to diet.

Fortunately, Ellie has allies in her dad, her therapist, and her new neighbor, Catalina, who loves Ellie for who she is. With this support buoying her, Ellie might finally be able to cast aside the Fat Girl Rules and starfish in real life--by unapologetically being her own fabulous self.

Publication date
May 02, 2023
Classification
Fiction
Page Count
-
ISBN-13
9781984814524
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Nancy Paulsen Books
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV057000 - Juvenile Fiction | Stories in Verse (see also Poetry)
JUV039230 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Bullying
JUV039020 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Adolescence
Library of Congress categories
Friendship
Self-confidence
Families
Family life
Bullying
Texas
Mothers and daughters
Overweight persons

ALA/Booklist

Starred Review
Ellie's story will delight readers who long to see an impassioned young woman seize an unapologetic victory.

Kirkus

Starred Review
Fipps' verse is skillful and rooted in emotional reality. The text places readers in Ellie's shoes, showing how she is attacked in many spaces--including by strangers on public transit--while clearly asserting that it's other people who need to change. . . . Make room in your heart for this cathartic novel.

Publishers Weekly

Starred Review

Told in verse, this affirming representation of fatness stars Ellie Montgomery-Hofstein, 11, who, to avoid the bullying she's endured since the age of five, lives by the Fat Girl Rules--the unspoken rules one learns "when you break them--/ and suffer/ the consequences." Finding solace from taunts and judgment in her fenced-in backyard's pool, Ellie, who is half-Christian, half-Jewish, and presumed white, enjoys sprawling in the water like a starfish, weightless and free. When her best friend Viv moves away, Ellie feels alone at her Dallas, Tex., school, but she soon forms a tentative bond with her new neighbor, Catalina Rodriguez, whose boisterous, loving Mexican family makes her feel accepted for who she is. With support from new friends, her father, and a therapist who acknowledges her feelings and helps her find her voice, Ellie finds the strength to stand up to her bullies, including her mother, who pressures Ellie to undergo bariatric surgery, and verbally abusive older siblings. Fipps's use of verse is as effective as it is fitting; Ellie dreams of becoming a storyteller and poet "to help people feel what it's like/ to live in/ someone else's skin." A triumphant and poignantly drawn journey toward self-acceptance and self-advocacy. Ages 10-up. Agent: Liza Fleissig, Liza Royce Agency. (Mar.)

Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

Starred Review

Gr 5 Up--A charming novel in verse about a girl struggling with self-worth. Ellie is a middle school girl who is bullied every day for her weight. Whether it comes from classmates, siblings, or even her mother, Ellie is constantly bombarded with comments about her size. Luckily, her friends help keep her head up most of the time. When her best friend Viv moves away, a new friend, Catalina, fits right into her place. Ellie's dad is also an ally; he stands up to Ellie's mom and decides to take Ellie to a therapist. With the help of Dr. Wood, Ellie learns how to feel comfortable in her own skin. Once readers start, it will be difficult for them to put this book down. Ellie's story is heartbreaking and raw at times, and Fipps paints a realistic picture of bullying in a world that equates thinness with beauty. Ellie's own family, except for her dad, also buy into that ideal, calling her "Splash," making fun of her, and cataloguing everything she eats. True joy comes in watching Ellie gain confidence in herself and standing up to the bullies, even when they're family. The race of most characters is not mentioned. Catalina and her family are Mexican American. VERDICT A must-have for libraries serving teens and tweens.--Lisa Buffi, Sterling M.S., VA

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
LOVE LOVE LOVE

This is a guide to show you how to love yourself. People always show their true colors, and it is important to know who your people are!

Lisa Fipps
With her debut middle-grade novel, Starfish, Lisa Fipps won 13 awards, including the 2022 Michael L. Printz Honor Book Award, and the novel in verse was selected for 45 state award/book lists. Her second novel in verse, And Then, BOOM!, comes out in May 2024. She’s done virtual and in-person author visits with thousands of children in America, Canada, and China, in addition to being a guest speaker and panelist at festivals and conferences. Starfish has been translated into Turkish, Korean, Spanish, and complex Chinese, and will soon be coming out in four other languages. Lisa is also an award-winning former journalist, and an award-winning former library marketing director. She currently lives in Indiana and has lived in Texas.
Printz Award
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Honor Book 2022
ALSC Notable Children's Book
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Selection 2022