Lisa FippsReseñas

*Review contains spoilers*

Fifth-grader Joe faces one "and then...BOOM!" moment after another in this novel in verse. First, there's the "Mess with Mum," who has gotten into various kinds of trouble and compounded that trouble enough that her mother, Joe's beloved Grandmum, lost their house. Joe's friends Hakeem and Nick help them find a new place to live in their mobile home park, where heart-of-gold "Uncle Frank" helps them furnish their new place.

Together, Joe and Grandmum are just about keeping themselves afloat, when Grandmum dies. Joe's mom returns, but only briefly; she gets "the Itch" again and runs off, leaving Joe to fend for himself. He's scared to tell anyone she's gone, because his friend Nick told him about CPS and being in foster care, but problem after problem pummels Joe: school ends, cutting off his main source of food; his hot water and electricity are turned off, so the food that was in the fridge and freezer spoiled; and then a literal storm hits, in the form of a tornado. Joe can't get to the shelter with the abandoned dogs he adopted (Lucky, Duck, and Dawg), so he ties them to an oak tree - but the rope snaps, sending him flying.

In the aftermath, Joe finally gets the help he needs: medical attention, therapy, and a new home with the Davisons, who live on a farm with lots of animals (and food). AND THEN...BOOM! is about a good kid who takes on adult responsibilities and fears telling others when the adults in his life disappear. Joe struggles with hunger and cleanliness, despite help from teacher Mrs. Swan, Uncle Frankie, and his friends Nick and Hakeem and their families. Ultimately, Joe has a happy ending with the Davisons, who give him a safe place, kindness and caring and inclusion, and who support his desire to give back to others by starting free food pantries.

See also: No Fixed Address by Susin Nielsen, Deep Water by Jamie Sumner, Kyra Just for Today by Sara Zarr

Quotes

"Why the World Needs Comic Books" (4)

Every story boils down to
and-thens
and
BOOMS!
...the moments when
something happens
that changes
everything. (5)

"If you give when you can,
it's okay to take when you need to." (Uncle Frankie, 39)

When you're so used to doing everything for yourself,
you forget that others will help.
If you let them. (41)

"How do you know what the right thing [to do] is?"
I ask.
"If it means helping others or yourself,
it's always the right thing to do,"
Uncle Frankie says. (138)

Storms, like stormy people,
can be impossible to understand. (200)

"Sometimes the best way to take care of others
is to take care of yourself first." (Uncle Frankie, 202)

I'm mostly used to dealing with what's broken
after things go bad.
I guess I need to learn how to deal with things
before they get so bad. (232)½

Independent Reading Level: Ages 10+
Awards & Honors: 2022 Association for Library Service to Children Notable Children’s Book

2022 International Literacy Association Notable Books
for a Global Society Award Winner

2022 National Council of Teachers of English
Charlotte Huck Award Honor Book

2022 NCTE/Children’s Literature Assembly
Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts Award

2022 Jane Addams Children’s Book Award Finalist

2022 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults winner

2022 YALSA Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults winner

2021 Internationale Jugendbibliothek White Raven

2022 YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

Friends of American Writers Young People’s Literature Award

2023 Sakura Medal, Chapter Books Category (Japan)

2022 Judy Lopez Memorial Award Honor Book

Clever, poignant, well written, and important—Starfish is a beautiful book. I picked it up randomly because I thought a YA novel in verse would be a quick and easy step toward finishing this year’s reading challenge. It was a quick read, but so much more than that. And I think it’s even more important for adults to read than the tweens for whom it’s categorized. As a woman who’s struggled with weight all my life, I felt the depth of Ellie’s pain and frustration and shame, and I’m glad her story is out there to educate the world.

Gr 5–8—Eleven-year-old Ellie has been bullied most of her life for being fat. The mean girls are bad enough, but her
weight-obsessed mother might be her worst critic. With the encouragement of a new therapist, Ellie learns to
confront her attackers. As she breaks down her restrictive, self-imposed rules, Ellie begins to accept the
unconditional love she deserves. Fipps's empowering, feel-good novel in verse shines, especially given the dearth of
body-positive examples for young readers.

Summary
This book in verse by Lisa Fipps is about a young girl Ellie who is tired of being fat-shamed. She tries to live by “Fat Girl Rules,” which includes: not making waves, avoiding eating in public, and not moving so fast that your body juggles. Despite all of the pressure from her peers and mom, she has found happiness in the swimming pool. There she can be her true self.

Review
In our world today, there is so much pressure on young girls with social media and peer pressure about being a certain size. The reality is all different sizes are beautiful. The world is not one size fits all.
I also love how this text normalizes therapy and shows the importance of finding your people through all of the pressures in the world. Ellie finds allies, friendship, confidence, and hope with her neighbor Catalina, her therapist, and dad.

This book reminds me of the graphic novel Swim Team in many ways. They are both about a young girl facing challenges and finding love in swimming. Both texts show how to help find confidence in yourself, overcome your fears, and to use the people around you for support. Both texts are also in a non-traditional writing style, this one in verse and Swim Team as a Graphic Novel.

I didn't expect it would make me cry. A beautiful book, I'm very happy that I read it. Definitely five stars.

Fipps' debut novel written in verse confronts body shaming. This novel is poignant and a reminder how much middle school age children (all ages really) suffer at the hands of bullies -- especially those labeled "fat". In this novel, the bullies are classmates, strangers, but also teachers and parents. Some adults ignore the teasing Ellie endures, but others, even her own mother, make cruel remarks about her weight and body. Ellie turns to her father and her therapists and understanding friends to eventually push back against the bullying. Readers see her begin to like herself. The author notes that this was originally a YA book, but decided to change aspects of the book for a younger audience. This book is for middle schoolers - but would recommend older middle school.

2024 reading challege: award winner, novel in verse, body positivity.

children's audio fiction (3.5 hrs) - ~4th-9th grade? (has appeal to wide range of ages inckuding teens)

fat tween Ellie with fat-disapproving mom (Christian, trying to help her daughter in the best way she knows how and perhaps not aware of how much her words and actions hurt) and working dad (Jewish, pushing for therapy over surgery, which actually helps with the bullying issues, etc.). Set in Texas.

short chapters (in verse, though you can't tell in the audio version) make an enjoyable, highly readable story that bring this little big girl (tween) to life. Narration is great ( I sped it up to 1.15-1.2x speed). Relatively short, but with so much crammed in -- a complex mother-daughter relationship (keep tissues handy), a developing friendship with another bullied student (who is himself bullied), and a healthier sense of self thanks to a fabulous therapist. More books like this, please!

Look at that cute cover!!!! Don't you want to swim with this friend?
Instead of a joyful swim romp, the poems all centered on the horrible abuse this child suffered from doctors, parents, and peers about her weight. I stopped to protect myself from the trauma and DO NOT RECOMMEND this book to anyone, especially children.

The way I feel about this book is very similar to how I felt about [b:Genesis Begins Again|25753113|Genesis Begins Again|Alicia D. Williams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1536296273l/25753113._SY75_.jpg|45596012]. It's just too depressing for me. I had to put it down and walk away.

There is nothing subtle about the way Ellie is bullied at school and at home and in public. It's just like sledgehammer after sledgehammer of emotional brutality.

I'm sure by the end of the book Ellie stands up to her bullies and feels better about herself. But the first half of the book was too cringe-inducing for me to want to take that journey with her.

Heart-breaking and beautiful at the same time.

Trigger warnings: Fat shaming, bullying
Score: Seven points out of ten.

Well, this is better than I expected. I enjoy verse novels most of the time, especially after I read The Crossover.

self image book choice

The brightest and warmest 5 stars for the book. It was just so good. I cried like a million times - sometimes because I related to what was happening to Elle, sometimes because I wish I had the support that she had and sometimes because I was just happy and content that kids these days have access to such brillaint pieces of fiction. In the simplest way possible, Lisa Fipps has done a beautiful job in taking the bullying that happened to her as a kid and using it to not let it happen to others or help them go through it. My tear sac is all dried up.

OMG. While I am drawing duds in the adult realm, this middle grade book reinvigorated my belief in good writing be out there.

A book, written in verse and free form style, about Ellie---a girl who is overweight. And is bullied about it. Girls at school at mean. Her mom "subtly" makes comments about bariatric surgery and diets. Her siblings call her Splash and Whale. Let's just say she doesn't have it easy and she goes to therapy about it.

What ensues is a love story of accepting herself. Of slowly taking the weight of the world, every painful word ever said, and putting it somewhere else. Of finding friends who love her for herself. It's a story about embracing who you are. It isn't excusing weight--but sometimes diets and activity don't work. It's a book about a support system. It's a book about a librarian who helps be the bridge towards healing and finding similarities in her enemies.

I cannot recommend this book enough!

i am crying. what a beautiful story. first time reading a book in verse and that truly made this book what it was. some books are therapy and this is one of them. such a great story about self-worth, standing up for yourself and claiming your right to take up space. this is a story for both children and adults. i think both parties can find meaning in this story and learn their own value. Lisa Fipps!! this story was SO SO SO SO GOOD!!

Oh, this was absolutely lovely.

CW: Fatmisia, racism, body shaming, child abuse, horrific bullying

Well this beautifully written middle-school verse novel was both hurtful and healing.

"Fat Girl Rules
I learned
at five:
No cannonballs.
No splashing.
No making waves.
You don't deserve
to be seen or heard,
to take up room,
to be noticed.
Make yourself small."

Jeepers there were some difficult moments in this book and Lisa doesn't pull any punches during the sustained bullying campaign against our main character, Ellie. The worst aspect was the shameful behaviour of her mother. I wanted to reach through the pages of this book, grab her and...ummm...politely suggest she take a positive parenting course. *crickets chirping*
This novel can be quite confronting so I would probably let potential readers know to discuss anything that makes them uncomfortable with the nearest trusted adult if they feel upset by the content.

And a quote from the book for my fellow librarians:

I breathe in the smell,
hungry to read the words.
"You'll like this one," she says.
"I've been looking forward to seeing you
so you could check it out."
She's the first person to smile at me today.
The first to make me feel wanted.
Understood.
I blink back tears.
It's unknown how many students' lives
librarians have saved
by welcoming loners at lunch."

I'm not crying. You are!

Ellie has always struggled with her weight -- but it's been less about her fat to her and more about how people perceive her as nothing more than a large body, with no heart, feelings, brain, or thoughts. And one of the most painful parts is how it's not just her schoolmates who bully her, but her own mother who harps on her weight the most. Finally, her father recommends that Ellie starts seeing a therapist and she finds the words and actions to stand up and defend herself against the hurt others try to cause her.

This book was such an emotional roller coaster. Ellie could be both perceptive and sarcastic, resulting in moments of wry humor. Her genuine kindness allows her to make friends with those with true hearts who don't judge her, allowing for very touching moments. But when others, particularly her awful mother, unrelentingly mock her, it's so deeply upsetting. I found myself close to tears a few times in this book as Ellie evokes all your empathy as a reader. And when Ellie finds ways to express herself, it's such a feeling of satisfaction to see her be able to take a stand against those who want to bully her.

The novel is written in verse, which is easily justified because Ellie views herself as a poetic writer and the whole narrative is told in first-person point-of-view. But it's also free verse, so it reads more like a prose story than a bunch of obscure poems that the reader has to try to piece together and weave a plot from those pieces. It reads quickly as a result of these short poem-chapters and frankly, the story and its characters are so engaging that you won't want to put it down. If anything, my only real complaint with it was I felt it ended too soon as I wanted to see what happens next and learn more about some of the ancillary characters.

Speaking of characters, this book is full of diversity. Ellie's family is half Jewish/half Christian, her new next-door neighbors are Mexican-American, and Ellie observes how one of her bullies is himself bullied because he lives in relative poverty. In many ways, this book will tug on the reader's heartstrings, force them to look at how they treat others and how they stand up for others who are being treated poorly, and elicit all kinds of sympathy.½

Favorite quote from this book “There’s plenty of room for each and every one of us in the world.” Words to live by. I need to be more of a starfish like Ellie. Those who have been bullied (I was as a kid) to those who are the bullies, need to read this book. Powerful words and meaning throughout. Thank you for writing this story. I wish there was one like this when I was Ellie’s age, then I would have learned to be a starfish sooner than later.

Starfish follows Ellie; a Texas girl bullied relentlessly for her weight. To cope, she makes her own "Fat Girl Rules" that she tries to live by. She finds a safe place within her pool to spread like a starfish. With the help of her dad, therapist, and her best friend, she can unapologetically be herself.

Recommended Ages: Gr. 5-7

Plot Summary: Ever since Ellie jumped in the pool at her 5th birthday party, people have called her Splash. It hurts. She knows she's overweight. She plans to spend most of her time in the pool in her backyard, swimming away her worries and loneliness now that her best friend/neighbor moved away. But things change when Catalina moves in and accepts Ellie right away. It makes Ellie realize that the way the bullies at school, her brother, and worst of all, her mom, treat her could be different. Will it ever change?

Setting: Texas

Characters:
Ellie - possibly Jewish because her Bobeshi spoke Yiddish
Viv - Ellie's best friend and neighbor, moved to Indiana after her "mom caught her dad with another woman and said Texas wasn't big enough for the three of them"
Catalina Rodriguez - new neighbor
Phillip - Ellie's dad, supportive of Ellie
Miriam - says things like "If she lost weight, all of this would stop"
Marissa and Kortnee - bullies

Recurring Themes: fat shaming, confidence, emotional abuse, support, bullying, therapy, mental health

Controversial Issues:
pg 28 - "I am officially in h-e-double-hockey-stick"

Personal Thoughts: This book is riveting and a quick, emotional read. The relationship Ellie has with her mother is absolutely heartbreaking. I do wonder whether this book would be ok for under 5th grade. I also wonder if this is too much about the relationship Ellie has with her mom and not enough about the relationships with her peers. Overall, this book is amazing. Just deciding on the grade level.

Genre: realistic fiction

Pacing: fast, written in verse
Characters:
Frame:
Storyline:

Activity:

5.0

A rare five stars. This book should be on every middle grade reading list!

This was so powerful and hit so close to home. This book does a great job of highlighting the power of not just words, but friendship, a support system, and finding your inner voice. A must read for any fat girl who feels like they will never fit, and any parent raising an overweight child. This is also an important book for a world that loves to reduce people to thier skin and makes them ashamed of existing, the bullies, the harsh doctors, and those that may consider themselves "well meaning."

The topic is a hard and toxic one, and this book takes it on without flinching. For me, the verse format made it easier to confront the awful way that Ellie's family and school treats her. I loved that she had great friends. I loved that she had access to water. I loved the teachers and librarian who helped her, and I loved that this book has a therapist -- even knowing what therapy could be like and some techniques to take power back is going to help a lot of readers. I wonder why it took her dad so long to become an ally, but it was good to see Ellie come into her own and challenge her bullies.

This book in verse details a journey of self acceptance as Sarah endures bulling from peers and family members alike. She builds trust in a new neighbor, a new counselor, and understanding that her size does not determine her worth.

What I Loved:

While Sarah experiences trauma and abuse that comes with being invalidated because of her weight, she is able to step outside of her own pain to recognize the pain of others. Particularly, her new friend lives in a multi generational hispanic family and experiences different treatment because of it. Having a character practicing awareness of privileges they do have doesn't invalidate their pain, but helps readers understand that struggling is universal.

What I Missed:

I would have loved to see more role models that looked like her. I know the author based this book on her experience growing up- but one thing that was missing from my similar experience was someone with a body like mine who was confident enough to take up space, instead of having a character come to that adult conclusion at the end.