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. ( )