{"id":39445,"date":"2021-05-16T21:42:55","date_gmt":"2021-05-17T01:42:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=39445"},"modified":"2021-05-16T21:42:55","modified_gmt":"2021-05-17T01:42:55","slug":"review-of-starfish-by-lisa-fipps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=39445","title":{"rendered":"Review of Starfish, by Lisa Fipps"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Starfish<\/em><\/p>\n

by Lisa Fipps<\/p>\n

Nancy Paulsen Books (Penguin Random House), 2021. 244 pages.
\nReview written May 15, 2021, from a library book
\nStarred Review<\/p>\n

Starfish<\/em> is a novel in verse about a middle school girl named Ellie who\u2019s fat.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s mercilessly bullied \u2013 by people at school, but more heartbreakingly, by her own mother and brother. Her mother first put her on a diet when she was four years old, and people at school have called her a whale or \u201cSplash\u201d ever since her fifth birthday party when she did a grand cannonball in the pool.<\/p>\n

Now Ellie only swims by herself or with her best friend Viv. Except just before school starts, Viv moves to a different part of the country. But a new girl, Catalina, has moved in next door, and even though she\u2019s thin, she knows how to be a friend.<\/p>\n

But Catalina\u2019s going to a different school from Ellie, so Ellie still has to face the same bullies on her own. They duck when she goes by in the hall as if there\u2019s no room for her to pass, and do things much worse when no teacher is looking. At home, Ellie\u2019s Mom even goes through her trash to make sure she\u2019s not eating snacks. She won\u2019t buy Ellie new clothes for school, because she wants Ellie to be motivated to lose weight. Mom even arranges an appointment with a doctor who wants her to consider surgery.<\/p>\n

And Ellie hates it that she is a source of conflict between her parents. Dad has promised her that he will never allow surgery, so Mom made that appointment behind his back. When both parents arrange for Ellie to see a therapist, she feels betrayed.<\/p>\n

But the therapist turns out to help Ellie think of ways to cope, to be able to speak up for herself, take up space, and stop hiding her feelings.<\/p>\n

At home, in the pool, still early in the book, I like the place where Ellie decides to be a starfish:<\/p>\n

As I float,
\nI spread out my arms
\nand my legs.
\nI\u2019m a starfish,
\ntaking up all the room I want.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is a beautiful book. Ellie deals with some horrific bullying, and it\u2019s not handled in simplistic ways, but she does get better at handling it. And she does learn to stop apologizing for taking up space, that she is beautiful and loved as she is.<\/p>\n

Sadly, the Author\u2019s Note at the back begins like this:<\/p>\n

Starfish<\/em> is a work of fiction, and a lot of people will read this and think, \u201cIt\u2019s definitely fiction because people would never say or do such cruel things.\u201d But a variation of every single mean thing people said or did to Ellie happened to me when I was a child. Fat Girl Rules exist.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I hope that this lovely book will help kids see the value in every person \u2013 whether they personally are fat or thin.<\/p>\n

penguin.com\/kids<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Childrens_Fiction\/starfish.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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