Starfish was the therapy session I never knew I needed. Everyone should read this book whether you've ever been bullied or never been bullied. I will certainly be purchasing multiple copies for my classroom. Everyone deserves to starfish and this book should be on required reading lists for middle grades and parents alike.

Well, that was an emotional ride. This book needs to have a huge "bring tissues" warning gracing the cover. I cannot stress how amazing, moving, powerful & important this book is! WOW!

For Libraries: Buy it. You need it and our kids definitely need to read it.

This is the book that I wish I had when I was 12. Every person needs to be told that they matter and they are important. When the worst bullies are those closest to you, the ones that should always have your back, the wounds are deep and sometimes permanent. Ellie is the heroine that this fat kid (now fat adult) needs.

This book was so powerfully raw and authentic, very well-written. Strikes a heavy but necessary chord. Verse format serves it well. A must-read for all!

Starfish is a moving read about fatphobic bullying with an important message around kindness, acceptance, and learning to love yourself. It made me think a lot about the fat representation in KidLit and how things are slowly changing now.

An engaging novel-in-verse from a debut author that should appeal to fans of "Garvey's Choice" and "The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary". Protagonist Ellie is endearing; a thoughtful, intelligent narrator navigating the harsh reality of growing up fat. While her antagonists are many--including peers, her brother, and worst of all, her own mothers--her allies are unwavering, helping Ellie to realize her value against constant adversity.

Thank you to the publisher and SLJ's Middle Grade Magic for an advanced copy of this book.

I had seen this book on Netgalley, and had passed it by several times before deciding to give it a shot today. It was so much better than I had expected, and I read it in a single sitting. Ellie was an incredibly sympathetic character, who suffered daily at the hands of bullies at school. What was the hardest to take, both for her as a character, and for me as a reader, was the way she was treated in her own house. For even the strongest among us, words can break a person, and this book perfectly illustrates the strength of words, both on the attack, and as a defense.

What a beautiful book. I read it in one sitting and felt so many strong emotions. I have been fat most of my life, and while I have lucked out in many ways, I still remember the stings and burrs I have had in my own experience. This book is important for those experiencing this sort of torment, and also for those that have no idea what it is like. I am so glad I read this!

Starfish is an emotional read from beginning to end. Lisa Fipps’ prose is elegant, honest, and, at times, raw. It’s clear from the beginning that she hasn’t just written a story. Ellie’s experiences stem Fipps’ own life. In her author’s note she says, “… 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.”

There’s an authenticity there that you just can’t make up.

Starfish examines bullying on multiple levels — classmates, siblings and parents. These are important distinctions. Often, parents will write off family bullying as harmless teasing, not the same as at school. As a parent, the book is a stark reminder that my words, even just one comment, could and can have a lasting impact.

Through the support of her father and close friends as well as the help of a therapist, Ellie learns to accept herself and not to try and shrink away. Through it all, Ellie is a compelling and sincere character that gives a voice to overweight children.

Starfish is one of those books you pick up and don’t want to put down. Fipps’ writing packs an emotional punch that will make readers from all points of view question themselves and their actions. It’s one of the best books I’ve read this year.

This novel-in-verse is pitch perfect. Don't let the cheerful looking cover fool you into thinking this is a middle-grade fluff work. It is a perfectly age-appropriate delve into Ellie's world as an overweight kid. It brings compassion and empathy to the front for the reader.
I love giving my library patrons novels-in-verse - they tend to be 'quick' reads and pack in all the subtle emotions that take standard novels twice as many words to develop. This should be on alllllll the middle grade reading lists for 2021.

CW: fatphobia, disordered eating, child abuse.

Starfish is a powerful middle grade novel in verse about one young girl’s experience learning to take up the space she deserves in a world that constantly tells her that her body is too big. Drawing from the author’s own experience of weight stigma growing up, Starfish shows fatphobia in its many forms as Ellie is bullied at school for her weight, shamed by her doctor, and put on diets by her mother who constantly pressures her to lose weight and even goes as far as to suggest bariatric surgery. Although Ellie is made to feel like her body is a problem, Lisa Fipps makes clear throughout the book that real problem is fatphobia not fat bodies. Ellie’s story not only shows the serious harm, both physical and psychological, done by weight stigma but also offers body positive perspectives (including a fantastic representation of therapy) that help both Ellie and the reader learn to challenge fatphobia. Ellie’s story is heartbreaking but ultimately hopeful and a must-read for everyone!

Starfish by Lisa Fipps; Nancy Paulsen Books, 256 pages ($17.99) Ages 10 to 14.

Her cannonball into the pool at her fifth birthday party wearing a whale swimsuit might have been Ellie's last carefree moment. Her older sister dubbed her "Splash," a nickname that stuck (along with "Whale") as Ellie became the target of nasty remarks, pranks and general bullying over her weight at school, while out in public, and especially at home.

Fipps' poignant tale in verse is relayed in Ellie's voice. As the novel begins, Ellie is saying goodbye to her best friend, who is moving out of town. At the same time a Hispanic family moves in next door and Catalina, the daughter, turns out to be excellent friend material although trust is slow in coming since Ellie has been burned before.

The bullying Ellie experiences makes for excruciating reading: she is tortured and mocked in gym class during games of dodge ball and tug of war. She ends up injured after a particularly nasty prank in math class. Total strangers, from elderly women to little boys, seem to think she is fair game for their nasty comments. Worst of all is the bullying at home, the cruelty of her older sister and brother and especially her mother, who posts articles about weight loss on the fridge, monitors what she eats, yells at her for snacking, goes through her trash and pressures her to see a doctor about bariatric surgery. Her father, a psychiatrist, is her only ally but even he seems blind or powerless to stop the harm other family members are doing to her. Finally he takes her to see a therapist who is able to show Ellie that she can stick up for herself and be her own person, that she does not have to live by "Fat Girl Rules."

In an author's note, Fipps admits that readers may not believe anyone would say such nasty things to a child. "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."

This book is needed for every young girl!! You will laugh, cry and fall in love with this book. So empowering!!

I cannot personally relate to Ellie because Im always 100% mean to the people who are bad. I've stood up for my friends in school. This review is just gonna be from a person who's been straight sized for most of my time.

To be short, starfish broke me. When I've read other books with bullying, none has been so upfront and open. My heart hurt for Ellie so much i wanted to give her a hug.

Ellie has a kind and gorgeous heart. She writes, has a kind heart that she feels bad when she's being mean to some of her bullies.

Being fat has made an excuse for her mom, siblings and her classmates to bully her. Ellie doesnt feel sad or bad for being fat, but for being bullied and hated on.

Ellie has problems just like with any other Juvenile fiction MC. Her parents fight, older siblings make fun of her, her best friend is moving and shes making a new friend so shes trying to hold on to both of them.

Starfish is not "just" about bullying. Dont get me wrong because bullying is one of the main themes of Starfish. Starfish is so many things. A book about a 12 year old fat girl finding self love, healing, grief and everything that comes with it.

Ever since Ellie was young, she was called Splash. Ellie, at age 11, feels like she doesn't belong anywhere, and is constantly bullied at school, and even worse, at home. Ellie finds a safe place to just be herself with her Dad, her new neighbor Catalina, and her new therapist. This gives Ellie the ability to really see herself for who she is, and try to accept the positive things about her. This novel in verse gives the reader that ability to feel like they are back in middle school again, with the trials and tribulations of growing up during an awkward stage of your life. The characters are well developed and help make Ellie shine, as we are all on the journey with Ellie to find her self worth.

God, I wish I had had Starfish growing up. The book was so real, accurately reflecting every worry, pain, and anguish that a fat child experiences.

More fat middle grade protagonists please!!! I loved this so much. It's so relatable and this needs to be in every library for every middle schooler to read. Wow. This is going to be the first thing I purchase for my library's collection in the morning. Wow.

This book is so valuable, relatable, and important for a woman of every age to read! It was so blunt, and so well done!

Focused and strongly affecting, with a beautifully clear and emotional main character (plus some surprisingly delightful Judaism!). I'm not certain how much the free verse style elevated the book, and I would have liked to see a bit more of a conclusion to Ellie's relationship with her brother, but this is sure to stick with readers, fat or not.

Such an incredible novel-in-verse about a young girl who is bullied because of her weight. Don’t miss Ellie’s story about the power of words (both negative and positive), how the right people in your life can make all the difference, and learning how to stand up for yourself to the bully’s in your life, without becoming a bully in return. I will be recommending this to everyone!

Do not let this book fool you because it is written for a younger audience; this book is written for the entire world. If you have ever experienced life on the other end of someone's opinion then you must hear for yourself what Ellie and her life has to say. Fipps wraps diversity of all shapes, colors, and sizes into this beautiful, power-packed free-verse narrative while commanding and mesmerizing her audience. Fipps is an outstanding word-artist and paints the life of Ellie with intense depth and emotion. If you don't get your hands on this story and hear what Ellie has to say to us all then what are you doing with yourself! Everything between the covers of this book is moving, impactful, and so eloquently written. There's something to be said about an author that is able to evoke movement from their audience and that means soon you'll be starfishing too. This is one-hundred percent a 5 out of 5!