Starfish

By: Lisa Fipps

Narrated by: Jenna Lamia

Length: 3 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

A Printz Honor Winner!

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.

©2021 Lisa Fipps (P)2021 Listening Library

Critic reviews

“In her debut novel, Starfish, Lisa Fipps confronts diet culture and fat phobia head-on.... This can make for difficult reading, but it never becomes unbearably bleak thanks to Ellie’s humor (there are some laugh-out-loud moments), as well as the power of her voice, which manages to convey many different feelings, often at once: sass and rage, innocence and cynicism, and, most of all, heartbreak. The book reads as if Ellie herself is writing these poems, which are accessible and engaging.” (The New York Times Book Review)

“Fipps bursts onto the middle-grade scene with her debut, a verse novel that shines because of Ellie’s keen and emotionally striking observations. As she draws readers in with her smart and succinct voice, Ellie navigates the difficult map of knowing she deserves better treatment while struggling with the conflict that's necessary to achieve it. Fipps hands her young narrator several difficult life lessons, including how to self-advocate, how not to internalization of the words of others, and what it means to defend yourself. Ellie's story will delight readers who long to see an impassioned young woman seize an unapologetic victory.” (Booklist, 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.” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

There is no such thing....

as a perfect book about body positivity. Wait, what's this?
This is absolutely everything I could have ever wanted to hear as a child. EVERYTHING. I think I might have cried during the entire book. I'm very happy I got it on Audible; otherwise, I never would have been able to read it through the tears.
My mother bullied me relentlessly, not about weight but about being alive. I wish I could have confronted her like Ellie.
This book not only speaks to body positivity but also to racism, unhealthy family dynamics, bullying, and friendship.
"Does everybody make somebody feel like a nobody?"
That hit home. Do I look down on people who aren't like me? How could I hurt others the way I've been hurt? What gives me the right to pass my pain on to others? How could I continue the cycle?
This book gives the reader a lot to think about, and the narrator is absolutely perfect!

Books As Mirrors

I want to give this book to every child in 5th grade. I plan on sharing my appreciation for it with everyone in my school and community. It is beautifully written and I loved listening to Starfish on audible. I saw myself in this book often and it was incredibly poignant. I am grateful for books because we can use them as mirrors. A gift for all readers!

Amazing

So incredibly well done, absolutely amazing execution and voice, I definitely recommend! I love the character development and it’s such an amazing story so many people need to hear!!

...headline...

i loved it even tho it was a school project
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Inspiring 

The most inspiring story ever really good thank you love it always others should read

Lovely

Absolutely loved everything about this book. I listened to it after I found out my 60 year old librarian mother and my 13 year old daughter were reading it (coincidentally) at the same time. They couldn’t have an accidental book club without me! It was such an easy and enjoyable listen. Ellie is so lovable and experiencing her growth from beginning to end was transformative for me. I was really cheering her on! I also love how it challenged the reader to consider how we treat others. Our differences don’t make us any less human. And human Ellie is a remarkable being! 🥰

The reader’s voice was not exactly what I would have imagined Elli’s voice to be for a girl her age. (Hence the 4-stars for performance.) but it wouldn’t prevent me from listening again and again!

Excellent read about bullying

This is a must for full figure girls who struggle to be accepted by our society who lacks empathy for obese individuals.

An Utter Masterpiece

This book was impeccable! It makes you absolutely adore Ellie and her friends and the way that Ellie and the writer wrote there feelings was some of the best written works from audible I have heard in awhile :) I will definitely look for more of the works of this author! 100% recommend!

Standing Ovation

This author eloquently told a story of a young girl facing the constant battle of bullying, not only from peers but from family as well. This is a book that all students and adults need to read. It is very insightful and highly relatable. The author’s prose is beautiful and she incorporates diversity within the novel, which I loved. 5 stars across the board!

Doesnt address the rise in metabolically ill kids

The book does an excellent job of allowing the reader to get inside Ellie’s head so we can experience what it feels like to get bullied as an obese child. The story resembles R J Palacio’s book “Wonder,” where a student with a deformed face, Augie, receives second glances from everyone he encounters. However, there is a key difference between the two books. Augie was born deformed, while obesity, unless it is a rare condition, is environmentally driven. Fipps likely was conscious of this, thus hinting to the reader that Ellie’s obesity was a birth condition, not environmentally driven. For example, neither her siblings nor her parents are big. Fipps likely mentions Ellie’s pool habit to showcase that no exercise could change her condition.

A child should not get bullied for any reason, whether the reason is for a condition by birth or driven by the environment. So why does this matter? If a child does not have a genetic condition and is obese due to the environment, actions could be taken to obtain a fit body. Why should a child try to obtain a fit body? Isn’t it a choice of the child to maintain an obese body? Science shows that obesity significantly increases the risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc. For this reason, allowing a child to “choose” to be obese is morally irresponsible as a parent. After reaching adulthood, he/she could “choose” to be metabolically ill, fully understanding the increased risks of poor health outcomes.

Perhaps Ellie and other obese children are naturally obese, encoded by their genes, meaning no lifestyle change could change their bodies. As of 2023, the world is facing an unprecedented rise in obesity. “Over the past three decades, childhood obesity rates have tripled in the U.S., and today, the country has some of the highest obesity rates in the world: one out of six children is obese, and one out of three children is overweight or obese,” according to Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Kit BK, Flegal KM. Prevalence of obesity and trends in body mass index among US children and adolescents, 1999-2010. JAMA. 2012;307:483-90.
Our genes did not change over a few generations. If children 200 years ago were rarely obese, and the fact that tribes with minimal influence on Western lifestyle (i.e., Hadza from Eastern Africa, Tarahamara from Copper Canyon Mexico) rarely become obese, the environment is causing obesity. Hence, Ellie could and should become metabolically healthy by addressing her lifestyle. Of course, unless she has some rare genetic condition.

The majority of obese children do not have the rare genetic condition to be obese. After reading this book, obese young readers might become content with their obesity. “Be the way you are” is the message. Changes to their physical activity, nutrition, sleep quality, and mental health could improve their metabolic health and enjoy healthy bodies like children from the Hadza tribe.

Despite the fact that Ellie was constantly on a “diet” imposed by her mother, she could not lose weight. Doesn’t this mean her obesity is not driven by what she eats? My guess is that her mother led Ellie to poor diet regimens. This is not the place to explain in detail, but Dr Herman Pontzer’s book “Burn” does a good job explaining that calorie restrictions could lead to “starvation mode”, leading to low daily energy expenditure.

Most adults reading this book will quickly realize that Ellie happened to get bullied due to her body size, but the book teaches that bullying is bad regardless of the reason. For example, another classmate gets bullied because he is poor. The book teaches the reader that you may think you are just teasing someone, but the one who is getting teased might feel that they are getting bullied. I hope Young readers will catch this message rather than focusing on Ellie being big.

I was disappointed that the book does not go deeper into the other side of the bullying. The one that does the bullying. Two girls who bully Ellie are likely suffering as well. What are they afraid of? What are some hurt that they are feeling? I wished that Ellie realized that listening to their feeling and showing compassion toward them could lead to a truly peaceful relationship. What are the issues her brother is facing? Does her brother feel like he does not get enough attention from his parents because of Ellie? What drives him to say hurtful things to Ellie? Could Ellie learn to show compassion towards him as well? I wished that she had learned to view situations not just from her self-centered perspective.