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Cover of Starfish

Starfish

Contemporary

Published: Print · 2021 | eBook · 2021

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A PRINTZ HONOR BOOK • Ellie is tired of being fat-shamed and does something about it in this poignant novel-in-verse. “In her debut novel, Starfish, Lisa Fipps confronts diet culture and fat phobia head-on. . . . The book reads as if Ellie herself is writing these poems, which are accessible and engaging.”—The New York Times Book Review 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…

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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.

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Podcast Episode
Episode 5: Starfish by Lisa Fipps
After the Bookmark · 2026-01-18 · Listen ↗
Podcast Episode
Silent Book Club and Starfish by Lisa Fipps
Everyone Loved It But Me · 2024-07-10 · Listen ↗
Podcast Episode
Lisa Fipps Shares a Poem About Food and Body Acceptance
The Children's Book Podcast · 2023-04-10 · Listen ↗
Podcast Episode
Starfish by Lisa Fipps (Novel in Verse)
Books In the Middle Podcast · 2021-11-29 · Listen ↗
Podcast Episode
Lisa Fipps
The Bookish Society Podcast · 2021-05-04 · Listen ↗
Listen on Apple Podcasts
FormatPublisherYearLanguageTerritory
PrintThe Rosen Publishing Group, Inc2021English—
eBookThe Rosen Publishing Group, Inc2021English—

Sources

1
Google Books
Book Description
2
YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults
Reading List Selection
3
After the Bookmark
Episode 5: Starfish by Lisa Fipps
4
Everyone Loved It But Me
Silent Book Club and Starfish by Lisa Fipps
5
The Children's Book Podcast
Lisa Fipps Shares a Poem About Food and Body Acceptance
6
Books In the Middle Podcast
Starfish by Lisa Fipps (Novel in Verse)
7
The Bookish Society Podcast
Lisa Fipps