Lunchtimes in high school when I could go to the library instead-and did, grabbing a book or my journal, sitting at a table in a back corner with my back to the wall so I could have plenty of warning when someone came at me to hurl an insult or do something to me. Lunchtimes in junior high, where I’d just sit at a table in the back and not eat, even though I was hungry. I remembered lunchtimes in the elementary school cafeteria, where I’d watch with envy as others ate without everyone staring in disgust with each and every bite they put in their mouths.

Playgrounds where I’d sit behind a tree to read, write, or draw, trying to stay separate from others for much-needed breaks.īut without fail, kids found and bullied me. Gym classes where I was always chosen last for teams, pummeled during dodgeball, laughed at when I ran, and traumatized in the locker rooms. I visited familiar places and I thought back to every horrible moment. I did a deep dive, emotionally, to mine every bit of my pain, shame, fear, and anger. The journey was torturously introspective. Starfish is not an autobiography, but in some version, everything said and done to Ellie has been said and done to me. Lisa, what can you share about your own “inner” journey as you wrote Starfish. Our books speak to the reality that these issues are common in that early tween population, and seek to correct the underrepresentation of that dynamic in the literary conversation. Among them, Lisa’s book and my own anti-diet novel in verse, Reeni’s Turn (Regal House, 2020) zero in on the younger audience within middle grade, those under age 12. Several middle grade books handle fat-shaming, dieting, and eating disorders. Readers will cry as Ellie is hurting, and cheer as she enjoys time with loving friends and gradually develops the ability to navigate and respond to bullying at home, school, and in the world, in order to become her authentic self. Ellie is perceptive about herself and others, as well as vulnerable, persistent, and empathic. Ellie’s loving friendships, close relationship with her father, and a growing positive connection with a fabulous therapist, accompany her on her painful journey. Starfish by Lisa Fipps (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2021) unfolds as eleven-year-old Ellie, who has been fat-shamed and bullied since childhood, begins to break away from “Fat Girl Rules” she’s been told are foundational to her life.

Starfish lisa fipps book review