Reviews

Starfish by Lisa Fipps

bibliomich's review

emotional inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I LOVED Starfish by Lisa Fipps. Add this to the list of books that belong on classroom bookshelves everywhere.

What I loved:
- the body positivity (and the long journey Ellie takes to finally feeling good about herself, in spite of all the toxic people in her life)
- the (supportive) supporting characters, especially Ellie's best friends
- the representation of therapy
- the plot; even though this book felt primarily about Ellie's development as a character, I really enjoyed the actual story, as well

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Eating disorder

thepetitepunk's review

4.0

I cannot recommend this enough. Starfish is the kind of book that sinks into your soul, no matter what kind of experiences you’ve had. Although it’s a middle grade book, I’d highly suggest readers of any age to give it a try.

✧ ✧ ✧

≪reading 31 books for 31 days of january≫
╰┈➤ 1. all that's left in the world by erik j. brown
╰┈➤ 2. the female of the species by mindy mcginnis
╰┈➤ 3. the battle of the labyrinth by rick riordan
╰┈➤ 4. exit west by mohsin hamid
╰┈➤ 5. don't call us dead by danez smith
╰┈➤ 6. warm bodies by isaac marion
╰┈➤ 7. the other side of perfect by mariko turk
╰┈➤ 8. the last olympian by rick riordan
╰┈➤ 9. counting down with you by tashie bhuiyan
╰┈➤ 10. a matter of death and life by irvin d. yalom and marilyn yalom
╰┈➤ 11. the new hunger by isaac marion
╰┈➤ 12. dorothy must die by danielle paige
╰┈➤ 13. starfish by lisa fipps

averyconfusedhomosapiensbooks's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

lolmacdaddy's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Amazing book! Lisa Fipps makes you feel for Ellie and if you are in her shoes! I would recommend this to anyone who has or hasn’t been a “fat” kid

victoriadiesattheend's review

5.0

This is a children’s/middle grade book about a 12 year old and her relationship with her peers, her body, and her family. It’s written as poetry and it was a tear-jerker for me for real. When I tell you I almost cried the whole time reading it. As a former 12 year old fat girl, this is something I wish I read when I was younger. I’m so glad this exists.

danie_boo1998's review

dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

ekofficer's review

4.0

Starfish’s message is one worth broadcasting to elementary and middle school students. Characters like Ellie and books like this make me long to be back in the classroom reading aloud to my students. The character development and themes of positive self-image, boundary-setting, and friendship spark connections and reflections from which all can benefit, but some may not hear elsewhere.

em_velope's review against another edition

emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

allibug26's review

5.0

This book was empowering and heartbreaking. It infuriated me and tore me up to think about people who are bullied like this and emotionally/mentally abused by the people who are supposed to love them most. I felt so empowered and inspired myself to see Ellie find permission within herself to love her whole self and stand up for herself. I also applaud the inclusion of healthy therapist experiences and how much help that can truly be.

hilaryannbrown's review

3.0

Oof, so many feelings about this one.

- A lot of the reviews state that this should be required reading for middle grades. I think it's a great text to have in your library as a choice for kids, but reading it as a whole class would be uncomfortable, if not traumatic, for overweight students.
- I love that there are more and more young adult novels coming out that are written in verse - it makes both poetry and fiction more accessible. BUT I wouldn't have known from the audiobook that this was written in verse, which seems problematic for poetry.
- I can definitely relate to using water as a place to feel weightless in a weight obsessed world.
- I love the inclusion of a loving immigrant family that allowed the main character to see healthy parent/child relationships and expect better from her own family.
- Realistic portrayals of therapy are good and helpful, especially for kids.