Mock Newbery 2026 discussion

Starfish by Lisa Fipps is our book of the month for July.

What did you like most about Starfish?

The voice - authentic and achingly beautiful and honest.

My posted review--

DNF @ 50%

Much of the protagonists feelings, thoughts, and behaviors rang true to me, but at a certain point it felt like TOO MUCH trauma. The vitriolic abuse this child endures (from her family and classmates) feels so excessive that it crosses a line, for me, into almost absurdism?

It's not like those things don't happen to real people, every day, but I felt like this book's level of trauma was on some "Child Called It" stuff, and like another reviewer mentioned, there wasn't enough balancing to make this child's mental health seem appropriate - the protagonist somehow seems too sane for the environments or situation. Where I left off, the book had not mentioned self-harm (or the possibility that their eating patterns were a form of self-harm due to their environment), but I was shocked that this child was not currently self-harming or that they were not contemplating self-harm.

Again, the things this child endures is daily, unrelenting ABUSE (the protagonist had multiple medical issues due to diets forced on her by her mother, and her medical professional father is somehow aloof), and I don't feel like the book understood or properly dealt with the level of trauma it was giving its character.

I think the self-harming was emotional- not physical.

I loved the way the author turned “starfish” into a verb at the end of the novel. I thought it was beautiful. I found the mother’s incessant correcting, suggesting and measuring to be quite believable. I’ve known mother’s like that who just want (what they think) is best for their child. The brother did feel overly cruel, however. Lovely writing.

Therapy was depicted very positively. That is probably the only thing I liked about Starfish. I am sure the author had the best of intentions. Variations of the bullying incidents happened to her as a youth. Truly, almost every page is incredibly mournful and depressing. Ellie's family had been abusing her and allowing others to abuse her since she was five. The dad comes off looking like a hero but he must have been compliant for years. The mom is a psychopath whose psychiatrist husband should have divorced. Even at the very end of the book, the dog is held hostage and threatened. Egad! I am guessing Starfish is meant to help children in similar situations. Honestly I don't think a lot of the school abuse shown would be allowed today nor would adults applaud their child for being cruel to another child in a restaurant. I hope not anyway. The only lesson a child might takeaway from Starfish is to communicate and not allow people to talk down to you, abuse you and make you feel like you are less then. I want to note that the cover art illustration of Ellie and the illustration of her pug are deceiving. Whimsical art when the book is anything but. Covers sell and children and adults are going to be misled about the heavy storyline. Ellie takes scissors to her gut at one point. Not cool to present the book in a light hearted way.

I completely agree with what has been said about this book. The beginning seemed really strong, but at a certain point it was just too much. The family and the teachers did not ring true. I even tried to imagine that the author was presenting the character’s view point where she could only see and hear the picking and nothing else. It didn’t help, it didn’t ring true and the cover art made it feel like a story that could help instead of just another trauma for those dealing being over weight. I will not likely recommend this book.

I had a very different take on this book. We have a new SEL program and I suggested that this book would be a great read- aloud for our discussion of bullying and mental health help. This book was very distinguished exploring this theme. If you think the portrayal of bulling was over-the-top and not believable- count yourself blessed. I have experienced and seen bullying as a child and adult in the workplace. Even though my bullying was not about my weight, I have seen students and teachers be very cruel to each other. This is the first book in a long time that does not sugar-coat bullying. "Fat-shaming" is acceptable in many minds since they think the person can just not eat so much and have the problem go away. Many people are phobic around obsese people and make assumptions. The restaurant scene was VERY believable to me as well as her mother's actions. An interview that I listened to with the author was very enlightning. She said all of those events happened to her in some way-even the mother. She selected the ones that were the most impactful- so for the sake of storytelling, these were condensed into a time frame. The potrayal of therapy and how to use it was very distinguished. Her rejection and reluctance at the beginning of therapy, self-talk, and application of strategies were very realistic. Scenes like this are needed more in middle level stories to overcome the negativity that is still attached to mental health. The "Weight of Words" section was one of the most powerful scenes that I cannot wait to discuss with my students. The loyalty of friendship and how her true friends supported her was touching. This gives the reader excellent models of being an upstander. This story shows that if a person has at least one person truly standing up for them, they can find some solace. Perhaps this is why self harming was not shown in this book (or is this more for YA audiences and was deleted? I would love to hear the author's answer to this). Having a pet and finding comfort with her pug was also poignant. Her dad is a therapist, but we all know that we can't treat our own family in any profession. We get glimpses of his attempts to help. I inferred that his marriage is very strained. He came off as a character in agony, not complacent. I would not be surprised if parents that have done similar actions as the mother in the story are thinking that they are really helping. In their minds they think, "After all quick fixes like surgery or trying harder with a new diet should solve all overweight issues. If the overweight person will just try harder etc." The mother was truly blind to how she was the biggest contributor to her daughter's trauma and hurt. The protagonist's epiphany that she is not the issue or problem was a stand and cheer moment for me as the reader. Middle school readers will really learn from this growth in the protagonist. When the mother realizes that she is the one with the problem and needs to take the responsibilty of her actions and attitude made the "Weight of Words" one of the most intense and emotional scenes that I have read in a long time. The author said that she had orginally written this story for YA audiences. Her editor asked her to change this to a middle school audience (high five to her editor- excellent call). Addressing this change, the author said she had to delete at least half of it because what really has happened to her was too intense for a middle school audience. This is really an #ownvoices book. Fipps experienced all of this and much more. She explored her experiences with other people that have weight challenges. They all verified similar experiences. Fipps wanted to make sure this was just not a "Lisa" issue or story. I wonder if anyone would question an author that had written about their struggles with sexual identity, their race, ethnicity etc. If this book made you uncomfortable or astounded, then it did its job. That is exactly how I want my students to feel and REMEMBER the lessons that this distinguished book brings to the theme of bullying, It is not watered down to a middle school audience, but rather fills a huge void in middle school books about the realities of bullying. This book will be a great springboard for activities and deep discussions about the many facets of bullying. That is what distinguished books do, imprint scenes into our minds, give us unforgettable lessons, speak from the heart, and allow us an avenue to do better. The novel in verse was an added bonus- perfect choice. Personally, I don't rate a book down because it makes me uncomfortable. I read the book and listened to the audio version- both were excellent. Starfish is in my top three for 2022.

I am starting to notice a trope in books like this-one dimensional, irredeemable family members- especially adults, but older siblings as well. I don’t know if this is a new trend on the part of middle grade editors to make the adolescent main character more sympathetic or relatable, but it is disturbing. I wish the author gd delved a bit more into why the mom resented her sister’s weight issues. Why was the brother so dislikable? The oldest sister got redeemed and the father’s passive attitude up this point, but why was there not much for mom for us to better understand her motive? The brother seriously reminded me of Sam’s brother in Sixteen Candles- a spoiled schmuck.

That said I really loved the development of friendships, the relationship with the therapist and the overall story.

Before I read this book, I gave it to a student who is vocal about her struggles with being overweight. She said it was the best book she read this past year. It was accurate and she felt empowered to stand up for herself. She started reporting when others said stuff about her or other overweight students. It does seem like the character faces a lot of trauma, but there are a lot of books that are “windows” that I can’t relate to, but I get to see into a perspective I haven’t experienced.

This is the best children's book that I have read in 2021, and I have read some good ones. This novel in verse takes on fat-shaming, the last accepted prejudice, and other types of bullying. It is Fipps first book. I do hope that she is working on her next book because I can't wait. I love the strong, positive female protagonist, the clever language, the teachers, and the triumphant ending. (Was that a spoiler?) This book nudges BLUBBER (Blume, 1974) into the 21st century with the social media component.

Thank you to Shelly for your in-depth comments and specific details that make you see this book as very strong. It is helping me rethink some of my initial feelings about the story and understand it in a new way. I am going to read it again to see if I feel differently about it after hearing your review. I love this group and the many insightful conversations that happen around books!

STARFISH by Lisa Fipps provides bibliotherapy for middle graders who are being bullied. No one would choose to be overweight in our fat-shaming society, but like many differences it can lead to hurtful interactions. In this book the main character gets therapy along with support of friends and some family members to learn positive response strategies for the cruel verbalizations aimed at her.
Some other bullying targets are incorporated, such as immigrant status or poverty.
The storytelling does create strong reactions in the reader. As this thread demonstrates, the presentation furnishes plenty of opportunities for discussion.

I listened to this book because that is the way I like to take in books in verse. It started a little slow but then picked up speed. I liked the main character and the way she changed and grew throughout the book. Her relationships with the new girl, therapists and her father were well done. Her mother was a little one dimensional and not a very likable character.

Shannon { Magical Wonder of Books } wrote: "This one just wasn't for me. Not sure why usually I would have loved it. Maybe I've read to many deep sad middle grade lately.

I'm curious Shape of Thunder won but this was picked? Is there a re..."
I am wondering about that myself. I thought The Shape of Thunder was the winner.

I believe the total is counted with write-in votes. So when all of those were added together this month- Starfish had the most votes. If anyone adds the author’s name etc. it comes in on a different line. Starfish was a write-in title this month, not one in the group of titles offered. Later in the year I think we will vote on 2nd place titles.

Shannon { Magical Wonder of Books } wrote: "Laura wrote: "Shannon { Magical Wonder of Books } wrote: "This one just wasn't for me. Not sure why usually I would have loved it. Maybe I've read to many deep sad middle grade lately.

I'm curio..."

Yes! I will be reading Shape of Thunder this month.

This is my top choice for award this year so far.

Starfish written in verse portrays a bright middle grade girl, Ellie whose spent the last 6 years of her life bullied by classmates, and even members of her own family because of her weight. This is a heartbreaking story of a child critcized so much, especially by her mother for her physique, that her self confidence continues to diminish with each demoralizing comment or prank. Fortunately she always has a best friend, and her faithful dad to support her. The poems about her interaction with the therapist are especially creative and empowering. Reading a middle grade book about fat shaming is a topic that is rarely covered for girls this age. Starfish is a much needed story that even includes subtle techniques demonstrating how to conquer the gruesome bullies, who antagonize a bright young girl because of her weight. A must read for all elementary libraries!

I loved this book for its strong voice and character growth. It's one of my top picks for Newbery, and after I book talked it this spring to my 5th grade students, many read it and all loved it. A few said it was the best book they've ever read, so it has lots of kid appeal.

I read this book when it first came out and rated it 4 stars, so there were a lot of things about this book that I must have liked. The thing is, what has stuck with me about what I remember about this book is a negative feeling that with so much disease (non-covid) in this country related to being overweight, it encouraged overweight children to do nothing about it. I completely agree that they should stand up for themselves to not be bullied and I am glad that this book has given some children confidence to do just that. I just wish that it would have also touched on how unhealthy it is to be overweight and encouraged them in a positive way to feel inclined to work to loose weight. The mom was completely viewed as the bad guy, and if I remember correctly, she was the only one who seemed to be trying to help her loose weight, although not in an effective way.

Windy wrote: "I read this book when it first came out and rated it 4 stars, so there were a lot of things about this book that I must have liked. The thing is, what has stuck with me about what I remember about ..."

The entire family was dysfunctional. The dad stood up for Ellie, but oftentimes not strongly enough. Arguing with the mom didn't accomplish a lot. He was out of the loop a great deal of the time. How did he not know that his wife was taking his daughter to one doctor after another for gastro bypass surgery? I didn't find enough depth to feel deeply or understand anyone or their motives in the story. The brother got away with torturing Ellie throughout her whole life, the sister gave Ellie the unkind nickname, also bullied her for years, then one day seemed to feel bad about it and stopped. It just doesn't work that way. Bullying is a disgusting, cruel habit that makes the person feel superior and better about themselves. They rarely reform overnight. I would have also liked more of a bullies backstory. One bully was poor. That was the explanation for the awful behavior of one of the children. I am not buying that neat and tidy excuse. Lots of poor children in the world that don't belittle other children. Not one bit.

I gave it a 4 star rating because you can’t do half points but IMHO it’s a 3.5, maybe even a 3.3. It’s insightful, honest, unflinching, and perhaps a tad too realistic. Yes Ellie grows by leaps and bounds throughout the course of this book (emotionally) but she’s essentially the only one. There’s no evidence Mom is going to make real, long term changes. Dad hasn’t done anything to suggest he’ll actually protect Ellie from her mom and the other kids aren’t going to change. I thought all middle grade books have happy endings but I think I found the exception which proves the rule.

This thread is enlightening. I have unpopular opinions.

I DNF'd it early because it did not feel authentic to me. The main character was more self-aware than I would expect a child to be, especially a child coping with a heavy load of stress and social/emotional issues. That made me feel like I was reading an adult's impression of a child rather than an actual child's voice.

That and everything seemed to be about the main character's body issues, to the point that all the characters just felt like containers for the author's message.

I respect that this book came from a personal, authentic place, but the beginning of the book did not come across that way to me.

I did not understand why it was written in verse. The poetry form did not seem to add much to the book. It could have been written in first person prose with the same impact.

Phil wrote: "This thread is enlightening. I have unpopular opinions.

I DNF'd it early because it did not feel authentic to me. The main character was more self-aware than I would expect a child to be, especial..."

Honest, thoughtful reviews are the best :). I agree with everything you wrote. I heard an adult voice while reading Starfish. Not the voice of a distraught, abused 11 year old. Why this book was written in verse is a mystery to me as well.

Kristen wrote: "

What did you like most about Starfish?"

To answer Kristen's question, what I like most about Starfish is Ellie's growth. It isn't all that often that books—even books about growth!—really pull off character development in a way that makes me want to cheer. I mean, just listen to that ending:

"I deserve to be seen./ To be noticed./ To be heard./ To be treated like a human.// I starfish./ There's plenty of room/ for/ each/ and/ every/ one of us/ in the world."

That final message, that each and every one of us deserves a place, is one that I'm sure lots of kids will take to heart. It's powerful. And, unfortunately, the feeling of being different, weird, undeserving, etc., hits most of us. I don't think kids hear Ellie's message enough and so, for that reason alone, I think the book is valuable.

I also appreciate Ellie's therapy sessions, both for normalizing therapy and for bringing a trustworthy adult with sound advice into the story (because, my oh my, Starfish seemed to be in very short supply of adults with some sense).

But as others have also mentioned, there were some things I didn't like about the book. I know that the author, Lisa Fipps, has said that every fatphobic incident in Starfish happened to her in one form or another (which is truly horrible to think about). And yet, condensing so many real-life horrors into a few months in the life of an eleven-year-old was brutal.

*If you don't want spoilers, stop here.*

I'll never forget the horrible dog-stealing incident that included threats and whale cakes. But what about the fact that Ellie hides food away in her stuffed animals because she's being starved by her mother? Or the fact that her older brother blames Ellie for his parents' marital problems to the point of very serious verbal abuse? Or the incident where her desk collapses around her, Ellie's in pain, and none of her classmates are willing to help her, all of them cheer on the bully, and her teacher adds flame to the fire?

Anyone who has read the book knows that I'm really just getting started. I could talk about the abuse that Ellie experiences for paragraphs and paragraphs. Any of the book's incidents taken alone would be traumatic, to say the least. But all of them? Ellie experiences serious emotional, verbal, and even physical abuse from her many tormentors, outside the house and in. I'm not sure that the truly serious nature of this abuse was wholly exposed, discussed, or dealt with.

Ellie's experiences left me feeling like she was powerless, especially without proper backing from the adults that should be protecting her the most. Marissa and Kortnee get away with some serious bullying that includes causing Ellie physical harm and kidnapping her dog. And yet, the worst that happens is one detention for just one of them while a class full of kids applauds Kortnee's bullying?!

I'm not sure why Fipps would let these characters off the hook, but I don't know a teacher, principal, friend, or parent that would let incidents of these proportions slide. Other school bullies, Ellie's brother, and—most shockingly—her mother experience a similar lack of consequences for serious misbehavior and abuse.

Again, I'm not sure that the truly serious nature of Ellie's abuse was wholly exposed, discussed, or dealt with.

So while Starfish was an interesting read and its message about self-acceptance and love was valuable, it also contained problematic content that makes it less winsome. Although it has its moments, this book wouldn't be my choice for the Newbery.

I'd love to hear other thoughts!

I really enjoyed this book. It was so interesting to me that the author took the mother and made her the biggest bully. It was heart breaking and sad. I hope it shows people in the same circumstance that some adults make bad choices. I thought it gave overweight youth a voice and I'm glad Ellie found hers. I'm listening to it on audio now with my twin 11 year olds and it's a good discussion.

This is a great book to help students find their voice. Therapy positive examples in this book as well. There was no resolve and accountability for some of the family dynamics. The climax of the plot was great. The author also tried to touch a little on immigration and educate about stereotypes, I liked that. I would just advise some of the content can be triggering in regards to the examples of bullying. I was a little annoyed with the lack of accountability the students had to take on after the chair incident. I would hope educators would speak up and advocate for students. Overall I'm glad I read it.

I liked this book and hope it will help children understand the pain they cause by fat shaming.

I agree with the many comments that the mother's behavior was stunning and am surprised that it wasn't checked by the father. I think he gave in for overall family harmony, and thus opted for outside help.

Since Fipps reports that these things really happened to her, I hope that her memory might just be warped by the pain of events.

I was surprised that Fipps says the high fiber diet causes hemorrhoids, as they are usually caused by not enough fiber. See Prevention at this link:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-c....
An early reader should have caught this error.

I also liked this book, but I have to disagree with some of the comments made in various reviews above.
My comments contain spoilers, so be warned.
One reviewer commented that in the chair incident, the teacher "added flame to the fire." How? I believe that the teacher acted entirely appropriately--he helped Ellie get up from the floor, and he gave detention to the ENTIRE class. The same reviewer seemed to think he only gave detention to Kortnee, but the text states clearly, "Detention for all of you," and later, "More detention for all' y'all..."
Several reviewers seemed to think that Dad was passive. I very much disagree that he was passive. He continually argued with the mother over her crazy obsession with Eliana's weight; when the mother wouldn't take her clothes shopping, Dad did; Dad accompanied her to the therapy sessions, and he helped her while she was "interviewing" primary care doctors. I think he did quite a lot to try to help Ellie.
I was very glad that Ellie had at least two friends on her side, and, if you count all of Catalina's family, it was about seven or eight friends on her side. She was able to share much of her emotional pain with these friends.
I very much liked the therapist and the way she decided to handle the therapy sessions. She never pushed Ellie to talk or do anything, but her gentle way of persuasion helped Ellie to trust her and open up to her.
I agree with several of the reviewers that I really liked the way the author showed growth on Ellie's part--throwing out the "Fat Rules;" and starting to stand up for herself in front of the student bullies, and especially in front of her Mom.
A few reviewers did not think that the Mom had changed, but I disagree with that. I think the final few "chapters" where Ellie confronted her mom, set up an expectation that the mom would take everything to heart and start changing her ways, even if very slowly.
Finally, and this comment may be unpopular, but in my opinion, the story was not written in verse. It was written in prose that was chopped up into short lines. It read like prose, not like verse. Poetry is primarily compression of thought, and there was no compression of thought in the text of this book.

Beverly wrote: "in my opinion, the story was not written in verse. It was written in prose that was chopped up into short lines. It read like prose, not like verse. Poetry is primarily compression of thought, and there was no compression of thought in the text of this book."

Well said. I completely agree.

Beverly wrote: "I also liked this book, but I have to disagree with some of the comments made in various reviews above.
My comments contain spoilers, so be warned.
One reviewer commented that in the chair incident..."

Hello,

It was me that wrote about the chair incident, so I'd just like to clarify my stance here. When I say that the teacher "added flame to the fire" after the chair incident, it's because his response to Ellie was something to the effect of "go home, have a good cry, and move on." This—understandably—made Ellie feel even worse.

Yes, the teacher gave detention to the whole class, but that didn't strike me as an especially effective method. If all the kids in Ellie's class were laughing at her and refusing to help while she was in pain, I think much more drastic measures needed to be taken by the teacher and the school to address what I believe was a serious school bullying problem. Even if the detention did help the kids to reflect on the bad choices they'd made, we don't get to see that as readers. All we see is a bunch of kids who all get detention together. . . which takes away the power of detention for me. It's kind of like that quote from The Incredibles: If everyone's in detention, it's almost like no one is.

And no, I didn't think that Kortnee was the only one in the class who got detention, although I can see how my review might have come across that way. I was talking specifically about consequences for Marissa and Kortnee; of the two of them, only Kortnee received any punishment (detention) for what she'd done since Marissa wasn't in the class when the chair incident occurred.

Agree with the excellent analysis of this being a work of prose, not poetry. Whatever style it takes, it has been out of my library all summer and when I had a copy to use for a Mock Newbery display, it was the one looked at by several girls who were in the Children's Room. Clearly, more fat-positive, therapy-boosting, anti-bullying and poor parenting recognition themed books for tweens are needed!

Natalie wrote: "Beverly wrote: "I also liked this book, but I have to disagree with some of the comments made in various reviews above.
My comments contain spoilers, so be warned.
One reviewer commented that in th..."

I agree with you that those students needed something more than detention--they all should have been suspended temporarily; and parent-student-principal conferences with each person in that class about the evil of their behavior.

I’m not sure what public schools you are working in- but it would be doubtful that suspension would happen- even today. Kids are allowed to say and do all sorts of vile things without harsh punishment. . Fortunately, my particular school I don’t have that issue but many others do. This was back in the 80s - so fat shaming-bullying was the norm- we can’t look at what we wish would happen- the whole point is this did happen. Teachers usually can’t give out suspensions- detentions yes.

I'm not sure what more I can say that hasn't already been said about this excellent book. It is probably one of the best books published this year I've read.

While it may not be perfect, it addresses topics that desperately need to be talked about. I would be pleased to see it receive literary recognition, whether that be the Newbery or another award.

I just finished the audio version of Starfish. I am surprised at the negative reviews. Body shaming is real folks! The problem is as readers, when we see it all laid out in a neat row of a story, it’s atrocious. In reality it’s layers and layers of messaging. In families it starts out as teasing. Moms and Dads are overwhelmed with raising kids, holding down jobs, interpersonal relationship issues get glazed over to just hold everything together. There’s little time to deal with deep emotional problems and an attitude of just “get over it” becomes the normal response. I’m not condoning the mom’s behaviors or problem solving tactics in this story but since this is written from Elianna’s perspective, I think it’s fair to say this is how it feels to be the person who is bullied. The author did an excellent job showing girls how to stand up for themselves and accept their bodies. I wish I had read this book I’m middle school. When I told my mom about my tormentor in the 7th grade, she said he probably had a crush on me.

Agree that girls are not given the tools to call out bullies and that when they ask for help, are often STILL somehow blamed for attracting the attention. I'm sorry your mum wasn't there for you and sent you that message; my older daughter was persecuted by a boy in fifth grade and the two teachers involved offered this advice "We've seen him be nice to other kids, you should try being nice to him" and "Maybe you two are going to get married." ARGH. This was not that long ago! I liked that the focus was on Elianna's growth, not making it her personal responsibility to redeem her bullies.

I’m shocked this book wandered into Printz Honor territory? It seemed like the audience was solid for middle grades- not above 14. Any thoughts?

Printz is 12-18, Newbery is 0-14
Librarians have LONG said the overlap should be eliminated...

Thanks for that info- I did not realize that it went down that young.

Kidlitter wrote: "Agree that girls are not given the tools to call out bullies and that when they ask for help, are often STILL somehow blamed for attracting the attention. I'm sorry your mum wasn't there for you an..."

That's infuriating! I'm pretty sure this is not the advice given to boys, try to be nicer to your bully. I was hyper alert to bullying toward my children. They have some funny stories they tell that include eye rolling about me. lol

I read this at the beginning of the year and think it is a much-needed book. The sad truth is many children do endure people like the ones Ellie does. Fipps based much of this book on her actual experiences. As someone who has survived abuse and grew up in a volatile household I know I would’ve appreciated a book like this back in the 70s. I was a naturally slim child but I would’ve related to Ellie’s relationship with her mom and her feelings of being different. Telling the story in verse added to the book for me. Whole scenes could come to life with spare text. I think this book is a must-read.