Starfish is a must-read for children and parents alike. The story follows Ellie, an eleven-year-old who has been fat all her life, and is bullied because of it. I read this book in a single day (maybe that shows how much I liked it!) and I found myself surprised at how much I loved it. Ordinarily, I don't enjoy novels in verse, but with Starfish I was able to relate to the main character and her issues, and connect with the story in an unexpected way.
The writing is fantastic- however, I do feel that it gets a bit much at times, for a middle grade novel. In the later parts of the book, I found my immersion starting to break. The best way I can put it is, the story got darker than I feel it needed to be. The ending was mostly satisfying- although parts felt unfinished. Despite these drawbacks, overall, Starfish is an amazing novel that truly makes one think about the effects that fatphobia has on youth and family alike.
The writing is fantastic- however, I do feel that it gets a bit much at times, for a middle grade novel. In the later parts of the book, I found my immersion starting to break. The best way I can put it is, the story got darker than I feel it needed to be. The ending was mostly satisfying- although parts felt unfinished. Despite these drawbacks, overall, Starfish is an amazing novel that truly makes one think about the effects that fatphobia has on youth and family alike.