I'm thankful for books like Starfish with characters like Ellie! She reads like a real person struggling with her body image. I laughed, I cried, and I was left wanting more Ellie! At first, her fat girl rules sound terrible! But as I was reading, I began to notice how realistic they were! Ellie put into words things I had felt, but never uttered aloud. This is a good read for any middle school girl. We have all struggled with body image at some point or other in our lives. Ellie's relationship with her mother is very revealing. Also noteworthy are her attempts at exercise, with limited success. I love that the book shows her friend whose culture is very different. They see larger full figured women as beautiful, not something that needs to be fixed. As Ellie opens her mind to the possibility that there is more to a positive body image than the number on a scale, you will fall in love with her!