Starfish

Informationen zum Autor Lisa Fipps is a graduate of Ball State University, an award-winning former journalist, a former director of marketing for a public library (where she won the Sara Laughlin marketing award), and an author of middle-grade books. Starfish is her debut novel. She lives in Kokomo, Indiana. Klappentext Ellie is tired of being fat-shamed and does something about it in this poignant debut novel-in-verse. Ever since Ellie wore a whale swimsuit and made a big splash at her fifth birthday party, she's been bullied about her weight. To cope, she tries to live by the Fat Girl Rules-like "no making waves," "avoid eating in public," and "don't move so fast that your body jiggles." And she's found her safe space-her swimming pool-where she feels weightless in a fat-obsessed world. In the water, she can stretch herself out like a starfish and take up all the room she wants. It's also where she can get away from her pushy mom, who thinks criticizing Ellie's weight will motivate her to diet. Fortunately, Ellie has allies in her dad, her therapist, and her new neighbor, Catalina, who loves Ellie for who she is. With this support buoying her, Ellie might finally be able to cast aside the Fat Girl Rules and starfish in real life-by unapologetically being her own fabulous self. Leseprobe FOR JUST A WHILE I step down into the pool. The water is bathwater warm but feels cool compared to the blisteringly hot air. Kick. Gliiiiiiide. Stroke. Gliiiiiiide. Side to side and back again. Dive under the surface. Soar to the top. Arch my back. Flip. Flop. As soon as I slip into the pool, I am weightless. Limitless. For just a while. NAME-CALLING Eliana Elizabeth Montgomery-Hofstein. That's my name. My bestie, Viv, and my parents call me Ellie or El. But most people call me Splash or some synonym for whale . Cannonball into a pool, drenching everyone, and wear a whale swimsuit to your Under the Sea birthday party when you're a chubby kid who grows up to be a fat tween and no one will ever let you live it down. Ever. SPLASH IS BORN Now, whenever I swim, I use the steps to ease into the water, careful not to make waves, because the memory of my pool party plays in my head like a video on a loop. It was my fifth birthday. I wanted to be the first one in, so I ran to the edge and leapt into the air and tucked my knees into my chest. Water sprayed up as I sank down. I bobbed to the surface, expecting cheers for the splashiest cannonball ever. That didn't happen. Splash spawned a tsunami! my sister, Anaïs, shouted. She almost emptied the pool, my brother, Liam, chimed in. I dove under, drowning my tears. I wish I could tell everyone how they made me feel that day humiliated, angry, deeply sad. But every time I try to stand up for myself, the words get stuck in my throat like a giant glob of peanut butter. Besides, if they even listened, they'd just snap back, If you don't like being teased, lose weight. FAT GIRL RULES Some girls my age fill diaries with dreams and private thoughts. Mine has a list of Fat Girl Rules. You find out what these unspoken rules are when you break them and suffer the consequences. Fat Girl Rules I learned at five: No cannonballs. No splashing. No making waves. You don't deserve to be seen or h...

Klappentext

Ellie is tired of being fat-shamed and does something about it in this poignant debut novel-in-verse.

Ever since Ellie wore a whale swimsuit and made a big splash at her fifth birthday party, she's been bullied about her weight. To cope, she tries to live by the Fat Girl Rules-like "no making waves," "avoid eating in public," and "don't move so fast that your body jiggles." And she's found her safe space-her swimming pool-where she feels weightless in a fat-obsessed world. In the water, she can stretch herself out like a starfish and take up all the room she wants. It's also where she can get away from her pushy mom, who thinks criticizing Ellie's weight will motivate her to diet. Fortunately, Ellie has allies in her dad, her therapist, and her new neighbor, Catalina, who loves Ellie for who she is. With this support buoying her, Ellie might finally be able to cast aside the Fat Girl Rules and starfish in real life-by unapologetically being her own fabulous self.

Zusammenfassung
**A PRINTZ HONOR BOOK • Ellie is tired of being fat-shamed and does something about it in this poignant novel-in-verse.

“In her debut novel, Starfish, Lisa Fipps confronts diet culture and fat phobia head-on. . . .  The book reads as if Ellie herself is writing these poems, which are accessible and engaging.”—The New York Times Book Review**

Ever since Ellie wore a whale swimsuit and made a big splash at her fifth birthday party, she's been bullied about her weight. To cope, she tries to live by the Fat Girl Rules—like "no making waves," "avoid eating in public," and "don't move so fast that your body jiggles." And she's found her safe space—her swimming pool—where she feels weightless in a fat-obsessed world. In the water, she can stretch herself out like a starfish and take up all the room she wants. It's also where she can get away from her pushy mom, who thinks criticizing Ellie's weight will motivate her to diet. Fortunately, Ellie has allies in her dad, her therapist, and her new neighbor, Catalina, who loves Ellie for who she is. With this support buoying her, Ellie might finally be able to cast aside the Fat Girl Rules and starfish in real life--by unapologetically being her own fabulous self.

Leseprobe
FOR JUST A WHILE
 
I step down into the pool.
The water is bathwater warm
but feels cool
compared to the blisteringly hot air.
Kick. Gliiiiiiide.
Stroke. Gliiiiiiide.
Side to side
and back again.
Dive under the surface.
Soar to the top.
Arch my back.
Flip. Flop.
 
As soon as I slip into the pool,
I am weightless.
Limitless.
For just a while.

 
NAME-CALLING
 
Eliana Elizabeth Montgomery-Hofstein.
That’s my name.
 
My bestie, Viv,
and my parents call me
Ellie or El.
 
But most people call me Splash
 
or some synonym for whale.
 
Cannonball into a pool,
drenching everyone,
and wear a whale swimsuit
to your Under the Sea birthday party
when you’re a chubby kid
who grows up to be a fat tween
and no one will ever let you live it down.
 
Ever.
 
 
SPLASH IS BORN
 
Now, whenever I swim,
I use the steps to ease into the water,
careful not to make waves,
because the memory
of my pool party plays
in my head like a video on a loop.
 
It was my fifth birthday.
I wanted to be the first one in, so
I ran to the edge and
leapt into the air and
tucked my knees into my chest.
 
Water sprayed up
as I sank down.
I bobbed to the surface,
expecting cheers for
the splashiest cannonball ever.
 
That didn’t happen.
 
“Splash spawned a tsunami!”
my sister, Anaïs, shouted.
“She almost emptied the pool,”
my brother, Liam, chimed in.
I dove under,
drowning my tears.
 
I wish I could tell everyone
how they made me feel that day—
humiliated,
angry,
deeply sad.
 
But every time I try to stand up for myself,
the words get stuck in my throat
like a giant glob of peanut butter.
 
Besides, if they even listened,
they’d just snap back,
“If you don’t like being teased,
lose weight.”
 
**
FAT GIRL RULES**
 
Some girls my age fill
diaries with dreams and
private thoughts.
 
Mine has a list of
Fat Girl Rules.
 
You find ou…