Starfish

One scene shows Ellie sitting down at her desk and it collapses (peers had removed the bolts in the desk), resulting in several bruises. The bullying Ellie experiences from school peers and her mom and brother -- humiliating comments about her weight and what she eats, jokes about whales -- is cruel and could be categorized as verbal abuse.

“Crap" used once by the narrator. Bullying kids call Ellie directly or refer to her as "thing," "lard butt," "big, fat loser," "blubberbelly," and "disgusting whale." Most of the verbal harassment is whale-themed, as when her classmates do things like push other students away as she walks down the hall and say, “Watch out, make way, thar she blows!" and all the students press themselves up against the walls as she passes.

Parents need to know that Lisa Fipp's novel-in-verse, Starfish, takes on anti-fat bias, bullying, and self-acceptance. Middle schooler Ellie lives by the "Fat Girl Rules" -- don't wear bright colors, don't move so fast that your body jiggles, make yourself as small as possible, and on and on. But the rules aren't protecting her from her bullies, and Ellie realizes if things are going to change, it'll have to start with her. While this book is ultimately hopeful, verbal abuse in the form of bullying and rejection from family and peers is at times intensely cruel. The verbal violence tips over into physical when peers remove bolts from Ellie's desk and it collapses on her as she tries to sit down, resulting in minor injury. No swearing or other content concerns. Starfish was named a 2022 Michael J. Printz Honor Book.