Lisa Fipps

Lisa Flipps wrote Starfish is a fictional account of her experience of being fat shamed, by her mother, brother and some of her classmates. At first, I was attracted by the cover and then I learned that Ellie, the main character have had so many of the same experiences.

On April's Fools day, when I was in seventh grade, a couple of boys loosened the screws on the desk so that it collapsed when I sat down. I was so mortified! I did realize that the desk/chair was wobbly when I sat down so I could have avoided being on the floor bruised and very embarrassed. They got away with it, there was no teacher in the room. I always hated April Fool's Day after that. I was shocked that Ellie had been pranked too.

I am 78 years old, my weight goes up and down, when it is up, I am shamed by doctors who I have quit and my first husband.

Fat shaming is painful no matter what age you are. I loved that Ellie had a counselor to help her learn how to handle this problem. I never had that, I wan unlucky but I thank Lisa Flipps from the bottom of my heart and more for writing this wonderful book.… (more)

Recommended Ages: Gr. 5-7 (appropriate for younger but may need help with figurative language and emotional themes)

Plot Summary: Joe is living with his mom and Grandmum when Boom, his mom leaves. So he and his Grandmum are living in "the gingerbread house" when his mom comes home, in trouble and needing money. So boom, they have to move out. Then boom, his mom leaves again. This time, they have nowhere to go and end up living in their car. It's hard to keep his living situation a secret from his friends, who eventually figure it out. But then, boom! His friend has a suggestion on where they can live. And boom, they meet Uncle Frankie who can help them get furniture. What will be the next and then, Boom!? Will it be a good one or a bad one?

Setting: tornado alley?

Characters:
Joe - AKA Joseph Oak, 6th grader,
Grandmum - vegetable gardener, from England, cleans houses during the day and offices at night, warm, supportive, optimistic
Grampy - US air force pilot, met Grandmum when he was stationed in England, died before Joe was born
Mom - disappears when she gets "the itch," can be gone for between 1 month and 1 year, got in trouble with the law
Hakeem - Joe's best friend,
Nick - Joe's best friend, solves the clues (pg 34) and figures out Joe and his Grandmum are unhoused, suggests they live in the empty trailer across from him
Uncle Frankie - not Joe's real uncle, in charge of the trailer park, takes care of everyone
Mrs. Swan - Joe's 6th grade teacher
The Fishbowl - Grandmum's car

Recurring Themes: onomatopoeia, metaphors, poverty, food insecurity, homeless, death, parental abandonment, living with Grandma, gardening, support

Controversial Issues: none

Personal Thoughts: There's a lot of figurative language in this well written, engaging book. It was hard to put down. I felt like I was watching a movie of Joe's life with a very descriptive and engaging narrator, which is Joe himself. There is a lot of personality and heartfelt moments in between the tough topics of food insecurity, homelessness, and death. Highly recommend.

Genre: realistic fiction

Format: novel in verse

Pacing: fast, told in verse, more character based than action based
Characters: very well developed
Frame: names houses, events, cars, etc.
Storyline:

Activity:

pg 22 "unhoused woman"… (more)

This book breaks your heart, heals it, and gives you hope.

Nothing goes right for Joe. Absolutely nothing. His mother doesn't want him, so she disappears a lot. His English grandmum does want him and raises him. They end up homeless when Joe's mother get arrested and leaves after bail is posted. Grandmum has to sell her house to pay the bail. Thankfully, Joe has two friends he can rely on. One notices that Joe is homeless and has a solution; Joe and Grandmum move to the mobile home park into an available trailer and meet Uncle Frankie, who runs the park. Uncle Frankie helps everyone because it's the "right thing to do. . . . If it means helping others or yourself, it's always the right thing to do." They may have a roof over their heads and a helpful, caring person with Uncle Frankie, but they still fight hunger and paying bills.

Spoilers follow.

Joe's life completely collapses when Uncle Frankie meets him after school because Joe's Grandmum is in the hospital. When he arrives, Joe sees his mother who coldly announced that his grandmother is dead. She is not happy to be responsible for her son again. When she sees the type of person Frank is, she leaves. Again. Joe cannot tell anyone that he's alone. He has no food, no money, nothing. He begins to smell and loses a lot of weight. Once again, his observant friends figure out what's going on and strive to help him. He fears the foster system. It's only after Joe becomes famous for flying through the air during a tornado that help arrives. He tells the hospital that he's been alone for a month. In this story, Child Protective Services does a great job matching him with a family.

I absolutely loved this book. It's heartbreaking but at the right level for middle school. It's a little "pie in the sky" but students need to have hope that everything can and will work out. It's a beautiful, uplifting book about how humanity can be human and provide what's needed because of love. Read the author's note at the end.… (more)

*Review contains spoilers*

Fifth-grader Joe faces one "and then...BOOM!" moment after another in this novel in verse. First, there's the "Mess with Mum," who has gotten into various kinds of trouble and compounded that trouble enough that her mother, Joe's beloved Grandmum, lost their house. Joe's friends Hakeem and Nick help them find a new place to live in their mobile home park, where heart-of-gold "Uncle Frank" helps them furnish their new place.

Together, Joe and Grandmum are just about keeping themselves afloat, when Grandmum dies. Joe's mom returns, but only briefly; she gets "the Itch" again and runs off, leaving Joe to fend for himself. He's scared to tell anyone she's gone, because his friend Nick told him about CPS and being in foster care, but problem after problem pummels Joe: school ends, cutting off his main source of food; his hot water and electricity are turned off, so the food that was in the fridge and freezer spoiled; and then a literal storm hits, in the form of a tornado. Joe can't get to the shelter with the abandoned dogs he adopted (Lucky, Duck, and Dawg), so he ties them to an oak tree - but the rope snaps, sending him flying.

In the aftermath, Joe finally gets the help he needs: medical attention, therapy, and a new home with the Davisons, who live on a farm with lots of animals (and food). AND THEN...BOOM! is about a good kid who takes on adult responsibilities and fears telling others when the adults in his life disappear. Joe struggles with hunger and cleanliness, despite help from teacher Mrs. Swan, Uncle Frankie, and his friends Nick and Hakeem and their families. Ultimately, Joe has a happy ending with the Davisons, who give him a safe place, kindness and caring and inclusion, and who support his desire to give back to others by starting free food pantries.

See also: No Fixed Address by Susin Nielsen, Deep Water by Jamie Sumner, Kyra Just for Today by Sara Zarr

Quotes

"Why the World Needs Comic Books" (4)

Every story boils down to
and-thens
and
BOOMS!
...the moments when
something happens
that changes
everything. (5)

"If you give when you can,
it's okay to take when you need to." (Uncle Frankie, 39)

When you're so used to doing everything for yourself,
you forget that others will help.
If you let them. (41)

"How do you know what the right thing [to do] is?"
I ask.
"If it means helping others or yourself,
it's always the right thing to do,"
Uncle Frankie says. (138)

Storms, like stormy people,
can be impossible to understand. (200)

"Sometimes the best way to take care of others
is to take care of yourself first." (Uncle Frankie, 202)

I'm mostly used to dealing with what's broken
after things go bad.
I guess I need to learn how to deal with things
before they get so bad. (232)… (more)