Starfish is about a girl named Ellie Montgomery-Hofstein who loves to swim and has a pet dog. Her life is troubled by school bullies commenting daily on her weight and her mom, who doesn’t seem to realize she’s making Ellie’s life difficult by arguing with her about what she eats and continues to make Ellie doubt herself. Even though her father is kind to her, Ellie’s mother and siblings seem to only see her as a nuisance because of her weight. When Ellie’s best friend, Viv, moves away and leaves her alone to face the school bullies, Ellie wonders if her life could get any worse. However, she finds a new friend in her new neighbor, Catalina- an eccentric girl who also knows about being different. With the help of new friends and others, Ellie learns how to appreciate herself and knows that she needs to stand up and show that she’s perfect the way she is. Can Ellie finally face her worst fears by talking back to the school bullies, and worse, her mother? I found the book, Starfish to be great.
Ellie is a very entertaining character who gives a sense of humor to the book while the plot of the book shows the true meaning of how to love yourself and know when enough is enough. Ellie is consistently funny throughout the book and has a loud personality which helps the book remain exciting. This book will be very enticing for readers wishing to read realistic fiction stories that can seem relative, and emotional, while still remaining funny and interesting. It stays true to the theme while giving Ellie new and real-life problems to face. As the book continues, she learns not to take people’s cruelty and has to relearn ideas society has taught her about her self-worth and how to act.