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From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

Eleven-year-old Ellie has been a fat kid all her life. She got the nickname “Splash” when she jumped into the swimming pool at her fifth birthday party, though some kids also called her “whale.” Ellie, who is white, loves swimming and feels most comfortable in her body when she can float on her back with her arms and legs outstretched, imagining that she is a starfish. She is bullied at school, but has a good new friend next door, Mexican American Catalina. Ellie’s own mother is her worst bully, however. She began withholding food from Ellie when she was four, constantly comments on her weight, tries to “fix” her by forcing diets on her, and even considers pursuing bariatric surgery for Ellie. Fortunately, Ellie’s dad is in her corner. He stands up against her mother, takes Ellie to see a therapist, helps her to find a doctor who isn’t anti-fat, and even takes her to a plus-size clothing store for kids. Ellie’s therapist helps her begin standing up for herself, enabling her to confront classmates who hatch a particularly cruel plot, and to confront her mom, telling her how much she has hurt her over the years. Ellie has one Jewish and one Christian parent and practices both religions, her spiritual beliefs another welcome aspect of this ground-breaking novel in verse that will speak to many fat kids, as well as to those who bully or look down on them. (Ages 8-12)

CCBC Choices 2022 © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2022. Used with permission.

From School Library Journal

July 1, 2021

Gr 5-8-Eleven-year-old Ellie has been bullied most of her life for being fat. The mean girls are bad enough, but her weight-obsessed mother might unintentionally be her worst enemy-what mother pushes bariatric surgery on her tween? Ellie's best friend is moving away, which means that starting sixth grade alone is only going to be that much tougher. With the gentle encouragement of a new therapist insistently recommended by her trying-to-be-an-ally father, Ellie learns to bravely confront her attackers, including her angrily dismissive brother and less than supportive sister. In finally breaking her own self-destructive "Fat Girl Rules"-Make yourself small. Move slowly so your fat doesn't jiggle-she begins to accept the unconditional love she deserves. Fipps's debut novel in verse finds an ideal collaborator in perennially youthful Jenna Lamia, who resonantly nurtures Ellie from scared to stronger, worried to wow, victim to vibrant. Lamia's evident Spanish fluency also enhances Ellie's growing friendship with her new neighbor, Catalina, and her welcoming Latinx family. VERDICT Fipps's empowering, feel-good title proves to be an ideal antidote to middle school bullying. Libraries will want to stock multiple formats for eager readers.-Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon, Washington, DC

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From Horn Book

May 1, 2021
Since she was five, Ellie (now eleven) has lived by a list of Fat Girl Rules: "Make yourself small"; "Move slowly so / your fat doesn't jiggle"; "When you hear laughter, / someone's laughing at you." She only feels comfortable in her body when she's swimming or spending time with her dog or her similarly fat best friend, Viv. But when Viv moves away, Ellie is alone in facing the sixth-grade bullies, who call her a whale, slam doors in her face, and -- horrifyingly -- loosen the screws on her desk so it collapses. It's not much better outside of school, where strangers make rude comments, or at home, where her mother posts dieting articles on the fridge and even takes her to see a bariatric surgeon without her consent. (If it all seems too cruel to be realistic, an author's note explains that these experiences are based on Fipps's own.) Luckily, Ellie has the support of her dad, a new friend, and an understanding therapist who teaches her to stand up for herself. Ellie's simple and powerful free-verse poems intensify her emotional turmoil and smoothly destroy stereotypes ("They think I'm unhappy / because I'm fat. / The truth is, / I'm unhappy because / they bully me / about being fat"). Her strength in accepting herself and learning to defy her Fat Girl Rules is an inspiring reminder to all readers that they deserve to "take up space." Rachel L. Smith

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From School Library Journal

Starred review from February 1, 2021

Gr 5 Up-A charming novel in verse about a girl struggling with self-worth. Ellie is a middle school girl who is bullied every day for her weight. Whether it comes from classmates, siblings, or even her mother, Ellie is constantly bombarded with comments about her size. Luckily, her friends help keep her head up most of the time. When her best friend Viv moves away, a new friend, Catalina, fits right into her place. Ellie's dad is also an ally; he stands up to Ellie's mom and decides to take Ellie to a therapist. With the help of Dr. Wood, Ellie learns how to feel comfortable in her own skin. Once readers start, it will be difficult for them to put this book down. Ellie's story is heartbreaking and raw at times, and Fipps paints a realistic picture of bullying in a world that equates thinness with beauty. Ellie's own family, except for her dad, also buy into that ideal, calling her "Splash," making fun of her, and cataloguing everything she eats. True joy comes in watching Ellie gain confidence in herself and standing up to the bullies, even when they're family. The race of most characters is not mentioned. Catalina and her family are Mexican American. VERDICT A must-have for libraries serving teens and tweens.-Lisa Buffi, Sterling M.S., VA

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From Kirkus

Starred review from February 1, 2021
A girl seeks acceptance rather than judgment for her size. Eleven-year-old Texan Ellie loves to swim in her backyard pool even though a cannonball during her fifth birthday party earned her the nickname "Splash" and endless jokes about whales. She maneuvers through life following unspoken "Fat Girl Rules," chief among them, "Make yourself small." Ellie dreads the start of sixth grade, partially because her best friend just moved away, but mainly because classmates bully her at every turn. The worst, though, is her mother, with her endless stream of derogatory comments, obsessive monitoring of Ellie's food intake, and preoccupation with bariatric surgery (which Ellie knows is unsafe). Thankfully, Ellie has support in compassionate educators, tried-and-true friends, her beloved pug, and her more considerate psychiatrist father, who finds Ellie a therapist to work through her pent-up feelings. As a self-proclaimed poet, Ellie has a strong command of words, and she learns how and when to use them to defend herself. She also makes friends with her new neighbor, whose Mexican American family can empathize with being judged on appearances. Fipps' verse is skillful and rooted in emotional reality. The text places readers in Ellie's shoes, showing how she is attacked in many spaces--including by strangers on public transit--while clearly asserting that it's other people who need to change. Half-Jewish, half-Christian Ellie is cued as White. Make room in your heart for this cathartic novel. (Verse novel. 9-13)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From Horn Book

January 1, 2021
Since she was five, Ellie (now eleven) has lived by a list of Fat Girl Rules: "Make yourself small"; "Move slowly so / your fat doesn't jiggle"; "When you hear laughter, / someone's laughing at you." She only feels comfortable in her body when she's swimming or spending time with her dog or her similarly fat best friend, Viv. But when Viv moves away, Ellie is alone in facing the sixth-grade bullies, who call her a whale, slam doors in her face, and -- horrifyingly -- loosen the screws on her desk so it collapses. It's not much better outside of school, where strangers make rude comments, or at home, where her mother posts dieting articles on the fridge and even takes her to see a bariatric surgeon without her consent. (If it all seems too cruel to be realistic, an author's note explains that these experiences are based on Fipps's own.) Luckily, Ellie has the support of her dad, a new friend, and an understanding therapist who teaches her to stand up for herself. Ellie's simple and powerful free-verse poems intensify her emotional turmoil and smoothly destroy stereotypes ("They think I'm unhappy / because I'm fat. / The truth is, / I'm unhappy because / they bully me / about being fat"). Her strength in accepting herself and learning to defy her Fat Girl Rules is an inspiring reminder to all readers that they deserve to "take up space."

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From Booklist

Starred review from December 1, 2020
Grades 5-8 *Starred Review* Ellie is doing her best, but it never seems to be enough: not for her mom, who insists Ellie's weight is something to be fixed; not for her peers, who taunt her with unimaginably cruel words; and not even for herself. She doesn't mind being fat, but she does mind how she's treated for it. Now, as the threat of bariatric surgery grows, Ellie must find it within herself to stand up to the ones who pushed her to create the Fat Girl Rules--including herself. Fipps bursts onto the middle-grade scene with her debut, a verse novel that shines because of Ellie's keen and emotionally striking observations. As she draws readers in with her smart and succinct voice, Ellie navigates the difficult map of knowing she deserves better treatment while struggling with the conflict that's necessary to achieve it. Fipps hands her young narrator several difficult life lessons, including how to self-advocate, how not to internalization of the words of others, and what it means to defend yourself. Ellie's story will delight readers who long to see an impassioned young woman seize an unapologetic victory.

COPYRIGHT(2020) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.