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)