lisa fipps biography

Interview with Lisa Fipps, Debut Author of Starfish

People are buzzing about Lisa Fipps and her debut novel, STARFISH! For good reason, it’s bound to be a classic. This poignant novel in free verse has already earned numerous starred reviews and a Junior Library Guild Gold Selection. Wow! And she is just getting started.

I met Lisa via Twitter and immediately fell in love with her kind spirit and sensitive soul. Also, we share a love of all things British and pugs!

My kind of gal.

Please grab a cup of tea and join us for a bit of chitchat.

          About the Author

Lisa Fipps is a graduate of Ball State University, award-winning former journalist, current director of marketing for a public library (where she won the Sara Laughlin marketing award), and an author of middle-grade books. Starfish is her debut novel. She’s working on her next novel and several others. She currently lives in Indiana and lived in Texas.  

• Tell us about Starfish. 

Starfish is a middle-grade novel in free verse about a fat girl named Ellie. Ever since Ellie wore a whale swimsuit and made a big splash at her fifth birthday party, she’s been bullied about her weight. To cope, she tries to live by the Fat Girl Rules—like “no making waves,” “avoid eating in public,” and “don’t move so fast that your body jiggles.”

She’s found her safe space—her swimming pool—where she feels weightless in a fat-obsessed world. At the bottom of the pool, she starfishes. Stretches out. Takes up all the room she wants, instead of living by the fat girl rules society taught her.  The pool is also where she can get away from her pushy mom, who thinks criticizing Ellie’s weight will motivate her to diet. Fortunately, Ellie has allies in her dad, her therapist, and her new neighbor, Catalina, who love Ellie for who she is. With this support buoying her, Ellie is able to cast aside the Fat Girl Rules and starfish in real life—by unapologetically being her own fabulous self.

• How did you come up with the idea ?

Starfish is the book I wish I had when I was a fat kid trying to cope with the bullying. I never told anyone what I was going through. I never reached out for help with the emotions: sadness, anger, shame. I never stood up for myself. I thought I deserved to be treated badly because society teaches us that if we’re fat, it’s our fault. If we truly hated being bullied, we’d just lose the weight.

• Do you base your characters on people you know? If yes, spill the beans!

Starfish is not based on people I know, but it’s based on experiences I had. The names of characters are based on people I know. For example, Sonya, Catalina’s mom, is named after author Sonya Sones, a mentor and friend. The school librarian is named after my elementary-school librarian, Mrs. Pochon. She was the best!

4. How much of your real-life experiences play a role in the stories you tell? 

Not everything that happens to Ellie happened to me, but a version of everything that happens to Ellie happened to me. So, yes, real-life experiences play a huge role in Starfish . As far as future works, I think there’s a bit of every author in every story they tell. Sometimes authors draw on real-life experiences. Other times they dip into their emotional wells when characters need to authentically express feelings. a

5. What books did you like to read when you were a kid? Do those books influence your writing? 

I read anything and everything I could get my hands on. I grew up poor. So that meant reading cereal boxes, recipe books, newspapers, magazines, my mom’s books – hence my love for Erma Bombeck when I was a kid – the entire World Book Encyclopedia, and library books. Authors have influenced my writing more than specific books. Once I like a book by an author, I read all their books. Authors who influenced me the most when I was a kid and teen include DuBose Heyward (because of The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes ), E.B. White, Norman Bridwell, Beverly Cleary, and Ernest Hemingway.

   6. What are you working on now? 

I’m always working on something. Well, actually, several somethings. Sometimes a scene or a character trait for a novel comes to me when I’m writing my work in progress. So, I stop, write it, and go back to my WIP.

• What is your writing process? Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I see what I call video clips in my head of scenes, things that help reveal a character’s personality, etc. I watch them and make note of them. It’s kind of odd. I’m a total pantser. I think that’s because I was a journalist for years. But I do plan the overall book. I just don’t do detailed outlines. That totally zaps me of my creative energy. I like to let the story tell itself through me rather than control it so much.

• Loaded question: How long was your road to publishing and what happened along the way?

Starfish took a while because of personal commitments. I started it while working six part-time jobs for three years as I transitioned from journalism to marketing. Then I got a full-time marketing job – right before my mother almost died in a car accident and needed a lot of care, which is right after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. I was working full-time, being a full-time caregiver, and writing Starfish . I’m not a patient person by any stretch of the imagination. So, I was frustrated that I couldn’t just devote all my time to Starfish . But the process taught me that you make the time and find a way to focus on what’s important to you.

• What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

I give aspiring authors the same advice Norman Bridwell gave me. He’s from my hometown. I interviewed him several times when I was journalist. I mentioned to him that I was writing a book. He told me to keep going, even if I got rejections along the way. He wrote me the sweetest letter on Clifford the Big Red Dog stationery. I still have it. If you want it – really want it – don’t stop. Just keep going.

• Do you have a favorite middle-grade book?

Hmm. There are far too many favorites for me to name them all. But some of my favorite middle-grade authors include Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Linda Sue Park, Karen Hesse, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, Jerry Spinelli, Gary Schmidt, and Andrew Clements. I could go on. And on. And on.

For more information about Lisa, please visit her website .

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My copy is actually on its way as I type. Can’t wait to read it! P.S. HI LISA *smiling and waving euphorically* 🙂

Just got my copy and can’t wait to read it! Wonderful and inspiring interview!🤗💕🎉

• Interview & Giveaway with Amie Darnell Specht & Shannon Hitchcock! February 7, 2024 by Mindy Alyse Weiss Welcome to the Mixed-Up Files, Amie and Shannon. We’re thrilled to have you here. Congrats on the launch of Dancing in the Storm. It’s so inspiring and powerful. I had... Read more →

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Q & A with Lisa Fipps

Lisa Fipps is the author of the middle grade novel Starfish, a 2022 Printz Honor book that Sonya Sones called “a big beautiful book about a big beautiful girl.” Fipps is also a former journalist and currently director of marketing at the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library in Kokomo, Ind. PW spoke with Fipps about how her multiple roles intersect and inform each other, why Starfish is the book she had to write, and what her hopes are for her readers who come in all different shapes and sizes.

How did you first become a writer? Is it true it had to do with a boy, a poem, and a creative writing class?

Doesn’t it always start with a boy? But, before that, I was the youngest person in my family and in my neighborhood, and lived in a rural area where I didn’t have a lot of playmate. Oftentimes, I would sit under a tree in my backyard and write, draw, and listen to music. And, I was a total arts girl—I took private art lessons, and was in advanced art classes at school. But in my sophomore year, I did not like my art teacher, and some of my friends were taking a creative writing class. So I decided to join them. I had never really shared my writing outside of essays that I had to write in school. So, I took this creative writing class. And, then in walked #40—that’s what I called him. He was #40 on the basketball team!

Our teacher gave us an assignment to write a poem for a contest. I wrote my poem, and it won something. I don’t remember what. When we read the poems out loud to the class, #40 looked at me for the very first time. Sure, we had all kinds of classes with each other, and did marching band competitions together; but he’d never really seen me before. When he heard my poem, he looked up at me with his blue eyes and he asked me, ‘You wrote this?” And, of course, I was nonverbal because I was totally crushing on him, and I was just shaking my head “yes.” And, he said, “This is good! Could I have a copy of this?” This is how it all started—someone seeing me right through my writing. But what was so funny to me was the poem was about him. He just saw that it was a love poem. I gave it to him, and he was appreciative. But he never knew it was about him. And it was then that I thought, “I'll be a writer.”

How did this thought turn to action?

It wasn’t long after that my teachers were sharing my poem around school, when my guidance counselor called me into her office and tried to encourage me to go into writing. I told her that I might like to write books one day. She suggested that I should keep writing, and the best way would be through journalism. So I went to Ball State University and majored in journalism, and after I graduated I became a journalist.

On your path to becoming a journalist, what did you learn that helped you become the writer you are today?

I did everything in the newsroom. I started out as a writer, became an editor, and then a managing editor for both newspapers and magazines in Texas and in Indiana. I learned the art of telling a story. I also really honed my skills in creating characters because I met so many characters along the way. Over 19 years, I wrote over 6,000 articles on everything from presidential trips to square dancing llamas. My focus was the police beat, education, government, health, and science.

When did you switch your focus to library marketing? What are your main responsibilities as library marketing director?

At one point, I felt that I'd done enough in journalism and it was time to move on. I thought a lot about what my ideal job would be with my skill set of storytelling, writing, photography, and design. And then I found an opening for a part-time director of marketing at a library. I loved the idea of promoting books, authors, reading, and library services to the community. I write press releases and talk to the media all the time. I also create the scripts for little commercials that we do, and all of the text for the newsletter that goes out to 45,000 homes every quarter. I've been doing this for 11 years.

What's the best part of working in the library today?

The best part is when I am walking into work or or leaving for the day and I see children running into the library because they cannot wait to get a book. It is the best feeling in the world! I also get to hear them talk about how they have this book or can’t wait to see what happens in the next book. It just warms my heart, and makes me believe even more in the power of books, reading, and writing.

What’s the biggest challenge?

Since Covid, everyone is used to having everything virtual, and now they want to be able to attend a program, and have virtual options, too. This makes for a big challenge for libraries. And, then of course, book banning has always been—and continues to be—a challenge. It’s always in the back of our minds that we are going to get challenged on something that’s on our shelves. So we have made sure that we have a really good policy in place that explains our collection management policies.

These policies help patrons understand that while a book may offend them, our job is to provide a variety of books for an entire community. It’s like a buffet. You can read what you want and you ignore what you don’t. And that’s just what a library has always been. It’s a variety of materials, and you choose what you want to read. Today, it’s almost as if people feel like you’re trying to put something on their plates. We’re not trying to put anything on your plates. We’re trying to make sure it’s available for everyone.

In what ways have your roles as journalist, library marketing director, and children’s author intersected and informed each other?

Again, journalism gave me a ton of tools for storytelling: conflict, plot, mannerisms, character, and dialogue. My marketing background—especially working at a library—has helped me to see the value of story, and to put that value into words. And now, as a children’s book author, I get to actually write stories that I’ve been thinking about.

In 2018, you sold your debut novel in verse, Starfish, which came out in March 2021 to critical acclaim. Where did this story come from?

I lived it. It’s my story. When I was a kid, I was always reading and always looking for a book about a girl like me, and I never ever saw myself in a book. Because of this, I felt unseen, unheard, unnoticed, and definitely different than others. And, as I sat under that tree as a kid, I had a lot of stories that I wanted to tell. But, as I got older, I started thinking about what I wanted to be my first story. I asked myself, “If I could only get one book published in my life, what was it going to be?” And it was, it had to be, Starfish . So that’s when I started thinking about how to tell this story. I began getting what I call “movie trailers” in my head of Ellie, and all the other characters in Starfish , and little snippets of dialogue. This is how I was able to tell Ellie’s story using my experiences and emotions.

Did you always know it would be a novel in verse? How did you choose to write in poetry vs. prose?

The story came out on paper as one poem, and then another poem, and another. Initially, I thought that I couldn’t write a book in a series of free-verse poems. Then I went to a bookstore and discovered Sonya Sones’s novel in verse, Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy. I read the very first pages and realized that I could write my story this way. Every time I’d tried to turn a poem into prose, it was like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. So discovering Sonia’s book gave me the freedom I needed to write Starfish .

Where did the courage come from to write this highly personal and emotional story?

I don't know that I ever had the courage to write it, but “Little Lisa” (my younger self) had the courage to write it. My life wasn’t easy. In addition to the issues I address in Starfish , there are other things that made my life difficult, and they’ll probably come out in other books. I have never met anyone in my life as strong as little Lisa. And I think that if she could be brave enough to live it, I needed to be brave enough to tell it because there are children out there living it. It happens every day to kids just like her. And my readers need to know that they are more than enough.

What is your hope for this book?

My hope for Starfish is to hit the heart. My goal was to be truly authentic about what it is like to be fat. And so if you’re fat, you hear it, you feel seen and heard. And if you’re not fat, you get to be inside Ellie’s skin for a while and see what it’s like. I don’t want readers to just walk in a character’s shoes, because you can take off shoes easily if they get uncomfortable. I want readers to live in a character’s skin: feel what they feel, experience life and the world the way they do.

Do you have advice for librarians and teachers on how to tell their own stories?

First of all, don’t leave anything on the plate. Don’t hold back. Give it 100%. Because if you don’t, the reader will know you didn’t give it your all. The other thing is when you are typing your story on your computer, tell your truth, throw it all out there, and don’t worry that just because it’s on the screen that someone is going to read it right away. No one will read it until you get it out—you finish writing, editing, and, decide to share it. But, first, focus on getting it out of you—and once you do, you’ll be comfortable with it. Getting it out to readers is not uncomfortable. You think it will be, but it’s not. The hard part is getting it out of you.

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Body Language in Middle Grade Lit

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By Sarai Walker

• Published July 8, 2021 Updated Feb. 26, 2024

STARFISH By Lisa Fipps

CHUNKY By Yehudi Mercado

TAKING UP SPACE By Alyson Gerber

When I was a middle school student in the 1980s, a girl in my class presented a book report on Judy Blume’s “Blubber.” As the only fat kid in my class, I wouldn’t have been caught dead reading a book with that title. Yet that day I had to sit and listen to my classmate discuss the torment of poor Linda, the chubby girl terrorized by the rest of her fifth-grade class. Not surprisingly, Linda begins dieting in a desperate bid to make the bullying stop.

There’s no good reason I should remember a classmate’s book report from more than 30 years ago, but I can recall parts of it quite vividly. I don’t think I’d ever encountered a book that dealt with body size in any explicit way, and the message I received that day was that the bullies were right about Linda — she was disgusting and needed to change. I feared, of course, that the same was true of me.

The stories we tell about weight and body image have improved since I was in middle school, but not nearly enough. While “Blubber” attempts to make the larger point that bullying can affect anyone, the novel is rooted in the pain of the big girl.

Nearly 50 years after the novel was originally published, this remains the most common type of story about a fat character: one of pain and trauma.

Still, three new middle grade books reflect some of the positive changes that have occurred over the past decade. While authors today continue to write about painful experiences related to weight and body image, these new stories are influenced by the work fat activists have done, and they show us a glimmer of hope and liberation.

In her debut novel, “Starfish,” Lisa Fipps confronts diet culture and fat phobia head-on. Ellie, the 11-year-old Texan narrator of this novel in free verse, doesn’t have a problem with her plus-size figure — but everyone else does. Though Ellie comes from a comfortably middle-class family, and enjoys a swimming pool and many material comforts, her life can nevertheless be described as hellish. At school she’s bullied; at home her two older siblings viciously tease her, and her mother behaves like a warden in a prison for fat children.

In the three books under review, none of the mothers come off particularly well, but in “Starfish” mom is a villain. Ellie describes her as “my worst bully.” In an act of outright abuse, she threatens Ellie with bariatric surgery, the same procedure that almost killed an aunt.

This can make for difficult reading, but it never becomes unbearably bleak thanks to Ellie’s humor (there are some laugh-out-loud moments), as well as the power of her voice, which manages to convey many different feelings, often at once: sass and rage, innocence and cynicism, and, most of all, heartbreak. The book reads as if Ellie herself is writing these poems, which are accessible and engaging.

Ellie loves to swim, which makes her feel weightless, and in the water she becomes a starfish — she can spread her arms and legs and take up space. With the help of a therapist, Ellie begins to feel comfortable starfishing outside the pool. She learns how to talk back to bullies and resist absorbing their taunts, and she finally confronts her mother. There are limits to what a child in these circumstances can do, but what makes Ellie so endearing is how she fights for herself, even when it feels as if no one else will.

In “Chunky,” the writer-artist-animator and former Disney art director Yehudi Mercado turns to graphic memoir, and like Fipps he writes in a funny and endearing way about being a fat kid in Texas. The story is brought to life with illustrations that are vivid and often poignant.

Hudi, from a working-class Mexican-Jewish family, faces many challenges in life, including asthma and living with only one lung. He’s also husky and clumsy, unlike his dad, who’s buff and great at sports. An aspiring comedian who dreams of being on “Saturday Night Live,” Hudi tends to laugh off the indignities he suffers because of his size and awkwardness.

When Hudi’s doctor wants him to lose weight, his parents push him into sports. Even though Hudi would rather try out for theater, he goes along with the plan. Each chapter focuses on a different activity he gets involved in, from his first choice of baseball (“Babe Ruth was pretty fat”) to soccer, swimming and tennis. It comes as no surprise that he is picked on, injured and humiliated during these pursuits.

To help him along the way, Hudi dreams up an imaginary friend, his own mascot that will cheer him on from the sidelines. The adorable, bright pink Chunky offers the moral support he needs. Although Hudi minimizes the traumas he endures with humor, his creation of Chunky to be his mascot and friend shows how desperately he needs a buddy to be there for him.

“Chunky” also explores how Hudi’s parents, while pushing their son to slim down, unintentionally push him to assimilate in other, unexpected ways. Sweet, artistic Hudi begins to change. His large size makes him ideal for football; pressured by his macho coach and new friends, he begins to embrace their nickname for him: Monster Mercado. His parents, horrified by how their son is transforming, realize that Hudi needs to be allowed to embrace who he truly is.

Unlike Hudi, the protagonist of Alyson Gerber’s third novel, “Taking Up Space,” is average-sized and sporty. Twelve-year-old Sarah Weber is a star player on her school’s basketball team. She’s athletic and strong and seems confident in herself. When she’s on the court, she knows what the rules are and finds that comforting.

Sarah has a healthy appetite, scarfing Doritos and pizza with her friends, none of whom give a thought to calories. At home, however, her mother obsesses over food. Sarah is frustrated by how her mom’s food issues affect her; meanwhile her dad, busy with work, isn’t much help.

Basketball means everything to Sarah, but during practice and games she begins to notice that her body feels different. Her clothes are a little tighter, she’s frequently out of breath and she moves differently. Though her coach assures her that bodies change during puberty and it takes time to adjust, Sarah is panicked that her hopes of college basketball and the W.N.B.A. might be slipping away. In a desperate attempt to fix her body and exert control, she alters her eating habits.

In a thoughtful and powerful way, Gerber explores how quickly Sarah falls into a pattern of disordered eating. The seemingly benign packet of nutrition plans that Sarah receives in health class begins an obsession with which foods are good and which are bad — an obsession her mother encourages. Luckily for Sarah, once it becomes clear she’s in trouble a support network of friends and school staff kicks into gear, including her school counselor, who teaches her about diet culture and how to confront it.

I can only hope Judy Blume’s Linda, who would now be close to 60, has also received these enlightened messages. I like to imagine she’s out there somewhere, driving around with a Riots Not Diets bumper sticker on her car.

Sarai Walker is the author of the novel “Dietland.” Her next novel, “The Cherry Robbers,” will be published in February.

STARFISH By Lisa Fipps 256 pp. Nancy Paulsen Books. $17.99. (Ages 10 and up) CHUNKY By Yehudi Mercado 208 pp. Katherine Tegen Books. $21.99. (Ages 8 to 12) TAKING UP SPACE By Alyson Gerber 272 pp. Scholastic. $17.99. (Ages 8 to 12)

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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.

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Starfish : Book summary and reviews of Starfish by Lisa Fipps

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by Lisa Fipps

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Published Mar 2021 256 pages Genre: Poetry & Novels in Verse Publication Information

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Book summary.

Ellie is tired of being fat-shamed and does something about it in this poignant debut novel-in-verse.

Ever since Ellie wore a whale swimsuit and made a big splash at her fifth birthday party, she's been bullied about her weight. To cope, she tries to live by the Fat Girl Rules—like "no making waves," "avoid eating in public," and "don't move so fast that your body jiggles." And she's found her safe space—her swimming pool—where she feels weightless in a fat-obsessed world. In the water, she can stretch herself out like a starfish and take up all the room she wants. It's also where she can get away from her pushy mom, who thinks criticizing Ellie's weight will motivate her to diet. Fortunately, Ellie has allies in her dad, her therapist, and her new neighbor, Catalina, who loves Ellie for who she is. With this support buoying her, Ellie might finally be able to cast aside the Fat Girl Rules and starfish in real life--by unapologetically being her own fabulous self.

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Reader reviews.

"Fipps bursts onto the middle-grade scene with her debut, a verse novel that shines because of Ellie's keen and emotionally striking observations...Ellie's story will delight readers who long to see an impassioned young woman seize an unapologetic victory." - Booklist, starred review "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... . Make room in your heart for this cathartic novel" - Kirkus Reviews, starred review "Affirming representation of fatness... . Fipps's use of verse is as effective as it is fitting; Ellie dreams of becoming a storyteller and poet 'to help people feel what it's like/ to live in/ someone else's skin.' A triumphant and poignantly drawn journey toward self-acceptance and self-advocacy." - Publishers Weekly, starred review "A charming novel in verse about a girl struggling with self-worth... . 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... . True joy comes in watching Ellie gain confidence in herself and standing up to the bullies, even when they're family... . A must-have for libraries serving teens and tweens." - School Library Journal, starred review "In this free-verse novel, Fipps is laceratingly authentic about the kind of 'teasing' and 'help' that Ellie is constantly subject to, and the family dynamic, wherein her father dislikes her mother's treatment but rarely intervenes, is sadly believable... The intense focus mirrors a lot of experience, and readers will be glad to see Ellie eventually 'starfishing—starting to claim my right to take up space.'" - The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "This beautiful, heartbreaking, and powerful novel-in-verse would pair well with media literacy lessons on body imagery, bullying, and victim shaming. The story is very engaging and readers will not want to put it down. School guidance counselors, school psychologists, and social workers will appreciate the realistic portrayal of Ellie's therapist and the benefits of therapy for children and adults." - School Library Connection "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.'" - Horn Book "In her debut novel, Starfish, Lisa Fipps confronts diet culture and fat phobia head-on... . The book reads as if Ellie herself is writing these poems, which are accessible and engaging." - The New York Times Book Review "Readers will rejoice as Ellie gains the strength to confront bullies with intelligence and honesty, and refuses to allow other people's cruelty to shape her life." - Padma Venkatraman, award-winning author of The Bridge Home "This is a big beautiful book about a big beautiful girl. Meet Ellie, who looks in the mirror and sees someone lovable. Now, if only the rest of the world (and especially her own mother and brother) could see what Ellie sees. This is a story about the colossal cruelty that's hurled at her because of her weight, and how, with colossal strength, Ellie manages to triumph. An honest, heartbreaking, hilarious novel-in-verse from a debut author with a delicious voice." - Sonya Sones, author of What My Mother Doesn't Know "Lisa Fipps's spot-on verse gives Ellie a wrenchingly real voice that sings with humor, pain, and hope. Prepare yourself: Once you read this book, your heart will never be the same." —K. A. Holt, author of House Arrest

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Lisa Fipps is an award-winning former journalist and an author of middle-grade books. Starfish is her debut novel.

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About the author

Lisa Fipps is an award-winning former journalist and an author of middle-grade books. STARFISH is her debut novel.

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by Lisa Fipps ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 9, 2021

Make room in your heart for this cathartic novel.

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.

Pub Date: March 9, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-984814-50-0

Page Count: 256

Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books

Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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BOOK REVIEW

by Lisa Fipps

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PERSPECTIVES

THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL

From the school for good and evil series , vol. 1.

by Soman Chainani ; illustrated by Iacopo Bruno ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 14, 2013

Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic.

Chainani works an elaborate sea change akin to Gregory Maguire’s Wicked (1995), though he leaves the waters muddied.

Every four years, two children, one regarded as particularly nice and the other particularly nasty, are snatched from the village of Gavaldon by the shadowy School Master to attend the divided titular school. Those who survive to graduate become major or minor characters in fairy tales. When it happens to sweet, Disney princess–like Sophie and  her friend Agatha, plain of features, sour of disposition and low of self-esteem, they are both horrified to discover that they’ve been dropped not where they expect but at Evil and at Good respectively. Gradually—too gradually, as the author strings out hundreds of pages of Hogwarts-style pranks, classroom mishaps and competitions both academic and romantic—it becomes clear that the placement wasn’t a mistake at all. Growing into their true natures amid revelations and marked physical changes, the two spark escalating rivalry between the wings of the school. This leads up to a vicious climactic fight that sees Good and Evil repeatedly switching sides. At this point, readers are likely to feel suddenly left behind, as, thanks to summary deus ex machina resolutions, everything turns out swell(ish).

Pub Date: May 14, 2013

ISBN: 978-0-06-210489-2

Page Count: 496

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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by Soman Chainani ; illustrated by Iacopo Bruno

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by Soman Chainani ; illustrated by RaidesArt

by Soman Chainani ; illustrated by Julia Iredale

BOOK TO SCREEN

by Louis Sachar ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1998

Good Guys and Bad get just deserts in the end, and Stanley gets plenty of opportunities to display pluck and valor in this...

Sentenced to a brutal juvenile detention camp for a crime he didn't commit, a wimpy teenager turns four generations of bad family luck around in this sunburnt tale of courage, obsession, and buried treasure from Sachar ( Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger , 1995, etc.).

Driven mad by the murder of her black beau, a schoolteacher turns on the once-friendly, verdant town of Green Lake, Texas, becomes feared bandit Kissin' Kate Barlow, and dies, laughing, without revealing where she buried her stash. A century of rainless years later, lake and town are memories—but, with the involuntary help of gangs of juvenile offenders, the last descendant of the last residents is still digging. Enter Stanley Yelnats IV, great-grandson of one of Kissin' Kate's victims and the latest to fall to the family curse of being in the wrong place at the wrong time; under the direction of The Warden, a woman with rattlesnake venom polish on her long nails, Stanley and each of his fellow inmates dig a hole a day in the rock-hard lake bed. Weeks of punishing labor later, Stanley digs up a clue, but is canny enough to conceal the information of which hole it came from. Through flashbacks, Sachar weaves a complex net of hidden relationships and well-timed revelations as he puts his slightly larger-than-life characters under a sun so punishing that readers will be reaching for water bottles.

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1998

ISBN: 978-0-374-33265-5

Page Count: 233

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2000

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S MYSTERY & THRILLER

More by Louis Sachar

by Louis Sachar ; illustrated by Tim Heitz

by Louis Sachar

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Lisa Fipps Wiki, Biography, Age, Spouse, Net Worth, Fast Facts

Lisa Fipps is an American writer notable for composing the center grade book, Starfish. A canine sweetheart, she presently lives in Indiana. Aside from composing, she additionally has an interest in finding out with regards to the existence of individuals in outside nations.

She has headed out to a couple of countries, including Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, and England. Lisa’s supervisor is Nancy Paulsen, and Liza Royce Agency’s Liza Fleissig is her representative.

ALAYMA: Who Is Lisa Fipps? Age And Wiki Lisa Fipps is an American creator. She composes center grade books. Despite the fact that she has a mixed music taste, she pays attention to the music she figures her fictitious people may like while composing.

Still trying to soak it all in. So many people to thank. Forgive me if I forget anyone. (I’m still stunned.) @ALALibrary @yalsa @nancyrosep @PenguinClass @penguinkids @lizaroyceagency pic.twitter.com/Mf24kLCUS8 — Author Lisa Fipps (@AuthorLisaFipps) January 24, 2022

Her introduction novel was Starfish, distributed on 9 March 2021. On 24 January 2022, American Library Association regarded her introduction novel-in-stanza with the Printz Award.

Lisa is a Ball State University graduate. Other than composing, she is likewise a previous writer with few honors under her name. Presently, Lisa fills in as a marketing chief for the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library, participated in January 2011. In like manner, she is additionally the beneficiary of the Sara Laughlin marketing grant.

With respect to her age, it is by all accounts between 25 to 35 years. She commends her birthday in November every year. In any case, she hasn’t revealed her authority birthdate. Additionally, the personality of her folks stays obscure.

While growing up, many individuals, including her companions and mom, used to fat-disgrace her. This harassing is the motivation behind her honor winning MG book, Starfish. Beside that, she likewise detests insects, crickets, grasshoppers, bugs, and snakes.

In spite of the fact that Lisa is an essayist now, she cherished craftsmanship and surprisingly contemplated being a craftsman for a really long time. Nonetheless, she quit as she would generally rather avoid a craftsmanship instructor. Moreover, her composing venture started off when her crush in the class liked her composing.

She is dynamic on informal organizations. Her Instagram account is @authorlisafipps, and Twitter is @AuthorLisaFipps. Lisa Fipps Husband And Family With respect to Lisa Fipps’ significant other, she doesn’t appear to have one.

Join @Barrett_Laurie and me Thursday! This. Is. Going. To. Be. AWESOME! pic.twitter.com/WAD4yb5lIU — Author Lisa Fipps (@AuthorLisaFipps) January 17, 2022

She hasn’t uncovered anything about her adoration life. Also, her web-based media accounts don’t depict her as a wedded lady. Despite the fact that we aren’t certain with regards to her soul mate, we know a couple of things about Lisa’s folks. The two of them are dead.

Her dad died on 23 December, four days after his 40th birthday celebration. Around then, she was only a year and one month old. Moreover, her kid mother died a year prior in 2021 because of Alzheimer’s infection. Moreover, Fipps’ grandma is from England.

Quick Facts

Personal life and family.

Father’s name is Not Available. We have no more Information about his Father; we will try to collect information and update soon. The mother’s name is Not Available. We have no more Information about his Father; we will try to collect information and update soon. Also, we have no idea about his brother and sister, and we don’t know their names either. But we are trying hard to collect all the information about him and will update you soon. His Girlfriend/boyfriend’s name is Not Available. They are in relation from previous few years of a strong relationship. We have no information about his girlfriend/boyfriend. But we are sure that it is not available and his spouse’s name is not available. Now, his relationship is perfect. We have no more information about his spouse. Also, we have no information about his son and daughter. We can’t say their name. If you know some information, please comment below.

Education and Favorite Things

Daily habits, facebook, instagram & twitter.

The Estimated Net worth is $80K – USD $85k.

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Best sellers.

And Then, Boom!

• By: Lisa Fipps
• Narrated by: Michael Crouch
• Length: 3 hrs and 11 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 2
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 2
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 2

A gripping new novel in verse by the author of the Printz Honor-winning Starfish , featuring a poverty-stricken boy who bravely rides out all the storms life keeps throwing at him.

• Release date: 05-07-24
• Language: English
• 4.5 out of 5 stars 2 ratings

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Elvis Presley’s Family Tree: How Lisa Marie Presley, Riley Keough, and Others Are Related to the King

The Presley family has experienced its fair share of drama and heartbreak since Elvis’ death in 1977.

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As for his family legacy, it’s a little more complicated. Elvis married Priscilla Presley on May 1, 1967, and the couple had one daughter, Lisa Marie . However, their divorce five years later and Elvis’ untimely death at age 42 would foreshadow the contentious and, at times, tragic history of his descendants.

Here’s what you need to know about the key members of the Elvis Presley family tree, including Priscilla Presley , Lisa Marie Presley , and Riley Keough .

Priscilla Presley

Relation to elvis: ex-wife.

Priscilla Ann Wagner was born May 24, 1945, in Brooklyn, New York. Following the death of her father only months later, her mother, Ann, remarried U.S. Air Force officer Paul Beaulieu in 1948. The family moved several times and was stationed in Germany when Priscilla met Elvis in 1959 and began a relationship with him at age 14. They married in 1967, had daughter Lisa Marie the next year, and were together until their separation and divorce in 1972. Priscilla also has one son, Navarone Garibaldi Garcia , from a separate relationship. (Garcia is the lead singer of synth rock band Them Guns.)

Priscilla became the executor of the Graceland estate in 1979 and is a successful businesswoman. She has acted—appearing on the soap opera Dallas in the 1980s and in the Naked Gun film series—published the best-selling memoir Elvis and Me in 1986, and also started a line of beauty products. Most recently, the 78-year-old has been in the news for the 2023 movie Priscilla about her early life and her now-settled legal challenge against granddaughter Riley Keough for control of Graceland following Lisa Marie’s death.

Lisa Marie Presley

Relation to elvis: daughter.

Lisa Marie Presley was Elvis and Priscilla’s only child; she was born on February 1, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. She moved to Los Angeles with her mother at age 4 when her parents divorced but split time with both of them up until Elvis’ death in 1977 when she was 9.

Lisa Marie dropped out of high school and went to rehab after abusing illegal drugs. There, she met her first of four husbands, musician Danny Keough . The pair married in 1988 and had two children; they divorced in 1994. Lisa Marie was also married to pop superstar Michael Jackson , actor Nicolas Cage , and music producer Michael Lockwood. She had twin daughters with Lockwood.

Like her father, Lisa Marie had a music career. Her first two albums in 2003 and 2005, respectively, debuted in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 and were certified gold. She died at age 54 on January 25, 2023, after suffering cardiac arrest.

Read More about Lisa Marie Presley

Danny Keough

Relation to elvis: former son-in-law.

Danny Keough, born November 6, 1964, is a musician and actor and the first husband of Elvis’ daughter, Lisa Marie. They met in 1985 when Lisa Marie was 20 years old and tied the knot three years later. The 58-year-old is the father of Lisa Marie’s oldest two children, Riley Keough and the late Benjamin Keough.

According to People , Danny and Lisa Marie remained on good terms following their 1994 divorce. He became her bassist during her music career and served as the best man at her wedding to her fourth husband, Michael Lockwood, in 2006. The two were even living together in a rented property at the time of Lisa Marie’s death, according to In Touch Weekly .

Read More about Danny Keough

Riley Keough

Relation to elvis: granddaughter.

Danielle Riley Keough, born May 29, 1989, is the eldest child of Lisa Marie Presley and Danny Keough. A former model for Christian Dior and Dolce and Gabbana, she has transitioned into a successful acting career.

Riley, 34, made her film debut in the 2010 musical biopic The Runaways and has since appeared in Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), American Honey (2016), Logan Lucky (2017), and Zola (2020). She also earned an Emmy nomination for playing the title character in the 2023 Amazon Prime Video series Daisy Jones & the Six .

Now the sole trustee of the Presley family estate , Riley is currently fending off an attempt to sell Graceland by a lending company that says its owed millions on an unpaid loan . Onscreen, the actor has recently appeared in the indie flick Sasquatch Sunset and the Hulu true crime series Under the Bridge .

Read More about Riley Keough

Benjamin Keough

Relation to elvis: grandson.

Benjamin Storm Presley Keough, born October 21, 1992, was the second child of Lisa Marie Presley and Danny Keough. A musician, Benjamin signed a record deal with Universal in 2009 for $5 million, according to Variety , but never released any music under the agreement.

Benjamin died by suicide at age 27 on July 12, 2020, and is buried at Graceland. He was known for his physical resemblance to his superstar grandfather. Despite his family’s fame, he stayed relatively clear of the public eye. Following Benjamin’s death, his longtime friend Brandon Howard told People he “wasn’t a spoiled kid. He was very humble, very giving, very loving, especially to his friends.”

Michael Lockwood

Michael Lockwood, born May 21, 1961, is a guitarist and producer who married Lisa Marie Presley on January 22, 2006. He was a member of the band Lions and Ghosts and went on to produce movie soundtracks and collaborate with artists like Aimee Mann, Carly Simon , and Fiona Apple.

Lisa Marie filed for divorce from Michael in June 2016, starting a years-long battle over custody of their twin daughters, Harper and Finley, as well as finances. According to the Daily Mail , Lisa Marie admitted to abusing cocaine over the final year of their marriage. The divorce was finalized in 2021.

Michael, 63, became the twins’ legal guardian in April 2023 following Lisa Marie’s death.

Finley and Harper Lockwood

Relation to elvis: granddaughters.

Finley Aaron Love Lockwood, 15, and Harper Vivienne Anne Lockwood, 15, are the twin daughters of Lisa Marie and Michael Lockwood, born on October 7, 2008.

The two were caught in a vicious custody battle amid their parents’ divorce. They were placed in protective custody with their grandmother Priscilla after Lisa Marie’s legal team alleged Michael had “disturbing” images of children on his computer, according to People . Tennessee investigators closed their inquiry a year later, and the couple’s divorce was complete in 2021.

Along with half-sister Riley Keough, Finley and Harper are beneficiaries of Lisa Marie’s contested trust, which passed down control of the Graceland property.

Tyler Piccotti first joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor in February 2023, and before that worked almost eight years as a newspaper reporter and copy editor. He is a graduate of Syracuse University. When he's not writing and researching his next story, you can find him at the nearest amusement park, catching the latest movie, or cheering on his favorite sports teams.

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Visits & Events

I can talk about Starfish , bullying, my writing process, writing tips and tricks, and navigating the world of publishing. I can do Q&As. I can talk about how tips and tricks from my life as a journalist help me as an author. And I love to talk to libraries about how to market themselves and how to work with authors. Flexible is my middle name. (Actually, it’s not.)

Just contact me , and let’s talk about what you need for your students, library, or community. Then we can work together to create something for just about any budget.

All materials copyright © 2024 Lisa Fipps or used with permission. All rights reserved. Website by Websy Daisy .