Starfish

【拒當隱形人，做自己也能綻放光彩的海星少女】

艾莉，一個普通的中學生，但她的生活卻一點也不平靜，因為她是個棉花糖女孩。

同學們捉弄她、嘲笑她的身材，戲稱她為深水炸彈，而艾莉的媽媽也總是告誡、催促她應該進行節食，種種欺凌與批評讓艾莉對每天的生活感到恐懼。因此艾利決定遵循胖女孩的社交潛規則：不穿鮮豔的色彩、避免在公共場合飲食、降低存在感，盡可能的讓自己越來越小...

但即使是在如此不友善的世界，她仍找到了屬於自己的秘密基地－游泳池，在這裡，她是自由的，可以像海星一樣伸展、放鬆，佔據任何她想觸及的空間。而且幸運的是，她還有同盟為她撐腰，包括爸爸、治療師還有新鄰居卡塔琳娜，他們就愛做自己的艾莉，這也逐漸讓艾莉能放下隔離自我的社交潛規則、拾回相信自己的勇氣、學會先愛上自己。

此書以敘事詩的方式寫成，作者的文字相當優美，在一行行簡短但動人的故事中，我們漸漸認識艾莉，並循序漸進在這世界找到了心靈的棲身之處。

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.