Stargirl (Readers Circle) by Jerry Spinelli
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Book Reviews of Stargirl (Readers Circle)
Book Review: For Everyone
Summary: 5 Stars
Almost every teen knows what it's like to feel like an outcast, and most teens also know what it feels like to feel popular for even a short amount of time. Many have had fights with friends and feel rejected by a person they have a crush on. And almost all adolescents struggle to figure out who they are. In Stargirl, Jerry Spinelli writes a touching story about a girl who goes through all these teen experiences, and overcomes a broken spirit and a broken heart. Though occasionally overly dramatic and sometimes unrealistic, Spinelli weaves a tale so compelling that the reader can almost see him or herself in the book.
A girl who calls herself Stargirl Caraway creates quite a buzz on the first day of school at Mica High School. She instantly sets herself apart from the other students by wearing a kimono, acting uniquely, and carrying around a pet rat in a bag with a sunflower on it. Each day, she plays "Happy Birthday" on her ukulele to a different student, and dances around the lunchroom in excitement. Some students begin to speculate that Stargirl is a plot by the school and administration to get students interested in school and to raise student spirit. Soon, they turn against her for being too different and too energetic. Disappointed on the inside, but not showing it on the outside, Stargirl continues her unique behaviors, and stays positive and energetic on the outside. Stargirl and her classmate Leo, who is also criticized by the rest of the school, develop a fast and deep friendship. They go through some tough times, and get into a heated argument. This argument is the last straw for Stargirl; she feels abandoned by the only person in the school who didn't look down at her. After the argument, Stargirl disappears and is replaced with Susan Caraway. Susan is a regular gum-chewing, jeans wearing high school student, who doesn't seem to care about very much. But Susan realizes that trying to blend in will not gain her the friendships and relationships she desires. The students are no nicer to her than they were before she transformed from Stargirl to Susan, and Leo does not ask her to the end of year dance.
In Susan's place, Stargirl arrives at the ball in a bright yellow gown. She leads the school in a bunny-hop dance. The dance ends in catastrophe, and Stargirl moves away. Still, she left her mark on the school, changing the lives of everyone there. Leo hopes everyday for her to return, but he never sees her again.
Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli, is a wonderful and inspiring story about individuality, perseverance, and friendship. Any reader, from teens to adults can watch, experience, and empathize with Stairgirl's journey through the social scene. Any reader can relate to her feelings about love, friends, popularity, and individualism. And though Stargirl experiences the best and worst that a social scene has to offer, Spinelli doesn't leave the reader disappointed at the end. Stargirl sends Leo a reminder of their friendship, and all is forgiven. It is a must-read for anyone, teen or otherwise, looking for a place to belong or trying to discover him or herself.
Star Girl, by Jerry Spinelli. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2003.
208 pages
Fiction (realistic)
Reading Level: 6
Book Review: Stargirl is supberb!
Summary: 5 Stars
Stargirl is a wonderful book written by Jerry Spinelli. In it, a teenage girl (named Stargirl) comes to a new high school in Mica, Arizona and stirs things up a bit by simply daring to be different. Stargirl is a great story about life in high school that teaches you that it's ok to be different.
The story begins with everybody chatting and gossiping about the "new girl" who is "weird." The main character, Leo, soon learns that the new girl's name is Stargirl. Little does he know that she will affect his life immensely. Because Stargirl is so different, most people try to completely ignore her, or worse- tease and make fun of her. The meanest (and most popular) girl in school, Hillari Kimble, is the main source of all the gossip. Leo is one of the people who ignores her, and yet he finds himself wanting to be with her all the time. Eventually, he starts to like her. Stargirl likes Leo too, and soon they become girlfriend and boyfriend. Mid-way through the book, Stargirl starts to be "normal" because Leo wants her too. She mainly does this for Leo, because he is tired of being ignored. Surprisingly, neither of them is any happier when she changes her name back to Susan and becomes ordinary like everybody else. I was very happy when Stargirl won the oratorical contest because it was the point in the story when Stargirl went back to being herself. Sadly, when she comes home, nobody is there to congratulate her except for her best friend, Dori Dilson. The characters in this book are very believable and easy to relate to, which makes it that more of an interesting book to read. The plot of the story is complex, yet simple at the same time, making it the perfect book.
Stargirl is a very exciting and interesting book that teaches many things. The first, and most obvious life lesson in it is that you shouldn't judge people just based on how they look. There can be so much more to a person than just what brand of clothing they wear or how they act. Another valuable lesson in this wonderful story is that everybody is different, and that that's ok. If everybody was the same all the time, it would be a really boring world. I'm glad there are people that differ from others. The characters are believable simply because they are aren't perfect all the time, just like in real life. Although I don't like that students make fun of Stargirl, in high school that is what would normally happen. No one is perfectly nice all the time. The word choice is slightly boring at times because the author doesn't use very descriptive language, but if you keep reading the book it gets progressively better. Stargirl is an amazing book that people of all ages will enjoy.
Overall, Stargirl is a great book. From the hilarious humor to the sadness that could make you cry, it is an amazing story about surviving high school. I give Stargirl 4.5 stars out of 5.
Book Review: A STAR in the sky of Literature
Summary: 5 Stars
Spinelli, J. (2000). Stargirl. New York: Dell Laurel-Leaf
Synopsis: At Mica High School everyone eats the same, dresses the same, talks the same, acts the same and no one is different. That is until the day that Stargirl shows up. Stargirl is an eccentric, kind home schooled student who does not conform to the same set of values or ideals as the typical students at Mica High School. She has no understanding of what is popular, nor does she realize the invisible social and cultural boundaries that are present around her. Stargirl plays birthday songs for her new classmates, leaves surprises for unsuspecting peers, and even displays random acts of kindness that go unknown. For some time the students are fearful and embarrassed of this stranger. However soon, the individuality of Stargirl spreads to other students. Leo falls head over heels in love with this flower in the desert. He loves everything about especially her individualism. After a fretful incident at basketball game, Stargirl's popularity begins to plummet. She is outcast and shunned by her classmates. In a desperate attempt to save his face and Stargirl's reputation, Leo asks Stargirl to do the unthinkable, to become normal. After a period of normalcy, Stargirl realizes the sacrifice she is making. Leo and his classmates are shocked how Stargirl's presence has changed their lives.
Evaluation: Spinelli's expertly written book brings light to the sensitive issues of nonconformity and popularity within the young adult setting of high school. His text encourages readers to honor differences and individualism. It is an excellent read aloud at the late elementary and middle grades. In addition, Stargirl is a must read for highschool students. One of the golden rules is to love thy neighbor. In Spinelli's book, the invisible social and cultural boundaries become apparent to readers. Displaying unacknowledged random acts of kindness are clearly an unwritten undertone of this book. Readers will likely have a desire to try something extraordinary to see how if affects the lives of those around them. Educators will likely use this text with middle and high school level readers to discuss the meaning of "normal" and popularity within school settings and how the social and cultural boundaries affect the social/emotional well-being of their peers. The author's language is light and airy while bringing such heart-felt topics to the surface in a sensitive manner. Middle and high school level readers are likely to find strong connections from their own lives to this book.
Book Review: Prismatic
Summary: 5 Stars
How do I even begin?
This is one of the best books I've ever read. One of the best books ever written. I was walking through a bookstore, and I was scanning all the norm, all the cliche titles. I'm not really expecting to find anything at all. I hardly ever do. The section that is supposed to interest me I find dull and unoriginal. Its as if some people think that children my age (twelve) are machines and can be fed the same thing over and over and over and OVER.
Then I see the blue cover, stuck in between other titles. You had to have your eyes out for it. I spotted it. It was nearly hidden. I'm glad I saw. The title just sings to me.
Ooh. Stargirl.
I read the back. I read the first chapter. She's playing the ukelele, she's dancing around the cafeiteria in her long white dress, in the middle of the dull, indifferently-conformed Mica High student body, where Leo Borlock, the protagonist, is watching along with all the other kids at the tables, ogling at this girl who calls herself `Stargirl', strumming her ukelele and singing, with a rat riding happily on her shoulder.
That is enough for me. I bought it. I finished it in a night and a day.
It's not your run-o-the-mill `be yourself' story. And its not telling to just simply `be different'. Its about truly being who you want to be (or, rather, who you ARE--made up of the dreams of the person you ARE before you wake up in the morning), and also about doing good with what time we have on this earth.
And I did have a feeling that I would be heartbroken by the end. I was. But somehow that only added to the experience of this luminous story.
Its about feelings. Its about first love, about caring for others, about spontaneous acts of kindness, about a slender ray of sunshine in darkness.
Archie said it best: "When a Stargirl cries, she does not shed tears, but light."
It inspired me to think about people in general. It inspired me and surprised me. I look for little things. I find myself naturally drawn towards everything I overlooked before. I like these rare books that I can read and really remember, taking little bits of it, if only sentences, and them becoming apart of me, and carrying them around inside of me and those words echoing throughout me.
Bravo to Mr. Jerry Spinelli. This is a perfectly prismatic story.
Book Review: Everyone should read this!
Summary: 5 Stars
Here it is! The 5-star book that I've been looking for!! No dragons, no witches, no fairies, no elves! Just a book about people - one girl and one boy, in particular.
Susan Caraway is Stargirl. She is new at Mica Area High School and everyone talks about her. To say she is unique is an understatement. She dresses differently, she has a ukelele strapped to her back and she brings her pet rat Cinnamon with her everywhere (although, this wouldn't be allowed in a real school.)
Leo Borlock is instantly taken with Stargirl. He even follows her home after school one day. But Stargirl knows he's there and takes him on a long and winding adventure through the town that is until she goes out into the desert, that's when Leo turns around. This event quite possibly sums up their relationship. Stargirl takes things farther than Leo's comfort level until he turns around to safety.
Jerry Spinelli created the most singular, selfless and interesting character I've read about in a long time. Perhaps Stargirl is a bit too giving but if everyone who read about her took a piece of that kindness away with them, the world might be a better place.
I liked the description of the budding romance between Stargirl and Leo. I liked how Spinellis showed that a relationship can be steered by the people in it or the people outside of it.
I won't tell the ending but I will tell you that I cried at the end. I cried for Stargirl, I cried for Leo, I even cried for their old teacher Archie. The tears, I realized, were my sorrow at the realization that this is the way of the world. People breathe, they love, they get hurt, they die and time keeps marching on.
I am looking forward to Love, Stargirl. I've heard Leo's point of view, now I'd like to read Susan's.
I recommend this book to everyone. But to be specific, this book would probably best be enjoyed by the reader who likes in-school stories about people and relationships. Although the title seems a bit mystical, there is no fantasy or other-worldly element to this book. Those looking for wizardry or magic should look elsewhere (although I remain firm in my belief that everyone should read this book.) I loved it!