Stargirl (Readers Circle)

published	May 11th 2004 by Laurel Leaf
first published	2000
binding	Mass Market Paperback
isbn	0440416779 (isbn13: 9780440416777)
pages	208
description	"She was homeschooling gone amok." "She was an alien." "Her parents were circus acrobats." These are only a few of the ...more [close] "She was homeschooling gone amok." "She was an alien." "Her parents were circus acrobats." These are only a few of the theories concocted to explain Stargirl Caraway, a new 10th grader at Arizona's Mica Area High School who wears pioneer dresses and kimonos to school, strums a ukulele in the cafeteria, laughs when there are no jokes, and dances when there is no music. The whole school, not exactly a "hotbed of nonconformity," is stunned by her, including our 16-year-old narrator Leo Borlock: "She was elusive. She was today. She was tomorrow. She was the faintest scent of a cactus flower, the flitting shadow of an elf owl." In time, incredulity gives way to out-and-out adoration as the student body finds itself helpless to resist Stargirl's wide-eyed charm, pure-spirited friendliness, and penchant for celebrating the achievements of others. In the ultimate high school symbol of acceptance, she is even recruited as a cheerleader. Popularity, of course, is a fragile and fleeting state, and bit by bit, Mica sours on their new idol. Why is Stargirl showing up at the funerals of strangers? Worse, why does she cheer for the opposing basketball teams? The growing hostility comes to a head when she is verbally flogged by resentful students on Leo's televised Hot Seat show in an episode that is too terrible to air. While the playful, chin-held-high Stargirl seems impervious to the shunning that ensues, Leo, who is in the throes of first love (and therefore scornfully deemed "Starboy"), is not made of such strong stuff: "I became angry. I resented having to choose. I refused to choose. I imagined my life without her and without them, and I didn't like it either way." Jerry Spinelli, author of Newbery Medalist Maniac Magee, Newbery Honor Book Wringer, and many other excellent books for teens, elegantly and accurately captures the collective, not-always-pretty emotions of a high school microcosm in which individuality is pitted against conformity. Spinelli's Stargirl is a supernatural teen character--absolutely egoless, altruistic, in touch with life's primitive rhythms, meditative, untouched by popular culture, and supremely self-confident. It is the sensitive Leo whom readers will relate to as he grapples with who she is, who he is, who they are together as Stargirl and Starboy, and indeed, what it means to be a human being on a planet that is rich with wonders. (Ages 10 to 14) --Karin Snelson [close]
date added	12-28-06 edit book

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Kelly rated it:

(review of isbn 0439488400)

01/24/08

Read in January, 2008

recommends it for: Middle School Age

English 425 Submitter’s name _____Kelly Boehm______
Book Bank Book Bank subject: _____Power Players____
Reference information:
Title : Star Girl
Author: Jerry Spinelli
Publisher: Random House Children’s Books Year: 2000
# of pages: 186 Genre: Fiction
Reading level: Interest level: middle school
Potential hot lava: none

General response/reaction:

I enjoyed this book! Also I like how the book taught a lesson and showed what it was like to be the kid that everyone ma...more

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Emma rated it:

09/25/07

Read in June, 2005

recommends it for: anyone who believes life should be magical

Okay, I'm going to say it. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli is a young adult classic (maybe even a children's classic but that's really a cataloguing issue that I am ill-equipped to discuss). This designation raises the question: What makes a book (any book) a classic? For me it means a book that is timeless; something you can read years and years after it was written without the book losing its vibrancy. A classic also needs to have memorable writing and characters. It needs to speak to the reader. I...more Okay, I'm going to say it. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli is a young adult classic (maybe even a children's classic but that's really a cataloguing issue that I am ill-equipped to discuss). This designation raises the question: What makes a book (any book) a classic? For me it means a book that is timeless; something you can read years and years after it was written without the book losing its vibrancy. A classic also needs to have memorable writing and characters. It needs to speak to the reader. It needs to be a book that you enjoy more every time you read it or talk about it. Classics are the books you want to immerse yourself in: the books you wish you could live in with the characters that you wish were your friends.

I'll say it again: Stargirl is a classic.

The story starts with Leo Borlock, who moved to Mica, Arizona at the age of twelve. Around the time of his move, Leo decided to start collecting porcupine neckties--no easy task, especially in Mica. For two years, Leo's collection stood at one tie. Until his fourteenth birthday when an unknown someone presented Leo with his second tie, someone who was watching from the sidelines.

Mica's unusual events don't stop there. The story continues when Leo is a junior in high school. On the first day the name on everyone's lips is Stargirl. Formerly home-schooled, Stargirl is a sophomore like no one Leo (or any of the other Mica students) has ever met before:

"She was elusive. She was today. She was tomorrow. She was the faintest scent of a cactus flower, the flitting shadow of an elf owl. We did not know what to make of her. In our minds we tried to pin her to corkboard like a butterfly, but the pin merely went through and away she flew."

After finishing this book and recently reading Love, Stargirl (Spinelli's newly released sequel), I have my own explanation: Stargirl is magical. She represents the kind of magic more people need in their lives: to appreciate the little things, to dare to be different, to be kind to strangers. The kind of magic where you still believe things can be wondrous.

In the story, Leo soon realizes that Stargirl might be someone he could love.

Unfortunately, high school students don't always believe in (or appreciate) magic like Stargirl's. As the school moves from fascination to adoration and, finally, to disdain Leo finds himself in an impossible position: forced to choose between the girl he loves and his entire lifestyle.

Technically speaking I love everything about this book: the characters, the story, the cover art. This one has the full package. Spinelli's writing throughout the story is perfect. He captures Leo's fascination with Stargirl as well as his equivocation as he is forced to choose between Stargirl and "the crowd."

Stargirl is not a long book. The writing is cogent, sentences brief. Nonetheless, the text is rich. This book never gets old or boring. Spinelli creates a compelling, utterly new narrative here (with a charmingly memorable heroine). ...less

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Marta rated it:

(review of isbn 0439488400)

01/30/08

bookshelves: 2008, 60-book-challenge, favourites

Read in January, 2008

Spoilers Throughout: This is a beautiful, brilliant and stunning story. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. It made me so happy. The ending is quite perfect, or as perfect as it could've been.

Synopsis: The story centers on a new 10th grade student at Mica Area High School in Arizona: Stargirl Caraway, an eccentric and compassionate non-conformist vegetarian who has spent her previous years in homeschooling. Eleventh-grader Leo Borlock narrates. Between the story and the epilogue, t...more Spoilers Throughout: This is a beautiful, brilliant and stunning story. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. It made me so happy. The ending is quite perfect, or as perfect as it could've been.

Synopsis: The story centers on a new 10th grade student at Mica Area High School in Arizona: Stargirl Caraway, an eccentric and compassionate non-conformist vegetarian who has spent her previous years in homeschooling. Eleventh-grader Leo Borlock narrates. Between the story and the epilogue, the narrator implies that twenty years have elapsed, and the references imply that the novel is set in the 1980s.

It's written in a simplistic and straight-forward manner, but out of nowhere, Spinelli bursts out with a stunning metaphor. That's partly why I can't classify it as merely a children's book, because it has such poetic language contrasted with the matter-of-fact verse. In itself, the language can be viewed to mirror the world of Mica Area High School and Stargirl herself.

She was illusive. She was today. She was tomorrow. She was the faintest scent of a cactus flower, the flitting shadow of an elf owl. We did not know what to make of her. In our minds we tried to pin her to a corkboard like a butterfly, but the pin merely went through and away she flew.

Stargirl cares and believes in people. That's the underpinning strength throughout all of Stargirl's actions. I think this was the very bit of her that I found disbelieving or "out-of-this-world" - she seemed to have some supernatural gifts which allowed her to know everything about people. Her naivety (at first, I got the impression she was supernatural, magical, or beyond her years, at th every least - really, she's naive, but it's beautiful, ignorant naivety shining through) is beautiful and prescious.

You do grow to like Leo (the protagonist), despite his entire anonymous presence. You know very little of him from the beginning to the end, aside form his own connection with Stargirl via a necktie. In the end, you can't blame him from wanting Stargfirl to change, as opposed to accepting her, like, perhaps, many of us would do. I can empathise.

It's a very original story. Susan reinvents herself; she is noncomformity, individuality and freedom. Being homeschooled allowed her to grow up without the shado wof other people's opinions, without the awareness of other people's influence on her life, decisions and world. She's very happy this way. As I read more into the book, a wanting to be like Stargirl grew. But than the opposing thought formed; it made me realise that being so closed off to the world is maybe not the best idea, despite good intentions. It caused Stargirl to hurt, rather than feel welcomed into the Mica Area High School. I'm therefore not blaming Leo as the reason Stargirl was no longer wanted, or for his own dissociation with her.

I highly recommend this book....less

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Jennifer rated it:

05/12/08

bookshelves: gold-star-award, personal-read, trt-reviews

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

Stargirl Caraway is an enigma. She's the type of girl that you either love or hate--with no room for any emotions in between. When she first comes to the high-school as a sophomore in small town Mica, Arizona, her name reverberates throughout the hallways. What kind of a name is Stargirl? Was she really home-schooled for all these years, or did she just magically appear in Mica? How can she seem so calm, so serene, why eating quietly alone in the lunchroom,...more Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

Stargirl Caraway is an enigma. She's the type of girl that you either love or hate--with no room for any emotions in between. When she first comes to the high-school as a sophomore in small town Mica, Arizona, her name reverberates throughout the hallways. What kind of a name is Stargirl? Was she really home-schooled for all these years, or did she just magically appear in Mica? How can she seem so calm, so serene, why eating quietly alone in the lunchroom, then strumming her ukulele as if all alone?

The boys in school are immediately struck by her quiet, unassuming beauty. The girls are both jealous of her innate naturalness and excited to have her enthusiasm in the school. For Leo Borlock, it's a mixture of fear and excitement that has him falling in love with the mysterious Stargirl--and a desire to see her on the Hot Seat, the in-school television show he runs with his best friend, Kevin.

The kids at school embrace Stargirl--her quirkiness, her individuality, her enthusiasm and exuberance for everything she does. She discovers friends and cheerleading, and she's popular. Popular, that is, until she starts rooting for the opposition, determined to bring joy and happiness to everyone, not just her home team. Suddenly, she's not the popular girl that everyone wants to be around. The same individuality that was once embraced is now snubbed, literally, by almost everyone in school. Except for Leo, who's in love with the enigmatic Stargirl, a girl who whole-heartedly loves him back.

Until Leo is forced to choose between the affections of an entire school full of classmates and the maybe-too-individual Stargirl. When faced with the choice of one person versus many, Leo might not be strong enough to make the right decision.

Jerry Spinelli has penned a book that goes straight to the heart of wanting to fit in, of sometimes being too good to believe, of life and love and heartbreak and the desire to be different, yet the same as everyone else. STARGIRL is a pure delight, and you won't be able to help being drawn into this very believable story, and it's truly unbelievable characters. ...less

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Kari rated it:

(review of isbn 0439488400)

03/15/08

bookshelves: young-adult

Read in March, 2008

This is the first Spinelli book I read. It's no wonder he's popular among children and youth... it's sort of hard to put the book down! The desert setting, nostalgic point of view, cast a romantic spell. The book paints a reminiscent ideal of a tight-knit, connected American community, contrasted against a suburban cinnabon eating culture. It turns out that community is a naive construct in Stargirl's mind that has to face the harsh reality of rejection when she enters public school. It is abou...more This is the first Spinelli book I read. It's no wonder he's popular among children and youth... it's sort of hard to put the book down! The desert setting, nostalgic point of view, cast a romantic spell. The book paints a reminiscent ideal of a tight-knit, connected American community, contrasted against a suburban cinnabon eating culture. It turns out that community is a naive construct in Stargirl's mind that has to face the harsh reality of rejection when she enters public school. It is about a real "culture warrior", Stargirl, who cares about and loves her community, even if it doesn't really exist, doesn't love her back, and becomes openly hateful toward her. The book treads this difficult line between idealistic perservation for the reality you seek to build and the actual reality of competitive, fear based culture.

At the same time, none of the characters are well-developed... yet the story somehow is. I think it's Spinelli's writing style.

I think the book could be valuable for thinking about how some people do or do not "get" other people. Nonconformists might find a hero/understanding in Stargirl, the middle crowd might be moved to realize that for some people, it is really hard to understand how to make connections with people. I read somewhere that an entire school or district was required to read this book, to the disgust of some students. I doubt it would turn any school into a suddenly tolerant oasis, particularly because the characters are flat. I would say the book would be good mainly for the young person who doesn't fit in, that it does well at acknowledging common feelings around social exclusion.

Although I like the humorous portrayal of mainstream and the sympathetic treatment of an issue dear to me, I finish it feeling that I wouldn't want to use it as a teacher. I would hope for somehow better. But I might change my mind on this, or at least recommend the book to some young people for its interesting treatment of ideas around community and connection.

Spinelli's writing is simple yet captivating. I'm sure I'll get to read more of his books in the future. ...less

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Jared rated it:

(review of isbn 0439488400)

03/08/08

bookshelves: fiction, young-adult

Read in January, 2004

recommended to Jared by: Kim
recommends it for: anyone

Stargirl is an amazing book about individuality and nonconformism. A home-schooled girl named Stargirl begins attending the public high school for her sophomore year. Stargirl is different.

She learns everybody's birthdays and on the day of, she sings them a happy birthday song -- accompanying herself on the ukulele -- in the middle of the lunch room, whether they want her to or not. She watches a young boy who lives across the street so that...more

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(review of isbn 0439488400)

02/13/08

bookshelves: girls-have-read

Read in February, 2008

recommended to (C) Archer by: GiSELLE

Well I finally read the book Stargirl by Jerry Spinneli. It is so good I couldn't put the book down. When I fell in love with the book was when Leo spots Stargirl he notices that she is the only one that is "different" from the rest. She is exotic. Everybody loves her, she cares about other peoples feelings a lot. The part I love the most is when Stargirl is going to sing to somebody because it is their birthday the person tells her that she doesn't want to get sang at. S...more

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Jenny rated it:

(review of isbn 0439488400)

10/15/07

Read in September, 2007

recommends it for: friends

This book is about a weird girl called Stargirl. She is weird because she does a lot of things that people don't normally do. Even her name is weird.

Let me tell you about a few of the weird things she does. Firstly she takes photos of people without them knowing. She stalks them and secretly takes their photos. Then she makes a photo album and gives it to them when they get older.

The other weird thing she does is to wear clothes that do not fit her. She usually wears long skirts. Also,...more

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Nancy rated it:

02/03/08

bookshelves: books-books-books--

Read in January, 2008

recommended to Nancy by: my teacher
recommends it for: anyone who is interested in reading about relationships,

What can I say about this book ? This book is a winner. It captivates many things that you see in reality today. It brings out enjoyment while you read. It doesn't even matter what age you are. Its a typical high school story if you may want to say that. It has many ups and downs to the book as every book has. It talks about a guy who thought this girl was really weird and just disgusting. He received a tie on his birthday. It was by anonymous though. He didn't know who it was. Then when this gi...more

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Allyson rated it:

(review of isbn 0439488400)

07/06/08

Read in July, 2008

Stargirl is an amazing story of a young lady, Stargirl Caraway, who doesn't quite fit in with the "norms" of society. She takes a pet rat to school with her, strums a ukulele while singing "Happy Birthday" to students in the lunchroom, and cheers for the other team when they score baskets. She is odd, but also oddly perfect. Leo, the narrator, describes her: "Bad things did not stick to her. Correction: her bad things did not stick to her. Our bad things stuck very ...more

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Mary rated it:

(review of isbn 0439488400)

04/29/08

bookshelves: lis-565, realistic-fict-chap

Read in April, 2008

Poor Leo, a junior in high school is dumbfounded by the new girl. She comes to school with a rat in her purse, plays the ukulele, sings in the cafeteria, decorates her desk with a tablecloth and flowers, takes over the football field from the team, and well, is simply strange. But Leo is drawn to this girl, the self-named Stargirl; her behavior and his reaction to it will change them and all of the student body. Jerry Spinelli has built strong characters in Stargirl, ones you won't soo...more

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Stephanie rated it:

(review of isbn 0439488400)

03/20/08

Read in March, 2008

It started with a necktie. It ended with a necktie. But not just any kind of necktie and not just any kind of girl would give someone a gift with pictures of porcupines.

I really loved this book. REALLY! I did. I HEART Stargirl. Seriously. I’d been meaning to read it for years and like the last book I devoured, after reading the first 2 pages, I couldn’t put it down; so the other books I’d started before this one got pushed aside so I could get lost in her world. This book had me com...more

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Robin rated it:

(review of isbn 0439488400)

03/08/08

bookshelves: teen---ya

Read in March, 2008

recommends it for: teenagers or children finding their way in this world

Stargirl is a story of Susan (aka Stargirl) who has been homeschooled for the majority of her life. She makes her way into Mica High and is not deemed normal by other kids. She arrives at school in costume-like outfits, plays her ukulele for students celebrating a birthday, takes her pet rat Cinnamon everywhere. The student body doesn't quite know what to make of her. For one student, Leo Borlock, Stargirl is mesmerizing and intriguing. Eventually the student body embraces her individuali...more

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3 comments

Anna rated it:

04/05/08

bookshelves: fiction, young-adult

Read in April, 2008

recommends it for: young adults

This was my first Jerry Spinelli read and for the most part I enjoyed it. I'd give it 3.5 stars if that was possible. :)

I can see why kids like his writing style, which is simple and straightforward, yet interesting. The issues he tackles in this book -- identity, conformity/nonconformity, and peer pressure -- are all relevant for middle school-aged readers, which is who this book is best suited for. Also, I think he does a good job of sending the "right" message without being pr...more

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Laura T. rated it:

(review of isbn 0439488400)

03/09/08

bookshelves: reveiwed-books

Read in March, 2008

recommends it for: Anyone

This book was brilliant. It shows the normal average teenagers every day struggle of emotions, and the strive of acceptance that thrives in all highschools. In the book there is a boy who is somewhat of a geek I would say. He's always in the computer lab and the camera place in the school. Well, he meets this girl named Stargirl and she's kind of different.She has a rat that she carries around with her everywhere and a ukelele. Then when people have birthdays she sings to them "Happy Birth...more

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Talia rated it:

(review of isbn 0439488400)

06/11/08

bookshelves: ya-fiction

Read in June, 2008

Stargirl Caraway is the new girl at Mica Area High School, and in her mysterious first days of school, she reveals herself to be a true unique individual. She plays a ukalele! She carries around a pet rat! She gives little gifts and cards to people she doesn't know! Soon, all of the high school cannot resist her charm, and she has the entire community under her spell. But after a while, Stargirl's actions become tiresome, irritating, and the question rises among her peers: why can't she just be ...more

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Rachel rated it:

(review of isbn 0439488400)

04/19/08

bookshelves: read-and-luv-it-

recommended to Rachel by: My aunt krystle
recommends it for: ANYONE (mostly girls)

This is a great book. It also comes with the hidden message be true to who you are and dont worry about what other people think about you. The book is about a boy named Leo. On the first day back at school everyone walks around with their mouths hanging down to the floor. Stargirl is there, she has been home schooled since now (10th grade aka highschool). She is wearing a long prarie dress, and when she sits down at her desk Stargirl pulls out some cloth from he back pack and tapes it to the ed...more

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Julia rated it:

(review of isbn 0439488400)

04/03/08

bookshelves: adolescent-literature, young-adult

Read in March, 2008

I didn't love this book until I finished it's sequel called "Love, Stargirl". This is a good, clean book that deals with coming of age angst, school cliques, and making really tough choices. Perfect read for a teen or young adult.
The reason why I didn't love it at first was because of the author's portrayal of the main character as a hippie-type, uber-naive, formerly homeschooled child. The assumption was that she was so clueless and weird because she homeschooled. I've known to...more