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38th out of 169 books
—
112 voters
Star Girl (Stargirl #1)
From the day she arrives at quiet Mica High in a burst of color and sound, hallways hum “Stargirl.” She captures Leo Borlock’s heart with one smile. She sparks a school-spirit revolution with one cheer. The students of Mica High are enchanted. Until they are not. Leo urges her to become the very thing that can destroy her - normal.
Paperback, 192 pages
Published
January 4th 2007
by Orchard Books
(first published August 8th 2000)
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Feb 18, 2012
Emma
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
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
Apr 29, 2010
Clare Cannon
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
11 years - YA (girls)
This is one of those rare reads where you can allow your heart to open up wide and let the story sink deep. A series for every teenage girl: just reading it makes you a better person, teaching you to laugh, to listen, to enjoy, to love, to care...
In spite of the attractive eccentricity of the main character, Stargirl is more real than any other book for teens. It is set in the erratic climate of teen emotions, realistically depicted through ordinary events and conversations.
These are presented...more
Very sweet. I had this book lying around and picked it up to give myself a break from the Holocaust Monster I've been chipping away at for the past month, and it definitely did the trick. The kids seem a little innocent - more like elementary school than high school - but dammit why CAN'T there be beautiful and magical teenagers who hold hands at the movies and give their friends cupcakes and valentines? Why do they have to do drugs and have sex and be JERKS all the time?
89 likes · like · see review
For some weird reason I couldn't put this book down! You should read it. It grabbed my attention and I am a very picky reader! :)
37 likes · like · see review
Mar 08, 2008
Jared
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
anyone
Recommended to Jared by:
Kim
Shelves:
young-adult,
fiction
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 she can create a scrapbook for him without his knowled...more
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 she can create a scrapbook for him without his knowled...more
Jun 11, 2008
Talia
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
ya-fiction,
audio-books
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
13 likes · like · see review
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, the...more
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, the...more
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 completely mesm...more
19 likes · like · see review
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, she alw...more
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, she alw...more
7 likes · like · see review
Sep 27, 2008
BATMAN
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
poeple who want a reason to cut them selves
Recommended to BATMAN by:
a person who didnt deserve a neck so they could make me read thi
if this book was a person i would kill them. i would kill them in front of there mother and make them swallow there own heart. it showed a sad message that HAS BENN PLAYED OUT OVER AND OVER again. if you were locked in a box and told not to look at sun light for 12 years this book might be refreashing if not then dont bother. simply it was so crappy. here is the WHOLE STORY i'll save you time well she is differnt meets kids and then marginalized and then surprisingly becomes not differnt. here i...more
15 likes · like · see review
it was refreshing to read about stargirl's genuine kindness and individuality. i liked it.
we want to dance to the music in our own heads, but we don't because of the looks, whispers and stares we'd get.
stargirl is the person we all want to be, while leo reminds us of the person most of us are.
i hope one day to be as brave as stargirl
we want to dance to the music in our own heads, but we don't because of the looks, whispers and stares we'd get.
stargirl is the person we all want to be, while leo reminds us of the person most of us are.
i hope one day to be as brave as stargirl
15 likes · like · see review
The last official book in my YA-Snotty Literati endeavor, STARGIRL is a good one. The prose is filled with strong images, the characters are well-drawn, and--kinda unlike some of the other YA I've read (granted, it's only a smidgen)--the book is NOT shmaltzy or annoying.
I can't say I'm dying to read more YA, though I may read more Spinelli. There's a sequel to this one (this ends, however)--and, if you've read it, feel free to e-mail me about what happens. For our official Snotty Literati roundt...more
I can't say I'm dying to read more YA, though I may read more Spinelli. There's a sequel to this one (this ends, however)--and, if you've read it, feel free to e-mail me about what happens. For our official Snotty Literati roundt...more
1 like · like · see review
Review- Others would like this book for many reasons, such as how interesting and the amount of individually in the loving & vulgar characters. From the very sore beginning and the sad but sweet ending, I enjoyed it every much. All the words made into sentences that formed into paragraphs and final came together to make a magical, captivating and enchanting short novel Others might think differently but the characters to me were not real, but just a blink of an eye away from being similar to...more
7 likes · like · see review
Jan 26, 2009
Annalisa
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
looking for a quick/light read
Recommended to Annalisa by:
Rosa
Truthfully I did not expect to like this book. I expected a heavily handed tale about acceptance. But here's the thing: I did not like Star Girl.
The story is about a free-spirited girl whose named herself Star Girl who shows up for her first year of public education as a sophomore and the typical apathetic student body doesn't quite know how to respond to her. Normally when I read stories about the quirky outcast, I want to shield them from cruelty of the popular crowd, but I found myself sympa...more
The story is about a free-spirited girl whose named herself Star Girl who shows up for her first year of public education as a sophomore and the typical apathetic student body doesn't quite know how to respond to her. Normally when I read stories about the quirky outcast, I want to shield them from cruelty of the popular crowd, but I found myself sympa...more
16 likes · like · see review
Is she an alien? Is she home-schooling gone berserk? Is she sniffing fumes? …this and many more queries surround Stargirl Caraway when she makes her appearance at Mica High. Strumming a ukulele, carrying a rat called Cinnamon in her canvas bag and wearing clothes ranging from pioneer gowns to kimonos she’s as strange as they come. Add to that the fact that she does the weirdest, kindest and friendliest things. She sings birthday songs to perfect strangers, drops loose change accidentally on purp...more
8 likes · like · see review
Apr 29, 2008
Mary
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
realistic-fict-chap,
lis-565
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 soon forget,...more
3 likes · like · see review
Apr 05, 2008
Anna
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
young adults
Shelves:
young-adult,
fiction
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 preachy.
At the sa...more
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 preachy.
At the sa...more
11 likes · like · see review
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...more
Mar 08, 2008
Robin
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
teenagers or children finding their way in this world
Shelves:
teen-ya
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 individuality and...more
2 likes · like · see review
It's really, really good. It kind of makes me cry, showing how horrible people can be to a person who obviously doesn't deserve it. She's new, and her randomness is so amazing. I mean, she has a pet rat.
I like Leo. He seems average, but a little bit more. He understands how amazing she is, but at the same time, I wish he'd tried harder to be what she needed.
I like the ending, even though it's sad. I like how she leaves and Leo is left with this thought that he might have been in a dream, tha...more
I like Leo. He seems average, but a little bit more. He understands how amazing she is, but at the same time, I wish he'd tried harder to be what she needed.
I like the ending, even though it's sad. I like how she leaves and Leo is left with this thought that he might have been in a dream, tha...more
8 likes · like · see review
I LOVED this book! Actually as my first download on my Ipod, I loved listening to this book. It got me happily through an entire afternoon of pulling down miserable wallpaper.
I absolutely love Stargirl. She is a nonconformist, yes. But more importantly she is uncommonly sensitive to those in need, kindhearted, observant yet seemingly oblivious to the missteps of others, including her fickle and cruel classmates. Or perhaps she is not oblivious after all, perhaps she is more forgiving than most...more
I absolutely love Stargirl. She is a nonconformist, yes. But more importantly she is uncommonly sensitive to those in need, kindhearted, observant yet seemingly oblivious to the missteps of others, including her fickle and cruel classmates. Or perhaps she is not oblivious after all, perhaps she is more forgiving than most...more
6 likes · like · see review
This was a fun read and I found many parts of myself in it. I was once different (but never to the extreme that Stargirl was ;) ), but have conformed from years of ridicule and being the blunt of jokes. It has only been very recently that I've been trying to gain some of that older self back and I am grateful for this book at this time. I can and will be true to myself and not let others influence what I find important and interesting!
Some fun side notes~ I'm from Tucson and could understand ru...more
Some fun side notes~ I'm from Tucson and could understand ru...more
9 likes · like · see review
Apr 09, 2009
(G)Emma
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
people who like unusual characters
Shelves:
favorites
Stargirl is simply, one of the best books I've ever and will ever, read. Stargirl is so mysterious, unique, and makes such an impression I wish I could meet her. Hear her voice, and see her pratice "Elements of Nothingness," stroke cinnamon. Leo, I thought, was useless, but anyone who could love Stargirl was someone I could like. Stargirl is too amazing for words, because Stargirl, is bigger then the night sky.
6 likes · like · see review
Nov 08, 2012
Everyday eBook
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Everyday by:
Juliet Simon
Reading Jerry Spinelli's wondrous young adult novel, Stargirl, published in 2000, it seemed like something plucked out of a time capsule from the 1970s -- there were no vampires, no caged battles to the death. This made sense when I realized that Spinelli's first young adult work was released in 1982 and he had been writing them before and ever since. Spinelli sets this quiet coming-of-age story in an ordinary town in a desert community in Arizona at a typical high school. Or, typical until an e...more
Aug 24, 2011
Jane
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-s-books,
young-adult
I can completely see why my fifth grade students loved this book. Who doesn't imagine they could be the non-conformist, the self they feel inside, instead of the self they think their classmates need to see them be. That's what Stargirl does, and who she is. The fact that she is also clueless is something I'd love to talk about with my students. The worst example of this, for me, was when she arrived at a funeral for someone she didn't know at all and then went to the house for the after-funeral...more
3 likes · like · see review
A conundrum. A puzzle. A mystery. An eccentric nonconformist home-schooled individual who first came in as a sophomore to a public high school in this small town of Mica, Arizona.
She is Stargirl Caraway.
Love her. Hate her. She doesn't care what you think or feel about her. All she cares about is appreciating the world, and everyone and everything around it.
She's the kind of weird who knows everybody's birthdays and randomly sings to them using the ukelele she carries with her everyday in school...more
She is Stargirl Caraway.
Love her. Hate her. She doesn't care what you think or feel about her. All she cares about is appreciating the world, and everyone and everything around it.
She's the kind of weird who knows everybody's birthdays and randomly sings to them using the ukelele she carries with her everyday in school...more
Fitting in and being a part of something is half the battle for most high school students. For Stargirl, being herself and doing things because they were right or made her feel good about herself was even more important. The students at Mica High couldn’t understand why this strange girl would sing Happy Birthday to everyone on their birthday or put flowers on her desk, but Leo Borlock wanted to know more. Befriending the new girl to learn more about her gave him a new look on life, but what it...more
6 likes · like · see review
I don't think I can say more than has already been said about this book. I got it for $.99 from a book order and now I wish I had bought 10 so I could give them away as gifts. Everyone should read this book to remind us to look around and really live our lives. I heart Jerry Spinelli!
4 likes · like · see review
Everything in Mica High School is normal. Even though everybody in the school is different, there are still similar in many ways. Then one day, Stargirl comes and changes everything. She gives cookies to everyone, decorating her desk as if she was redecorating her room, and most surprising of all, she sing happy birthday to everyone on her ukulele. The whole school is surprised, never in all their life had anything like this happened to them, and will they like it? Will they hate it?
Students wou...more
Students wou...more
2 likes · like · see review
Rating 3.5
I loved Stargirl, I don't mean just the book, I mean Stargirl herlself, our main character even though she wasn't the narrator.
Leo Berlock (our narrator) a normal teenager boy, collector of porcupine neckties, student in Mica High was caught by surprise, along with all the other kids from Mica, with Stargirl Caraway none of them knows what to make of her, they wanted to lavel her but couldn't, it was just so different from everything they've known. They were beffudled by her.
Okay, let...more
I loved Stargirl, I don't mean just the book, I mean Stargirl herlself, our main character even though she wasn't the narrator.
Leo Berlock (our narrator) a normal teenager boy, collector of porcupine neckties, student in Mica High was caught by surprise, along with all the other kids from Mica, with Stargirl Caraway none of them knows what to make of her, they wanted to lavel her but couldn't, it was just so different from everything they've known. They were beffudled by her.
Okay, let...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stargirl vs. Love, Stargirl | 10 | 64 | May 17, 2013 10:03pm | |
| What Did You Think About Stargirl At First? | 53 | 217 | May 08, 2013 03:03pm | |
| APSU Children's L...: Stargirl | 25 | 13 | Apr 22, 2013 10:38am | |
| good or bad? | 160 | 442 | Apr 01, 2013 02:34pm |
When Jerry Spinelli was a kid, he wanted to grow up to be either a cowboy or a baseball player. Lucky for us he became a writer instead.
He grew up in rural Pennsylvania and went to college at Gettysburg College and Johns Hopkins University. He has published more than 25 books and has six children and 16 grandchildren.
Jerry Spinelli began writing when he was 16 — not much older than the hero of his...more
More about Jerry Spinelli...
He grew up in rural Pennsylvania and went to college at Gettysburg College and Johns Hopkins University. He has published more than 25 books and has six children and 16 grandchildren.
Jerry Spinelli began writing when he was 16 — not much older than the hero of his...more
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“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 a cork board like a butterfly, but the pin merely went through and away she flew.”
—
508 people liked it
“You’ll know her more by your questions than by her answers. Keep looking at her long enough. One day you might see someone you know.”
—
333 people liked it
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