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Stargirl

(Stargirl #1)

Jerry Spinelli

3.76 · Rating details · 276,303 ratings · 13,536 reviews

A celebration of nonconformity; a tense, emotional tale about the fleeting, cruel nature of popularity--and the thrill and inspiration of first love. Ages 12+

Leo Borlock follows the unspoken rule at Mica Area High School: don't stand out--under any circumstances! Then Stargirl arrives at Mica High and everything changes--for Leo and for the entire school. After 15 years of ...more

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Paperback, 186 pages

Published September 2002 by Scholastic (first published August 8th 2000)

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May 18, 2007 Emma (Miss Print) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: anyone who believes life should be magical

Shelves: owned

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. 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).

You can find this review and more on my blog Miss Print ...more

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Jun 06, 2012 Zoë rated it really liked it

I read this in middle school as required reading and absolutely LOVED it, but coming back to it years later, I couldn't help but notice some of its flaws. I got very attached to the story despite it being less than 200 pages and I do love the moral that Spinelli is trying to get across, but I was not a big fan of the characters. Although, with a book this short, exaggerated characters are pretty much a necessity. I recommend this book to everyone, though, especially middle schoolers who feel the ...more

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Jul 25, 2008 Karen rated it really liked it

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?

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May 07, 2015 Aj the Ravenous Reader rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult

"Nothing’s more fun than being carried away."

Stargirl is the happiest, bravest, most carefree, most non-conformist girl you will ever meet. She is everything every school girl wishes she could be but will never dare to be. She does the last thing someone who wants to fit in will ever do.

• She smiles at everyone.

• She dances in the rain.

• She wears the strangest outfit and wears no makeup.

(Not anything like that. I’m exaggerating. Lol.)

• She sings every celebrant a happy birthday with her ...more

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Jan 03, 2014 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, 21th-century, fiction, young-adult

Stargirl (Stargirl, #1), Jerry Spinelli
Stargirl is a young adult novel written by American author Jerry Spinelli and first published in 2000. The word begins with a brief introduction to Leo at the age of twelve, and chronicles his move from his home state of Pennsylvania to Arizona. Before the move, his Uncle Pete gives Leo a porcupine necktie as a farewell present, inspiring him to collect more like it. After his collection is mentioned in a local newspaper, Leo receives a second porcupine Stargirl (Stargirl, #1), Jerry Spinelli
Stargirl is a young adult novel written by American author Jerry Spinelli and first published in 2000. The word begins with a brief introduction to Leo at the age of twelve, and chronicles his move from his home state of Pennsylvania to Arizona. Before the move, his Uncle Pete gives Leo a porcupine necktie as a farewell present, inspiring him to collect more like it. After his collection is mentioned in a local newspaper, Leo receives a second porcupine necktie for his birthday, left anonymously by Stargirl. The story picks up four years later with the arrival of Stargirl Caraway. Leo learns that up until this point, she has been home schooled, but even that doesn't seem to excuse her strange behavior; for example, she comes to school in strange outfits kimonos, buckskin, 1920s flapper clothes, and pioneer clothes. She is so different that at first the student body does not know what to make of her. Hillari Kimble, the most popular girl at Leo's school, declares that Stargirl is a fake, and speculation and rumors abound. One of Stargirl's quirks is singing happy birthday to students when it is their birthday, bringing her ukulele to school to do so. When Hillari orders Stargirl not to sing to her on her birthday, Stargirl sings Hillari’s name but directs the song to Leo and mentions in front of everyone that she thinks he is cute. Though at first rejected by most of the students, Stargirl gains a measure of popularity by joining the cheerleading squad. Students mimic her behavior, and at lunch she no longer sits alone. Her antics on the squad spark a boom in audience attendance at sporting events. ...
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز ششم ماه نوامبر سال 2016 میلادی
عنوان: دختر ستاره ای؛ نویسنده: جری اسپینلی؛ مترجم: فریده اشرفی؛ تهران، ایرانبان، 1386، در 240 ص؛ چاپ سوم 1390؛ در 233 ص؛ شابک: 9789642980055؛ چاپ چهارم در 233 ص؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان امریکایی - سده 20 م
داستان دختری شانزده ساله، مدرسه، بلوغ، نوجوانی، صداقت جوانی، و البته که عاشق عشق نیز هست؛ همان: استار گرل، که با رفتارش، دبیرستان «مایکا»، در آریزونای امریکا را، دگرگون میکند. ایشان در لباس پوشیدن، و رفتار، با دیگران متفاوت است. عاشق یاری رساندن به افراد تنها و درمانده ی جامعه است. رابطه ی او با «لئو»، پسر همکلاسی اش، که همانند او نیست، ارتباطی عاشقاته است. او مورد توجه خیلی هاست، اما چون متفاوت است، و دگراندیش، عده ای دوستش ندارند، و از او میخواهند: همانند همه باشد. اما استارگرل، تاب نمیآورد. او حق دارد خود خودش باشد. اما جامعه ی کوچک مدرسه ی او، چنان رفتاری را نمیپذیرند، و او به ناچار، مدرسه را ترک میکند، در حالیکه جای پایش در بسیاری از رفتارهای دیگران، دیده میشود. دختر ستاره ای عاشق صلح است، عاشق عکس گرفتن از پیتر است. عاشق کمک کردن برای لانه سازی پرنده هاست و .... ا. شربیانی ...more

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Mar 08, 2008 Jared rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: anyone

Recommended to Jared by: Kim

Shelves: fiction, young-adult

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 ...more

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Mar 17, 2008 Michael rated it really liked it

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! :)

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Sep 27, 2008 BATMAN rated it did not like it

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

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 17, 2008 Jasmine rated it really liked it

Shelves: own, ya-younger

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

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Mar 30, 2013 H rated it liked it

I feel conflicted about this book. I liked the message it had about nonconformity and kindness and being yourself and selflessness, but I didn't like Stargirl. I don't know if it's allowed to say I didn't like her, but I didn't. I respect her and admire her, but there's such a thing as being too thoughtful and kind--as in, disregarding someone's feelings--which really makes it thoughtless and not nice at all. Like, the idea of singing to people on their birthdays during lunch. It's a nice idea, ...more

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Apr 28, 2010 Clare Cannon rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: 11 years - YA (girls)

Shelves: adults, 13-15yrs, young-adult, favorites

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 ...more

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Dec 01, 2012 Nick rated it it was ok

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I probably had unreasonably high hopes for this book just because of its author. Maniac Magee was my favorite book when I was a kid, and it remains my favorite preteen chapter book to this day. But Stargirl didn't move me the way that first taste of Jerry Spinelli's work did. In fact, I was so underwhelmed that I had little interest in finishing the book, but it was a fast enough read, so I stuck with it.

The execution itself isn't bad. The character of Stargirl could easily have become a paper I probably had unreasonably high hopes for this book just because of its author. Maniac Magee was my favorite book when I was a kid, and it remains my favorite preteen chapter book to this day. But Stargirl didn't move me the way that first taste of Jerry Spinelli's work did. In fact, I was so underwhelmed that I had little interest in finishing the book, but it was a fast enough read, so I stuck with it.

The execution itself isn't bad. The character of Stargirl could easily have become a paper doll, one of those (usually female) characters who is so untouchable, so up-in-the-clouds perfect that she lacks any sort of dimension and can't be taken seriously. So, I'll give Spinelli that much--he conveys Stargirl's sincerity well. Additionally, she's deep. She has actual reasons for behaving the way she does, and they're actual, complex reasons that involve intelligence and creativity. I appreciated that she got enough floor time to actually explain her reasons for doing things, rather than just being a mysterious saint. Ultimately, though, Stargirl's earnestness can't disguise that she's just another Manic Pixie Dream Girl.

I have to remind myself that most readers of this book will be young enough that they haven't been beaten to death with this tired trope in hundreds of romantic comedy/tragicomedy/dramedy-themed books and movies. Boy--who is nice enough, but a little inhibited, a little in need of some inspiration--meets outrageous, free-spirited, earthy girl who changes his life forever by teaching him to stop caring what other people think and be silly and really live, man. I swear, I thought to myself at the very beginning of the book, "Any minute now, she'll be outside dancing in the rain," and then five pages later, she was outside dancing in the rain.

Some of Stargirl's actions made me uncomfortable, too. I know she's supposed to be the shining, free-spirited light among all the dull, uninspired conformists in the high school drone factory, but just because she has good intentions behind her actions doesn't mean they are all necessarily good ideas. Stargirl goes to a lot of trouble to reach out to people, and she does it without asking for any kind of thanks, but having someone sing "Happy Birthday" to you in the middle of a crowded room or broadcasting your love for someone without talking to them first has always struck me as somewhat inconsiderate. Some people just don't want that kind of attention, and nothing is more traumatic for them than having all eyes in the room on them, completely without their consent. It's true that Stargirl is portrayed as completely innocent, and it's highly possible that she lacks the necessary social filters to understand why being serenaded with "Happy Birthday" isn't always a desired gift, but it made me less sympathetic toward her. It kind of reminded me of those guys who propose to their girlfriends on the Jumbotron at a sporting event--it's arrogant to assume that everyone else wants exactly what you want, and ultimately, regardless of your intentions, it makes the gesture about you, not the other person (while all eyes are on that person, obligating them to behave gracefully even if they're going to pieces inside).

A more succinct way to summarize the last two paragraphs is this: the Stargirl character is inspiring but not original, and the heavy-handed message of Everyone Needs to Lighten Up and Be More Appreciative of Each Other is well-intentioned but shortsighted.

Otherwise, the story was all right. Stargirl might lack social filters, but Leo behaves like a complete ass to her, resulting in the story's somewhat bitter ending. I think this was a fairly realistic portrayal--he cares too much about the approval of the many to show support for the one. And I did appreciate the story's lack of a sugary, upbeat ending in the name of resolution. I like a protagonist with regrets. Leo doesn't seem to have changed much--for all his obsessing over Stargirl after she leaves, one gets the impression that if he got a second chance, he would still care more about fitting in with the crowd than about treating her well--but at least he gets to spend the rest of his life wondering about the one he pushed away. (Even that falls into the MPDG, too-good-for-this-dull-world cliche. Of COURSE he has regret. She's gone, so she'll always be exactly as she was at sixteen and he can idolize her and righteously lament how perfect she was and how stupid he was.) But Stargirl doesn't deserve the shitty way everyone has treated her, and she is probably at her most realistically human when she changes herself out of desire for Leo's acceptance. Likewise, Leo is at his most realistically human when he embraces the "new" Stargirl, then rejects her when she stops conforming. The journey to maturity sucks.

I'm probably taking this all way too seriously. The book was ok; I wasn't as wowed by it as most reviewers seem to have been; I should probably lighten up. But I've given my opinion.

...more

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Mar 20, 2008 S.D. rated it it was amazing

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 ...more

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Jul 10, 2009 Madeline rated it it was amazing

Shelves: kids-and-young-adult, all-time-favorites

"We joined her as she sang 'Happy Birthday' to us in the lunchroom. We heard her greet us in the hallways and classrooms, and we wondered how she knew our names and our birthdays.
Her caught-in-the-headlights eyes gave her a look of perpetual astonishment, so that we found ourselves turning and looking back over our shoulders, wondering what we were missing.
She laughed when there was no joke. She danced when there was no music.
She had no friends, yet she was the friendliest person in school.
In ...more

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Nov 15, 2017 Julie Zantopoulos rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own-it, read-in-2017

Stargirl was the most pure and precious thing, ever. My Luna Lovegood of today’s world and I want to keep her safe always. I loved this book even though I hated the people around her—but that’s the point, isn’t it? The writing was gorgeous and the characters were real and raw. Definitely a new fave. I will be rereading and annotating this one for sure.

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Oct 16, 2016 Mel rated it it was ok

Shelves: read-in-2016, ebooks, 3-stars

Edit: dropped to 2 stars

So I originally DNF'd this book at 75% and gave it a 2 star rating. I decided to just go ahead and complete it because all of the things I didn't like made me curious to see how they would be resolved.

I absolutely detested every single character in this book that wasn't Stargirl herself. They were disgusting, judgmental, and overall shitty people.

I didn't really like the plot either. You're supposed to see how shitty these people treat Stargirl and realize that you ...more

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Jan 26, 2009 Annalisa rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: looking for a quick/light read

Recommended to Annalisa by: Rosa

Shelves: book-club, young-adult, coming-of-age, issue, contemporary, character

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 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 sympathizing with students at a loss of how to interpret this strange girl. When Hillari told Star Girl that she ruined everything, I concurred. And when Star Girl equated being normal with the most popular girl in school I sighed heavily at how little she understood the workings of high school friendship. It never was about blending in and finding common ground with her. She wasn't happy unless she was blazing her own trail without consciousness of who she plowed through in the process.

Having too much personal experience with people who don't understand social cues or possess the mental valve to filter, I know what it's like to be embarrassed by people on social thin ice. I didn't find Star Girl a rare charming bird that should be bottled unaltered. I found her disrespectful and obnoxious. OK, her goodwill was charming, but interrupting a football game to climb the goal post or showing up at a funeral and interfering with the grieving is not. Being different is one thing, but interfering with other's choice to follow social guidelines is just as unaccepting as those who shun anyone who doesn't follow the crowd. There has to be a balance between keeping your individuality and allowing other's to chose theirs, as well as respecting the social proprieties that make people feel comfortable.

I found myself siding with the crowd and I know had I met a girl like that in high school I would have rolled my eyes at her theatrics and ignored her too refusing to allow her to always be the center of attention. I was not sad for her but angry at her for what she did to Leo. To just assume he would make a decision and not give him the means to make amends. This girl created her own drama. I have a feeling the author intended readers to be charmed by Star Girl and experience her social roller coaster on her emotional level, but I didn't. I experienced it from the conforming crowd. And that's exactly why I liked it. ...more

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Jul 09, 2019 Britt / Basically Britt rated it liked it

Shelves: 2019

Randomly decided to listen to this in the morning and finished it within a couple of hours!

It's a really cute story! I loved the beginning and end a lot :)
Middle part of the book was okay.

Especially loved the fact that Stargirl loves sunflowers and ukuleles (uhhhh is she me?!)

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Nov 16, 2017 Jazzy [ jazbooked ] rated it really liked it

Well this was sad. It was good... but a sad ending.

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Jun 11, 2008 Talia rated it it was amazing

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

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Jan 08, 2010 Beth A. rated it it was ok

Recommended to Beth A. by: Mom, 2nd Ward Book Club April 2010

Shelves: young-adult

I guess my problem with this story was that I really didn’t buy Stargirl. She’s so self-confident/oblivious that she doesn’t seem to notice or care that the whole school is giving her the silent treatment. She’s extremely kind and compassionate. She meditates, wears floor length dresses and carries a rat around in a sunflower bag. She’s the perfect model of a nonconforming individual.

I wanted her to have some flaws. To be secretly worried about being accepted before Leo explained that it’s ...more

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Aug 04, 2015 Chelsea (chelseadolling reads) rated it really liked it

Wow. Wow wow wow. This was my first time ever reading this and I loved it SO MUCH. Such a great story. I'll definitely be rereading this in the future.

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Feb 21, 2014 Lauren rated it did not like it

Shelves: realistic-fiction

I had high expectations for this book, but I was let down in every way. I got so incredibly bored, but I couldn't live with myself knowing I couldn't finish a mere 186 page book, so I plunged onward. By page 80, bookmarking the craziest sentences was the only way I kept myself sane.

As usual in a ragerant, I shall try to organize my ~~complaints~~ critiques into a list. Spoilers are not marked, proceed with caution. Not that there's much to spoil about this book; it was predictable in every aspect.

...more

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Feb 17, 2016 Maddie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs

This was like reading a John Green book, before John Green books existed. There was just something special about it, that I couldn't quite put my finger on, but I really enjoyed the message behind it!

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May 12, 2008 Jennifer Wardrip rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews, jens-personal-read, trt-gold-star-award-winner

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, 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. ...more

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Apr 05, 2008 Anna rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: young adults

Shelves: fiction, young-adult

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 ...more

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Mar 27, 2010 Jasmin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reviewed-by-me, contemporary, contemporary-romance, teen, inspirational, young-adult, romance, must-read-series

Stargirl. This should be the standard for all young adult books. It’s realistic, inspiring and I bet that it’s a story everyone could relate to. Plus, there’s no sex scenes, and just one decent kiss.

The book, is narrated by Leo Borlock’s perspective. He gives us an idea on how different Stargirl could be in a normal person’s point of view. Stargirl, being homeschooled, decides to come out of her shell. She enrolls at Mica High, and fortunately fails to blend in. For odd reasons, such as singing Stargirl. This should be the standard for all young adult books. It’s realistic, inspiring and I bet that it’s a story everyone could relate to. Plus, there’s no sex scenes, and just one decent kiss.

The book, is narrated by Leo Borlock’s perspective. He gives us an idea on how different Stargirl could be in a normal person’s point of view. Stargirl, being homeschooled, decides to come out of her shell. She enrolls at Mica High, and fortunately fails to blend in. For odd reasons, such as singing someone she barely knows a happy birthday, she stands out. Her schoolmates couldn’t help but find her odd. One time, Stargirl goes to a football match, which no one almost ever watches. She makes an exhibition of herself, by roaming around the football field (I imagine her like a fairy), until police had to come forward just for her to leave the field. That’s when Mica High attended every game onwards. Stargirl was a sight to watch. She was also recruited to the cheering squad. And again, she gives the readers another dose of her weirdness, by cheering enthusiastically, for everyone (that includes the other team). For others, we might find this hateful (just imagine your cheerleader cheering for the other team), but this proves the depths and lengths of Stargirl's naïvety and pure-heartedness. It’s actually amazing.

Leo, is and always has been amazed by Stargirl. The feeling was mutual, and they become a couple. Leo enjoyed being with Stargirl. He was at peace, but then he noticed that the entire Mica High was shunning him as well. Leo Tolstoy was definitely no island, so he turned sad. He needed Stargirl, but he needed his peers as well. How Stargirl ever manages it, was a wonder to him. And Leo makes a choice. A terrible choice.

And Stargirl, makes a terrible choice as well. She decides to be ”normal”.

All of us are either Stargirls or were Stargirls. Everyone is a star. We are stars, some in little ways, and some in ways that no one can possibly miss them. But the thing is, we have what it takes to be a star. The problem is, how do we deal with the stars lodging in us. Some polishes their star to make it brighter, while some hide in the brightness of other stars to suppress their shine.

After I finished this book, I was left with the same thought as Leo’s:

Is she there? I wonder what she calls herself now. I wonder if she’s lost her freckles. I wonder if I’ll ever get another chance. I wonder, but I don’t despair. Though I have no family of my own, I do not feel alone. I know that I am being watched. The echo of her laughter is the second sunrise I awaken to each day, and at night I feel it is more than the stars looking down on me.

And I have to say, we have to make Stargirls the new normal.
...more

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Mar 15, 2011 Monique rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, five-stars, fiction, award-winners, young-adult

I could feel my heart practically breaking inside me as I was reading this book. It is one of those YA books that are relevant and replete with life lessons for all to learn, whether you can relate to the characters or not.

Stargirl is told in the first-person point of view of Leo Borlock, a junior at Mica High School in Arizona, who crosses paths with a beautiful, kind, and weird girl who has re-christened herself as, well, Stargirl. Stargirl Caraway draws attention to herself from day one ...more

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May 03, 2015 Veronica rated it really liked it

Shelves: pub-late-20th-century, audiobooks, fiction, young-adult

“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.” - Henry David Thoreau

This was a quote that rang in my head all throughout my reading of this book. It’s the story of Stargirl Caraway, a girl who dared to be different in high school, a time when teenagers often choose to conform to convention in a desire to fit in. Her story is narrated some fifteen years later by Leo ...more

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Apr 30, 2019 Marilena and books⚓ rated it liked it

Shelves: audiobooks

*3.5*
Μου άρεσε και θα διαβάσω και την συνέχεια!

“She laughed when there was no joke. She danced when there was no music.
She had no friends, yet she was the friendliest person in school.
In her answers in class, she often spoke of sea horses and stars, but she did not know what a football was...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 ...more

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About Jerry Spinelli

Jerry Spinelli

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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

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Quotes from Stargirl

“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.” — 1063 likes

“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.” — 535 likes

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