Stargirl (Readers Circle) | Jerry Spinelli | captivating story of courage and cowardice, of being...

Stargirl (Readers Circle) | Jerry Spinelli | Everyone should read this!

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Stargirl (Readers ...

	Stargirl (Readers Circle) Jerry Spinelli Laurel Leaf, 2004 - 208 pages average customer review:based on 885 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

captivating story of courage and cowardice, of being true to yourself and truly compassionate

Stargirl arrives at Mica High School in Arizona and breaks all of the social rules. She plays her ukulele at lunch, climbs on the goalposts during football games, and leaves anonymous birthday gifts for people all over town. Leo, the narrator and Stargirl's sometimes friend, tells the story of her dramatic rise in popularity and shows just how fickle that popularity can be.

The story is completely captivating. Stargirl is a wonderful character: it is true that her naiveté about social norms "raise[s] dust in the corners of credibility" [1], but even as we wonder whether anyone could be quite that naïve and that good, we long for it. Spinelli (the author) calls her "as real as hope, as real as possibility, as real as the best in human nature" [1]. She is marvelous. In contrast, Leo is frustratingly expert on the "importance" of fitting in; my exasperation at his actions is mitigated only by some evidence of him in myself.

I agree with the professional reviewers that Spinelli "has produced a poetic allegorical tale" [2] (and as such, Stargirl's "realism" isn't the fundamental issue), that the book is "poignant yet uplifting, both a celebration and a cautionary tale" [3]. And I confess to willingly falling prey to what Karen Carden of the Christian Science Monitor predicted: "It just may prompt some readers to make quiet vows about being kinder and more compassionate - more like Stargirl herself" [3].

The late John Ritter (of Three's Company and much more) narrates the unabridged audiobook, and he does a wonderful job. His performance doesn't call attention to itself, but he provides just the right energy and nuance.

Young Adult fiction isn't normally my genre of choice, but I read this for a book club and am very glad. And if you enjoyed Stargirl (as I did), you haven't long to wait to find what happens next: Spinelli releases a sequel (Love, Stargirl) in August of 2007.

[1] Jerry Spinelli, in an interview published at the back of the 2000 Knopf paperback edition.
[2] Betsy Groban, "Stargirl," New York Times, 17 September 2000.
[3] Karen Carden, "A bright light in the galaxy of young adult fiction," Christian Science Monitor, 7 December 2000.

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Everyone should read this!

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!

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review of stargirl cd

My students loved this book! The fact that it was narrarated by John Ritter brought a tear to my eye but we all loved following along with the book! Spinelli has written another masterpiece!

Not What I Expected

This was a good book, but it wasn't quite what I expected. I think the biggest problem came for me in the narration; the story is narrated by one of Stargirl's fellow students who is too fearful to step out and be different like Stargirl. I don't know, I just felt that his narration took away some of the emotional impact of the story. I also felt that the ending was lacking; we never got to truly dig into Stargirl's mind. It's still a book worth reading though!

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Stargirl - Sasha's Review

Stargirl is a story about a girl named Stargirl Caraway who changes her high school in her own unique way. If you do not start off liking this book keep reading it - it gets better as you get to know more about Stargirl. Sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's sad but most of all it is very memorable.

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, page 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19

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