Stargirl (Readers Circle) | Jerry Spinelli | Courtesy of Mother Daughter Book Club.com

Stargirl (Readers Circle) | Jerry Spinelli | Stargirl

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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

Courtesy of Mother Daughter Book Club.com

When my oldest daughter was in fifth grade, we read Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli in our mother-daughter book club. The girls all liked it, but they couldn't really identify well with the issues brought up in the book: What does it mean to be popular in school, can you find friends who accept you for who you are even when you're different from the mainstream, are you strong enough to go against the popular mindset by befriending someone who is different?

The moms on the other hand, got the issues exactly. We remembered all too well the days of junior high and high school when you're not only trying to determine who you are, but also realizing that who you choose to hang out with is a reflection of that. We thought the book was excellently done, and that we had maybe read it when our girls were too young.

This book is recommended on Amazon for ages 10 - 14, but I'm more inclined to agree with the age recommendation by Publisher's Weekly, which is 12 and up.

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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. In our minds, we tried to pin her to corkboard like a butterfly, but the pin merely went through and away she flew." There's a new girl at Mica Area High School. The students are baffled by how...different she is. She calls herself Stargirl, brings her pet rat to school in her pocket, and plays the ukulele in the lunchroom. Somehow, her presence completely changes everyone at school. This is a great book that I would reccomend to any young adult. Stargirl is a very realistic book. For the most part, it accurately shows how teenagers feel about their friends and popularity. One thing that isn't right, though, is that all the students seem to act like one unit. They all like Stargirl, or they all don't like her. There aren't many characters besides kid's whose name they only mention once or twice, but the main characters are very lifelike. This is one of my favorite books. It provides a new perspective on life and school. Reading Stargirl has definitely changed my life.

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Inspiring

The story itself could have been stronger but what kept me reading intently was well, Stargirl herself. She was so carfree, free spirted, confident, beautiful, and oblivious to want anyone cared, she was inspiring. I had to find out what would end up happening in the end and awww. A cute book but if your over thirteen, (I wasn't when I read it) I wouldn't recommend because its reading level is like 5th grade or lower. but still its sweet.

Stargirl: Simply Spectacular!

Spinelli, J. (2000). Stargirl. New York: Scholastic Inc.

Reading level: V or Lexile 590
Pages: 188
Genre: Realistic Fiction

While Stargirl may not be the most action driven plot I've ever read, it nonetheless is a book ridden with emotional drama and simple, yet page turning, events. Set in Mica, Arizona at what the main characters would call a very "normal" high school, the book tells the story of a boy named Leo Borlock and the new girl in town, Stargirl. Prior to Stargirl's arrival in Mica, high school was the typical clique driven place filled with popularity contests and conformity. Not so when Stargirl arrived. She made it her mission to stand out from the crowd, to be an individual, and to surprise people with random acts of kindness. For a time, she changed what it meant to be popular at Mica High. However, when she joins the cheerleading squad and decides to cheer not just for her team, but also for the other side, things begin to change. Stargirl is considered an outcast and is shunned by the entire student body, except for Leo, who has become Stargirl's love interest. Unfortunately, he cannot stand the pressures of conformity and popularity and eventually asks Stargirl to become more "normal" in order for both of them to fit in at school. Stargirl attempts to conform, yet finds herself sacrificing too much of herself in the process. The relationship between the two youngsters is shattered and Mica High proves never to be the same after Stargirl has the chance to leave her mark.

While the book has some interesting messages imbedded within, I think one negative aspect of the novel is that it doesn't clarify those messages enough. On the one hand, it makes some of the generous acts that Stargirl engages in seem strange and intrusive, sending at first a message that people need to mind their own business. Then, a mere few pages later, the message has changed and Stargirl is being applauded and loved for the kind things she does. Possibly mirroring the larger societal reaction to kind acts by strangers, the message about kindness nonetheless gets a bit distorted at times. Furthermore, the book at once applauds and condemns Stargirl for her unique qualities, making her seem special and brave for being who she is, but also presenting her as a crazed individual acting in an obscene fashion. Again, this leaves the reader with some confusion as to what the message of the story truly is and makes the book seem self-contradictory.

Overall, despite this minor self-contradiction, I think the book is a worthwhile read. It is the kind of book that is difficult to put down and which makes you think deeply about your own experiences in middle school and high school. It is a novel that is easy to connect to and which provides the reader not only with pleasurable reading, but also with some thought provoking questions. If you want to read an interesting book with characters that you will be able to relate to and love dearly, then this is definitely the book for you!

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