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January 27, 2006
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
"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."
Posted by Topher McCulloch at January 27, 2006 08:47 PM | Stargirl
Comments
Stargirl is probably one of the best books I have ever read. It really grasps the concept of cliques and drama in a school. When I was in Junior High and High School, I always tried to stick out, I by all means was nothing like Stargirl, but was ususally just a little more off the wall than other people. Without really stating the fact in the book, Stargirl was really popular, everyone noticed her, everyone grew to like her after a while, even if they did end up hating her, she intrigued everyone. I think that, that was the point. She got people to look at life from another perspective. She truly charished everything in her life. Everyone meant something to her, everything was important to her. Stargirls purpose was to make others happy, and as long as she was doing that, no matter how "weird" she might seem, she was happy as well.
Posted by: Ashley Haines at March 22, 2006 12:21 PM
I have read the book and I liked it.
Posted by: Gabriele Macklin at April 24, 2006 05:12 PM
After reading the novel Stargirl, a facinating story, i realized that making others happy really makes yourself happy. She didn't care about what people had thought of her, especially Hillary Kimble, who had always been mean to her. Jerry Spinelli was really an extrodinary writer ^o^.
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Posted by: rcmtfjstbz at August 5, 2007 05:12 PM
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Posted by: molly at October 23, 2007 05:33 PM
this book is good so far.......not!!!!!!!!!!!!! no i really like it it is a good book for teenagers like me!
Posted by: at January 14, 2008 02:48 PM
This was a wonderful book about, love, rejection, and egos. Through Jerry Spinelli's words, he shows how to be yourself and not by what others label you by. this book truly expresses how the true nature of human beings are, not daring to be different, and to only be what is in. I admire Stargirl, she is a good example to set to kids, the way she cares for others and does what she knows is right. A friend once tole me, "Don't pick with friends who are popular, pick friends who will stick by your side." and i think this is exactly what Stargirl stands for.
Posted by: Lulu at February 25, 2008 10:07 PM