Title: Stargirl
Author: Jerry Spinelli
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf (Random House) in 2000
Pages: 186
On the back: 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 corkboard like a butterfly, but the pin merely went through and away she flew.
Age recommendation: 10 & up
Plot: In Mica High, everyone is talking about the new girl. And what does she call herself? Stargirl. She's not real. She's not real. This is what echoes through the minds of the students as they watch her wacky activities, like strumming her ukulele in lunch, and dancing in the rain. Maybe everyone else thinks she's not real, but Leo Borlock knows otherwise. But somehow, everything turns out wrong, with the students not willing to accept Stargirl's differences, and Leo is left trying to piece everything back together.
Review: Stargirl really spoke to me. It is all about individuality, and never changing yourself just so others will be content. It tells you that you can change things, and leave your mark on the world, even if others are against you.
Stargirl is a girl that comes from home-schooling to Mica High. She wears floor-length skirts, strums her ukulele to wish people happy birthdays at lunch, sets up a vase with a flower in it on her desk each day, and cheers for both basketball teams. To put it simply, Stargirl is a shock to everyone at Mica High.
Leo Borlock becomes interested in the girl, and finds that everything she does has meaning. She purposely drops coins on the sidewalk, hoping that some little kid will come along, pick it up, and will have a smile on his face. She reads the newspaper “fillers”, to try to find out about what the local people will need in order for their day to be fantastic. Never once does she think about herself.
Stargirl may not be connected to the people, but she is connected to the earth, and to thought. She absorbs all of the ideas, all of the wonderments, all of the puzzles the world has to offer. Stargirl enjoys life as an individual, and lives life to the fullest.
Leo, however, is having his doubts when he becomes Stargirl’s boyfriend. He soon realizes that he will not be able to keep both Stargirl’s, and the students at school’s affections. He has to choose, and when he finally does, it is too late.
Stargirl is a beautiful book, and will inspire everyone who reads its words.
Author: Jerry Spinelli
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf (Random House) in 2000
Pages: 186
On the back: 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 corkboard like a butterfly, but the pin merely went through and away she flew.
Age recommendation: 10 & up
Plot: In Mica High, everyone is talking about the new girl. And what does she call herself? Stargirl. She's not real. She's not real. This is what echoes through the minds of the students as they watch her wacky activities, like strumming her ukulele in lunch, and dancing in the rain. Maybe everyone else thinks she's not real, but Leo Borlock knows otherwise. But somehow, everything turns out wrong, with the students not willing to accept Stargirl's differences, and Leo is left trying to piece everything back together.
Review: Stargirl really spoke to me. It is all about individuality, and never changing yourself just so others will be content. It tells you that you can change things, and leave your mark on the world, even if others are against you.
Stargirl is a girl that comes from home-schooling to Mica High. She wears floor-length skirts, strums her ukulele to wish people happy birthdays at lunch, sets up a vase with a flower in it on her desk each day, and cheers for both basketball teams. To put it simply, Stargirl is a shock to everyone at Mica High.
Leo Borlock becomes interested in the girl, and finds that everything she does has meaning. She purposely drops coins on the sidewalk, hoping that some little kid will come along, pick it up, and will have a smile on his face. She reads the newspaper “fillers”, to try to find out about what the local people will need in order for their day to be fantastic. Never once does she think about herself.
Stargirl may not be connected to the people, but she is connected to the earth, and to thought. She absorbs all of the ideas, all of the wonderments, all of the puzzles the world has to offer. Stargirl enjoys life as an individual, and lives life to the fullest.
Leo, however, is having his doubts when he becomes Stargirl’s boyfriend. He soon realizes that he will not be able to keep both Stargirl’s, and the students at school’s affections. He has to choose, and when he finally does, it is too late.
Stargirl is a beautiful book, and will inspire everyone who reads its words.
