Book Summary: Stargirl had been homeschooled for most of her life and lacks the trends of modern teenagers. She is extremely kind to all and becomes instantly popular in her new school. However, the differences which kept everyone so interested in her soon become the very things that turn her friends against her. Stargirl soon has a boyfriend (the narrator) and he likes her the way she is, but hates the pressure from his friends. He asks her to change. She tries, but it does not change the way that people treat her. After she wins a huge contest and people do not show up to congratulate her she goes back to her old ways. Leo no longer speaks to her and does not invite her to a dance. She goes and once again wins people over. Then, Stargirl disappears or “vamooses”.My Impressions: I think many of the issues faced in the book are faced by students today. Today’s society has a very high mobility rate. Students are new to a school every day in our country. I am not sure that many of them are as absolutely determined to stand out as Stargirl seemed to be. In every school there is a “mean kid” who is determined to make other students miserable. Spinelli uses figurative language that gives the reader great mental images.
Professional Review: Jerry Spinelli Stargirl 186 pp. Knopf 8/00 isbn 0-679-88637-0 15.95 (g) Library edition isbn 0-679-98637-5 17.99 (Intermediate, Young Adult)
Cynics might want to steer clear of this novel of a contemporary Pollyanna, whose glad-game benevolences include singing Happy Birthday to her classmates, dropping change in the street for children to find, and--to her downfall--joining the cheerleading squad and rooting for both teams. High school junior Leo is at first nonplussed by Stargirl's not-so-random acts of kindness, but he really loves her from the start. After Stargirl is shunned for her disloyal cheerleading, Leo persuades her to go along with the crowd, and she even reclaims her birth name, Susan. Predictably, this doesn't work for Stargirl; on the author's part, it occasions much heavy-handed moralizing about conformity. While it is true that we are meant to see Stargirl as larger-than-life ("She seems to be in touch with something that the rest of us are missing"), there are no shadows to contour her character, and thus her gestures seem empty. While Spinelli's Maniac Magee was on the run for a reason and Pollyanna needed something to be glad for, Stargirl has nothing to lose. But as a story of high school outsiders and light romance, this will find an audience, and the book does bear many strong similarities to Maniac Magee, offering a charismatic female counterpart. Library Uses: In the library Stargirl could be used for bringing together new students in the form of a book club. Those students would build a support group, a group of friends who are new to a school. The book will encourage these students to be true to themselves and not give in to the peer pressures of fitting in at a new school.
Spinelli, J. (2000). Stargirl. New York
Sutton, R. (2000, July/August) Book Review for Stargirl.
[Review of the Book Stargirl, by J. Spinelli]. Horn Book
Magazine 76 (4), p465-466.
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