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"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."

Jerry Spinelli, author of Newbery Medalist Maniac Magee, Newbery Honor Book Wringer, and many other excellent books for teens, elegantly and accurately captures the collective, not-always-pretty emotions of a high school microcosm in which individuality is pitted against conformity. Spinelli's Stargirl is a supernatural teen character--absolutely egoless, altruistic, in touch with life's primitive rhythms, meditative, untouched by popular culture, and supremely self-confident. It is the sensitive Leo whom readers will relate to as he grapples with who she is, who he is, who they are together as Stargirl and Starboy, and indeed, what it means to be a human being on a planet that is rich with wonders. (Ages 10 to 14) --Karin Snelson

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers; edition (May 14, 2023)
• ISBN: 037582233X
• Average Customer Review: Based on 585 reviews.
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: 2538

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

"Stargirl" is AWESOME!!, May 16, 2023
"Stargirl" is a wonderful story about a girl who is what everyone wants to be: herself. She stands out from the crowd and touches the lives of everyone she meets, and almost always for the better. I think that everyone should read this story because I think that everyone has a little "Stargir"l in them.

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Stargirl, May 9, 2023
Random House inc., 2000, 186 pp., $8.95
ISBN 0-375-82233-X

Stargirl
Jerry Spinelli

Meet Susan Caraway, who changes names depending on her mood. And when she enters the halls of quiet Mica High she chooses the name as "Stargirl". As she walks the hall on her first day at Mica High, wearing a white gown with a ukulele on her back, students realize that she is not normal. At lunch she sings happy birthday to people she has never met before. She has so much spirit and is so cheerful that she gets the school thinking if this is some act to get the school more spirited.
She not only gets the attention of her new school, but she also receives the love of Leo, a fellow peer. But when the school decides to turn on Stargirl and ignore her completely it gets Leo thinking now that the school has shunned him away as well. Should Leo let stargirl go or should he change her to be normal?
Stargirl is an excellent book that can be read in one day, which I recommend to young adults. The detail in this book is incredible. It's almost like you're there with Leo helping him every step of the way. Better yet if you've ever been the new kid in a big school I strongly recommend that you read it.

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Great Spinelli book., May 6, 2023
Stargirl is such a great book. Spinelli did an awesome job with it. A lot of people can relate to this book. Leo is like everybodyI know (for the most part) he is trying not to be an outcst. Then a new girl come st oschool and calls herself stargirl. She is anything but normal. Along with her to school she brings her ukulele, her pet rat, and her personality. Together they battle with the cold shoulder, basketball games, hot seat, and more. My favorite part of this book was the ending. Leo finds a porcupine necktie on his doorstep.

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Stargirl, May 6, 2023
Stargirl Caraway is an unusual girl. She carries her pet rat on her shoulder to school. She plays and sings happy birthday to people on her ukulele in the lunchroom. And she cheers for the other team. These are only a few weird things that make Stargirl, Stargirl. Leo is the boy telling the story. He is also eventually Stargirl's boyfriend. I am a girl in the sixth grade and enjoyed reading Stargirl. It made me laugh, smile, and want to cry. The only thing I didn't like about Stargirl was the ending. I encourage you to read Stargirl. Trust me it's worth it!

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Stargirl , Apr 28, 2023
Stargirl
Author:Jerry Spinelli.
From the day she arrives at Mica High. The school hum's with the name stargirl,stargirl. Her real name is Susan Julia Caraway a.k.a Stargirl. She's the main event. From cheerleading to singing happy birthday to playing the ukelele. She's all over the map. Leo Borlock with just one smile falls head over heels in love with guess who, Stargirl! They are all impressed, at first. Then they turn on her. Stargirl automatically becomes shunned along with Leo, the Starboy. Leo desperate with love and longing to fit in urges her to become the only thing that could destroy her, normal. Read this story it will take you on a wild ride. True love is truly a powerful thing.
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• > Subjects > Children's Books > People & Places > Social Situations > Peer Pressure
• > Subjects > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( S ) > Spinelli, Jerry
• > Subjects > Teens > Literature & Fiction > General
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