Stargirl (Readers Circle)
by Jerry Spinelli
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Book Reviews of Stargirl (Readers Circle)
Book Review: Autumn from Lake Tapps says, "WORST BOOK EVER!"
Summary: 1 Stars
"Did you see her?" "She was an alien" "home schooling gone amok." Are some of the things Stargirl's classmates would say. Jerry Spinelli is a great writer, but Stargirl was defiantly not one of his better books. Stargirl is very strange and confusing, and obviously her classmates agree!
Stargirl is now attending high school as a junior after being home schooled her whole life! Throughout most of the book Stargirl has a hard time fitting in. She's different- long flowie skirts, she makes scrapbooks of people she doesn't know, she follows people around as a game, and she has rat named Cinnamon that she takes to school. But the other person that is almost always with her in the story is her boyfriend, Leo. Stargirl tries to show Leo that being "popular" and "fitting in" does not matter to her, and that she is free to do and say what she wants.
I actually had lots of parts in this book this book that I didn't like. The back of the book makes it sound like you would want to read it. The back of the book says "She was elusive. She was today. She was tomorrow. She was the faintest scent of a cactus flower, the fitting shadow of an elf owl. We did not know what to make of her. In our minds we tried to pin her to corkboard like a butterfly, but the pin merely went through and away she flew." But to me Stargirl was kind of annoying, a little creepy (following people as a game is creepy to me), and I didn't relate to her character! My least favorite was when her school was having a dance and this girl came up to Stargirl, slapped her, and said "You ruin everything!" Stargirl kissed her on cheek and left!!!
That was my least favorite part because it didn't really make sense to me. I mean, if someone slapped me that's not how I would react! Jerry Spinelli made it seem like she was in a way- sort of happy?
Tons of the characters were unlikable! Half of them were just plain rude-the girl that slapped Stargirl was Hillari Kimble (find out who she is, later in this paragraph)! I didn't like Stargirl (main character) because she was too weird. I didn't like Leo (Stargirl's boyfriend) all that much because he really liked Stargirl and yet since others didn't like her, he was embarrassed to be seen with her! But the absolute most terrible character ever was Hillari Kimble (Stargirl's high school's meanest girl) she was constantly putting people down for no reason!!!
This book also had way too many characters, which made it very confusing! In a part of this book it says that Stargirl likes to change her name a lot. So when she did change her name, I would sometimes forget who and what I was reading about!!! They would also often have back-to-back arguments in this book and it would not always say who was saying what.
I would defiantly NOT recommend this book to anyone! I found Stargirl (the main character, not the book) to be way too peppy and I just didn't want to read about her, after about the fourth chapter! When you go to the library SKIP THIS BOOK!!!
Book Review: Star Girl
Summary: 4 Stars
Synopsis: This story is about a young girl Susan Caraway, who renamed herself Star girI simply because she didn't feel like a "Susan" anymore. She felt whenever her name didn't fit her anymore she could change it, like a shirt, the name Susan was outgrown. The story begins at Mica High where the students were already in their own routine and used to the way things were. That is, until Star girl arrived. It took awhile for students to understand who Star girl was, and truly no one really understood her for sure. However, Leo Borlock came very close. All the while, Star girl invaded Mica High with all her crazy antics of ukuleles, her rat Cinnamon, and singing Happy Birthday to students each day at lunch among many others. At first, people were drawn to Star girl. Unfortunately, her admiring peers wouldn't last long. Once, the Mica's lost the basketball game, everyone blamed Star girl. Her popularity went down the drain. Oddly enough, Leo became more and more accustomed to her antics and eventually fell for Star girl, even though it meant that his entire student body ignored him.
Evaluation: This book was very well-written and kept the audiences attention very well for the genre of contemporary realistic fiction. At times, it was easy to relate to the situations Spinelli wrote about involving Mica High. The author's purpose of this book was to invite an out of the ordinary character into a world of routine. Spinelli wanted to have his reader's have a different outlook when meeting new people and not to "judge a book by the cover." The author wanted the story to relate to teenagers that might be too stuck into their own self to try and consider the feelings and opinions of others around them. The character development was very well-written. Leo Borlock seemed to be on the verge on popular until he grew his feelings toward Star girl. However, Leo held onto his feelings for her as long as he could until he truly could not face not being accepted by his own peer's. Star girl's character was very entertaining. Her crazy antics and love for life is very inspiring. The language and style for this book seems to be a very easy read. Mature adolescents would fit into the category of this book. This book did not have any illustrations, but with the way Spinelli wrote and described his characters, you almost created their portraits in your mind. The author concluded the book with an open-ending. Spinelli seems to leave you to conclude the story on your own. Did Star girl vanish? Has Star girl invaded other cities in hopes to find a place that wasn't so judgmental? This book would be a wonderful resource to teach in reading classes. It has such a positive approach to differences among people and I'm sure would be very inspiring to young adults. At the end of the book there are a list of discussion questions that a teacher could use in Literature Circles as well as a question and answer from the author. These attachments are very useful when curious about why the author wrote the book as well as parts of the books you might have had questions about when you finished reading.
Book Review: Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Summary: 4 Stars
Leo Borlock and every other student at his high school are exactly the same - the way they dress, talk, act, even think. Then a new student shows up: Stargirl. The optimistic, ukulele-playing, strange girl that carries a rat in her bookbag. She's immediately liked by almost everyone and becomes the most popular girl at school because she's so different. But all of that changes one day at a basketball game. Now, no one will even look her in the eye. And as Stargirl's boyfriend, Leo begins getting shunned, too. He asks her to do the one thing that isn't her: be normal.
First of all, this is a middle school grade reading level book, not what I'm used to. But we're learning about Transcendentalism and nonconformity in my English class, and our teacher said this was a perfect contemporary example of it. After I got used to the simple sentence structure and lack of details/better vocab, since this isn't quite young-adult material, I grew really fond of the book. Jerry Spinelli did an amazing job of creating a world where everyone is pretty much clones of each other, and Stargirl is a huge outcast because she's so different. I fell in love with Stargirl from the very beginning: she's never pessimistic, always smiling and finding happiness from the littlest things in life. Saying that she's generous and humble would be an understatement because caring for others is literally all she does. It makes me wish there were more Stargirls in real life, because it would make the world such a better and beautiful place. The characterization was spot-on and I really got to know Stargirl and Leo throughout the book. It hurt me to watch Leo's battle with himself of who's opinion he cared about more: Stargirl's or the kids' at school? I could understand why he felt embarrassed when he was with her, but at the same time, he fell in love with her because she was so different.
There was so much deep meaning in such a simple book. The author touched on the topic of popularity and caring what others think, and I liked the way he portrayed it at the end. Even though Stargirl's character wasn't that realistic, the rest of the book was. I could feel Stargirl's emotions through certain chapters, where she strained to keep a smile on her face even when the whole school was against her. Archie, the wise old man whom all the students visit for advice, is probably one of my favorite fictional characters. He spoke in clever riddles sometimes, not exactly telling Leo the answer, but pushing him in the right direction.
I really, really approved of the ending. It was like the cherry on top, not cheesy and predictable, but just felt right. I'm very interested to read the sequel now and find out what happens next. This was such a creative and different book that will have a lasting impression on me for a long time. I'm so glad I read it and encourage everyone else to. You may just learn something about yourself and society if you read between the lines, and listen carefully to what Archie has to say.
Book Review: Stargirl is supberb!
Summary: 5 Stars
Stargirl is a wonderful book written by Jerry Spinelli. In it, a teenage girl (named Stargirl) comes to a new high school in Mica, Arizona and stirs things up a bit by simply daring to be different. Stargirl is a great story about life in high school that teaches you that it's ok to be different.
The story begins with everybody chatting and gossiping about the "new girl" who is "weird." The main character, Leo, soon learns that the new girl's name is Stargirl. Little does he know that she will affect his life immensely. Because Stargirl is so different, most people try to completely ignore her, or worse- tease and make fun of her. The meanest (and most popular) girl in school, Hillari Kimble, is the main source of all the gossip. Leo is one of the people who ignores her, and yet he finds himself wanting to be with her all the time. Eventually, he starts to like her. Stargirl likes Leo too, and soon they become girlfriend and boyfriend. Mid-way through the book, Stargirl starts to be "normal" because Leo wants her too. She mainly does this for Leo, because he is tired of being ignored. Surprisingly, neither of them is any happier when she changes her name back to Susan and becomes ordinary like everybody else. I was very happy when Stargirl won the oratorical contest because it was the point in the story when Stargirl went back to being herself. Sadly, when she comes home, nobody is there to congratulate her except for her best friend, Dori Dilson. The characters in this book are very believable and easy to relate to, which makes it that more of an interesting book to read. The plot of the story is complex, yet simple at the same time, making it the perfect book.
Stargirl is a very exciting and interesting book that teaches many things. The first, and most obvious life lesson in it is that you shouldn't judge people just based on how they look. There can be so much more to a person than just what brand of clothing they wear or how they act. Another valuable lesson in this wonderful story is that everybody is different, and that that's ok. If everybody was the same all the time, it would be a really boring world. I'm glad there are people that differ from others. The characters are believable simply because they are aren't perfect all the time, just like in real life. Although I don't like that students make fun of Stargirl, in high school that is what would normally happen. No one is perfectly nice all the time. The word choice is slightly boring at times because the author doesn't use very descriptive language, but if you keep reading the book it gets progressively better. Stargirl is an amazing book that people of all ages will enjoy.
Overall, Stargirl is a great book. From the hilarious humor to the sadness that could make you cry, it is an amazing story about surviving high school. I give Stargirl 4.5 stars out of 5.
Book Review: A STAR in the sky of Literature
Summary: 5 Stars
Spinelli, J. (2000). Stargirl. New York: Dell Laurel-Leaf
Synopsis: At Mica High School everyone eats the same, dresses the same, talks the same, acts the same and no one is different. That is until the day that Stargirl shows up. Stargirl is an eccentric, kind home schooled student who does not conform to the same set of values or ideals as the typical students at Mica High School. She has no understanding of what is popular, nor does she realize the invisible social and cultural boundaries that are present around her. Stargirl plays birthday songs for her new classmates, leaves surprises for unsuspecting peers, and even displays random acts of kindness that go unknown. For some time the students are fearful and embarrassed of this stranger. However soon, the individuality of Stargirl spreads to other students. Leo falls head over heels in love with this flower in the desert. He loves everything about especially her individualism. After a fretful incident at basketball game, Stargirl's popularity begins to plummet. She is outcast and shunned by her classmates. In a desperate attempt to save his face and Stargirl's reputation, Leo asks Stargirl to do the unthinkable, to become normal. After a period of normalcy, Stargirl realizes the sacrifice she is making. Leo and his classmates are shocked how Stargirl's presence has changed their lives.
Evaluation: Spinelli's expertly written book brings light to the sensitive issues of nonconformity and popularity within the young adult setting of high school. His text encourages readers to honor differences and individualism. It is an excellent read aloud at the late elementary and middle grades. In addition, Stargirl is a must read for highschool students. One of the golden rules is to love thy neighbor. In Spinelli's book, the invisible social and cultural boundaries become apparent to readers. Displaying unacknowledged random acts of kindness are clearly an unwritten undertone of this book. Readers will likely have a desire to try something extraordinary to see how if affects the lives of those around them. Educators will likely use this text with middle and high school level readers to discuss the meaning of "normal" and popularity within school settings and how the social and cultural boundaries affect the social/emotional well-being of their peers. The author's language is light and airy while bringing such heart-felt topics to the surface in a sensitive manner. Middle and high school level readers are likely to find strong connections from their own lives to this book.