Module 7: Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Book Summary: Stargirl is new to Mica High School. She's colorful, eccentric, and has a presence. Leo Borlock falls in love with her, as does most of the school, until they no longer find her so enchanting. It's once the school have changed their minds about her that Leo starts to want Stargirl to change herself.

APA Citation: Spinelli, J. (2002). Stargirl. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Impressions: I remember this being extremely popular when I was in high school. I don't know why I never picked it up before this class, but I do think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it in the middle of the high school dramas, cliques, and social expectations. I might have related more to the story than I do now.

Most of my thoughts during this book were my surprise at the school's quick acceptance of Stargirl at the beginning. She doesn't fit into a box and she is the type of person that remains genuine and true to herself because that's the only way she knows how to be. I found her an admirable character at times but not completely realistic.

Reality set in when the tides changed and the school and her boyfriend, Leo, wanted her to begin to fit into the box that she should already had been in. I wanted her to dump him and leave as soon as he started trying to make her more "normal".

What I did find interesting was how supernatural Stargirl appeared and felt. She was other and at the same time relatable. It's a book that I think should be encouraged, especially for younger readers, but one that I did not fully connect with.

Professional Review: For the nondescript town of Mica, Arizona, being different is not a way of life. When Stargirl arrives, walking around with a ukulele and a pet rat named Cinnamon, she is the definition of different. 

Her mold did not fit that of the boring Mica Area High School (MAHS), which had never seen somebody boldly walk through the lunchroom and sing "Happy Birthday" to that day's recipient. Everybody thought she was a hoax, a scam, a way for the administration to raise school spirit. Everybody but Leo Borlock, who found her charming, intriguing, and beautiful; so when his best friend, Kevin, insists they bring Stargirl on their in-school interview show, Hot Seat, Leo is faced with the growing feelings he's kept hidden. 

This bittersweetness sets the tone for the engaging novel Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, Newbery Honor Medalist for Maniac Magee. Magee is the story of a boy who's caught in society's racial boundaries and of his engagement with crossing those boundaries. Stargirl, also a socially responsive story, solidifies Spinelli's ability to view the world through the lens of a child and weave his observations into a profoundly enriching and thought-provoking novel. 

It's no easy feat that Spinelli can create a larger-than-life, yet relatable character. Stargirl is written so realistically that it's not easy to describe her personality completely; it's through the narrative of Leo Borlock that the reader begins to understand Stargirl's uniqueness. Leo describes the school's reaction to the girl who asks questions about trolls in U.S. History class, says hello to strangers (whose names she knows) in the hallway, and dances outside in the rain instead of being in class. Through his lens, we connect to Stargirl, even feel proud of her seemingly ignorant antiestablishment motivations. But, like the students of MAHS, we also wonder if she's true and balk at her embarrassing antics and individuality. 

Simultaneously, we follow Leo's fears that Stargirl will change, as it is "unthinkable she could survive (at least unchanged) among us." As the students attempt to define Stargirl, Leo recognizes their transformation in defining themselves, even if subconciously. "The pronoun 'we' itself seemed to crack and drift apart in pieces." 

The supporting characters are portrayed with such realism we feel drawn to their feelings, their hopes, and their rejection of the unfamiliar. We try to define Stargirl just as they do, wondering if she could possibly be real. Jerry Spinelli answers this with, "Stargirl is as real as hope, as real as possibility, as real as the best in human nature." This idealistic approach to our desire to tidily place Stargirl in definitive terms, forces us to recognize our own stereotypes while following the novel's story. 

Stargirl creates this conversation, placing it as a "Reader's Circle" choice. Although labeled as a young adult novel,Stargirl is engaging for many age groups, including the not so young adults. Spinelli's themes of conformity, change, and inspiration and his imperfect characters are things we can connect with throughout our own lives, making Stargirla must read for all.

She laughed when there was no joke. She danced when there was no music. She was elusive. She was today. She was tomorrow.

Miller, S. (2009). Stargirl: a modern day tall tale [Review of the book Stargirl by J. Spinelli]. Powells.com. Retrieved March 5, 2015 from http://www.powells.com/review/2009_02_28.html.

Library Uses: I would add this to a display for strong female characters. I'd highlight it during Women's History Month along with other books about fictional and real female characters.