Helpful Score: 5
I read Stargirl because I thought it was about a homeschooled girl and the transition to being in a school. It is that, but it is much more.
It is about being yourself, yet trying to fit in. It is about not caring what others think about you, yet wanting to have friends. It is about school being about more than what is taught by the teachers in the classrooms. It is about life being about more than school and work.
The fact that Stargirl was homeschooled before attending Mica Area High School is somewhat incidental. She could have almost as easily been from another part of the country, or even a different country. It is a way for the author to emphasize that she was not entrenched in "how school works" and the social aspects surrounding school, cliques, and school activities. Having Stargirl be a former homeschooler emphasizes that she is comfortable in her individuality.
This is a great book for anyone interested in viewing teen life through the perspective of a kind, naive, outsider. If you ever felt like the "odd one" in school, this will resonate with you.
It is about being yourself, yet trying to fit in. It is about not caring what others think about you, yet wanting to have friends. It is about school being about more than what is taught by the teachers in the classrooms. It is about life being about more than school and work.
The fact that Stargirl was homeschooled before attending Mica Area High School is somewhat incidental. She could have almost as easily been from another part of the country, or even a different country. It is a way for the author to emphasize that she was not entrenched in "how school works" and the social aspects surrounding school, cliques, and school activities. Having Stargirl be a former homeschooler emphasizes that she is comfortable in her individuality.
This is a great book for anyone interested in viewing teen life through the perspective of a kind, naive, outsider. If you ever felt like the "odd one" in school, this will resonate with you.
Helpful Score: 3
At Mica High School in Mica, Arizona, things are quiet and uneventful. Everyone dresses alike. Everyone thinks alike. No one does anything that their neighbor wouldn't do.
Until Stargirl comes along.
Homeschooled for years, Stargirl defies categorization. She wears long, flowing pioneer dresses daily, intermingled with outrageous costumes. She serenades people with her ukulele at lunch on their birthdays. She brings her pet rat Cinnamon to school. She looks strangers in the eye. She dances to no music and seems to understand something about life that her classmates do not. Mica students aren't sure what to do with her, and she goes from being interesting to admired to shunned and finally ostracized.
Leo Borlock was perfectly happy with his generic Mica life. Then, against his will, he finds himself falling for Stargirl. The two share an incredible, eye-opening romance. In their own little world, everything is perfect and magical. But when they have to face their critical classmates, what will happen to their relationship?
This is by far Jerry Spinelli's best novel. It is a beautifully written story about nonconformity and the seeds of magic and quirkiness that we all possess, though we may not realize it. Readers will wish that they were friends with Stargirl. I was unsatisfied with the ending, but I understand why Spinelli would have ended the novel in that way. There is nothing I would change about this extremely touching and timeless story. I recommend this to everyone, regardless of their age.
Until Stargirl comes along.
Homeschooled for years, Stargirl defies categorization. She wears long, flowing pioneer dresses daily, intermingled with outrageous costumes. She serenades people with her ukulele at lunch on their birthdays. She brings her pet rat Cinnamon to school. She looks strangers in the eye. She dances to no music and seems to understand something about life that her classmates do not. Mica students aren't sure what to do with her, and she goes from being interesting to admired to shunned and finally ostracized.
Leo Borlock was perfectly happy with his generic Mica life. Then, against his will, he finds himself falling for Stargirl. The two share an incredible, eye-opening romance. In their own little world, everything is perfect and magical. But when they have to face their critical classmates, what will happen to their relationship?
This is by far Jerry Spinelli's best novel. It is a beautifully written story about nonconformity and the seeds of magic and quirkiness that we all possess, though we may not realize it. Readers will wish that they were friends with Stargirl. I was unsatisfied with the ending, but I understand why Spinelli would have ended the novel in that way. There is nothing I would change about this extremely touching and timeless story. I recommend this to everyone, regardless of their age.
Helpful Score: 2
A wonderful, touching story for any adolescant boy or girl. Very insightful into today's young adult's thought processes.
Helpful Score: 2
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 corkboard like a butterfly, but the pin merely went through and away she flew.
This book is delight for everyone who has ever been sixteen (or anyone working on getting there). By far, my favorite of Spinelli's work, and I LOVE Spinelli.
This book is delight for everyone who has ever been sixteen (or anyone working on getting there). By far, my favorite of Spinelli's work, and I LOVE Spinelli.
Helpful Score: 2
This is a great book that any teen can relate to. It is funny in the great Spinelli style with the humor more geared towards teens. Every student that I recommend this book to loves it and asks if I will loan it to one of their friends. (Even if the friend is not in my class!)
Helpful Score: 1
I read Stargirl because I thought it was about a homeschooled girl and the transition to being in a school. It is that, but it is much more.
It is about being yourself, yet trying to fit in. It is about not caring what others think about you, yet wanting to have friends. It is about school being about more than what is taught by the teachers in the classrooms. It is about life being about more than school and work.
The fact that Stargirl was homeschooled before attending Mica Area High School is somewhat incidental. She could have almost as easily been from another part of the country, or even a different country. It is a way for the author to emphasize that she was not entrenched in "how school works" and the social aspects surrounding school, cliques, and school activities. Having Stargirl be a former homeschooler emphasizes that she is comfortable in her individuality.
This is a great book for anyone interested in viewing teen life through the perspective of a kind, naive, outsider. If you ever felt like the "odd one" in school, this will resonate with you.
It is about being yourself, yet trying to fit in. It is about not caring what others think about you, yet wanting to have friends. It is about school being about more than what is taught by the teachers in the classrooms. It is about life being about more than school and work.
The fact that Stargirl was homeschooled before attending Mica Area High School is somewhat incidental. She could have almost as easily been from another part of the country, or even a different country. It is a way for the author to emphasize that she was not entrenched in "how school works" and the social aspects surrounding school, cliques, and school activities. Having Stargirl be a former homeschooler emphasizes that she is comfortable in her individuality.
This is a great book for anyone interested in viewing teen life through the perspective of a kind, naive, outsider. If you ever felt like the "odd one" in school, this will resonate with you.
Helpful Score: 1
Jerry Spinelli is one of my favorite authors even well into adulthood. He still teaches the simple lessons I missed in childhood. Stargirl is a sweet,funny, at time heartbreaking story about being brave and the beauty of first love. I look forward to reading the sequel to this "Love, Stargirl".
Helpful Score: 1
This book was amazing (: I read it a few years ago and fell in love with. I've read it every year since then! It makes you cry, smile, and laugh. Some of the things Stargirl does just makes you wish you could've thought of those genius ideas first! Wonderfully written. One of my all time favorites! HIGHLY SUGGESTED!
Helpful Score: 1
This book is amazing! Its a MUST read for any junior high or even High school aged girl. It makes you think, yet its heart warming, charming and inspirational! (You may end up reading it multiple times!)
Helpful Score: 1
An amazing book about a girl that you wish everyone was more like. Definitely a book everyone should read.
Helpful Score: 1
This was a REALLY good book. It is all about a girl who is different from everybody else at her highschool. Then Leo, an average guy at the highschool, falls in love with her. I stayed up till 1:30am finishing it up!
Helpful Score: 1
A great young adult book that adults will enjoy as well.
Helpful Score: 1
Wonderful book about a girl whos is different, special in her own way
Weird, random, and crazy. You will probably like it.
I don't like giving books 5 out of 5, but when a book has a positive message that isn't delivered in a stickingly sweet way, it deverses some major accolades.
Spinelli points to the Stargirl in all of us. To that force inside that stops dead in their tracks to smell the air, cries at a sad story on the news, or beams a huge smile at a stranger. But we restrained our Stargirl to accept the norms of society, to use her when we please, versus letting her run free. Stargirl is about one person who lets her star out, who embodies a reality beyond the restraints of society. Spinelli explores what would happen to that person when facing the harshest critics on earth, High School students. Stargirl borders on the mystical, at moments I did not believe she was human. Spinelli's world is thrown in huge extremes, in an extreme climate-the Arizona desert. Stargirl feels real and impossible at the same time. The new world will enchant you.
I recommend this book to the YA crowd naturally, but also to anyone with a child in high school or has faced school bullying.
Spinelli points to the Stargirl in all of us. To that force inside that stops dead in their tracks to smell the air, cries at a sad story on the news, or beams a huge smile at a stranger. But we restrained our Stargirl to accept the norms of society, to use her when we please, versus letting her run free. Stargirl is about one person who lets her star out, who embodies a reality beyond the restraints of society. Spinelli explores what would happen to that person when facing the harshest critics on earth, High School students. Stargirl borders on the mystical, at moments I did not believe she was human. Spinelli's world is thrown in huge extremes, in an extreme climate-the Arizona desert. Stargirl feels real and impossible at the same time. The new world will enchant you.
I recommend this book to the YA crowd naturally, but also to anyone with a child in high school or has faced school bullying.
This book makes you realize how important it is to think before you speak.
I am a homeschooled 11 year old girl. This book stood out for me because I guess you could say that I have trouble absorbing most books, and when my mother asks me what happened in a story, I have nothing to say, because my mind was on other things. This book caught my attention. It kept me reading even when I had the option to play games online. It's just that kind of book that activates a certain special part of your mind so that you feel as the characters feel, and are involved with the story as though you were a part of it. This book affected me emotionally.
I really enjoyed this book. I found myself really liking Stargirl for all that she was. She is the girl that I sometimes wished I could be in high school but I was too much like Leo at times. There were many times that I found myself feeling like Leo did but wishing that he would go after her and embrace her differences. Don't we all want to be like her, self actualized enough that we are comfortable with our own skin? At the end of the book it was clear that she was the most remembered. Those that were "normal" fell off into obscurity. I felt so bad for Leo for missing out taking Stargirl to the dance and I was ashamed of him when he was proud of her for being normal. Although, I did not want her to pass him by. Stargirl was at times so insightful and Leo just needed to grow into her.
Easy to read, but hard to describe. The main character is different from her classmates but she doesn't know the social code so she is not hurt by the laughter. Reading this books makes you stop and think about how you treat others.
Vivid, and beautiful story. I read it in one sitting!
this is an incredible book. it's not just another light, chick-lit kind of read. despite the fact that you can read it in a day, it really makes you think about life and people.
a masterpiece (imho)
A story about first love and fitting in set in a high school in Arizona. Jerry Spinelli does a good job with this one. It's really good.
Another Spinelli classic! Stargirl is a wonderful story about being yourself and coming to appreciate someone for who they are. Love it!
This is an inspirational book about how one girl can make a difference in the lives of everyone she meets just by being different.
It was an OK read, probably won't recommend it.
Absolutely LOVED this book! It's geared toward teens, but is well written and anyone can enjoy. This girl comes into town and stirs it up. Everyone thinks she is so weird and has the strangest name, but once she starts making friends EVERYONE loves her! I can not wait to read the second one, "Love, Stargirl".
A beautiful story about a girl that doesn't quite fit in.
a quirky tale of young teenagers at school. overall, simply a good story.
Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com
Stargirl Caraway is an enigma. She's the type of girl that you either love or hate--with no room for any emotions in between. When she first comes to the high-school as a sophomore in small town Mica, Arizona, her name reverberates throughout the hallways. What kind of a name is Stargirl? Was she really home-schooled for all these years, or did she just magically appear in Mica? How can she seem so calm, so serene, why eating quietly alone in the lunchroom, then strumming her ukulele as if all alone?
The boys in school are immediately struck by her quiet, unassuming beauty. The girls are both jealous of her innate naturalness and excited to have her enthusiasm in the school. For Leo Borlock, it's a mixture of fear and excitement that has him falling in love with the mysterious Stargirl--and a desire to see her on the Hot Seat, the in-school television show he runs with his best friend, Kevin.
The kids at school embrace Stargirl--her quirkiness, her individuality, her enthusiasm and exuberance for everything she does. She discovers friends and cheerleading, and she's popular. Popular, that is, until she starts rooting for the opposition, determined to bring joy and happiness to everyone, not just her home team. Suddenly, she's not the popular girl that everyone wants to be around. The same individuality that was once embraced is now snubbed, literally, by almost everyone in school. Except for Leo, who's in love with the enigmatic Stargirl, a girl who whole-heartedly loves him back.
Until Leo is forced to choose between the affections of an entire school full of classmates and the maybe-too-individual Stargirl. When faced with the choice of one person versus many, Leo might not be strong enough to make the right decision.
Jerry Spinelli has penned a book that goes straight to the heart of wanting to fit in, of sometimes being too good to believe, of life and love and heartbreak and the desire to be different, yet the same as everyone else. STARGIRL is a pure delight, and you won't be able to help being drawn into this very believable story, and it's truly unbelievable characters.
Stargirl Caraway is an enigma. She's the type of girl that you either love or hate--with no room for any emotions in between. When she first comes to the high-school as a sophomore in small town Mica, Arizona, her name reverberates throughout the hallways. What kind of a name is Stargirl? Was she really home-schooled for all these years, or did she just magically appear in Mica? How can she seem so calm, so serene, why eating quietly alone in the lunchroom, then strumming her ukulele as if all alone?
The boys in school are immediately struck by her quiet, unassuming beauty. The girls are both jealous of her innate naturalness and excited to have her enthusiasm in the school. For Leo Borlock, it's a mixture of fear and excitement that has him falling in love with the mysterious Stargirl--and a desire to see her on the Hot Seat, the in-school television show he runs with his best friend, Kevin.
The kids at school embrace Stargirl--her quirkiness, her individuality, her enthusiasm and exuberance for everything she does. She discovers friends and cheerleading, and she's popular. Popular, that is, until she starts rooting for the opposition, determined to bring joy and happiness to everyone, not just her home team. Suddenly, she's not the popular girl that everyone wants to be around. The same individuality that was once embraced is now snubbed, literally, by almost everyone in school. Except for Leo, who's in love with the enigmatic Stargirl, a girl who whole-heartedly loves him back.
Until Leo is forced to choose between the affections of an entire school full of classmates and the maybe-too-individual Stargirl. When faced with the choice of one person versus many, Leo might not be strong enough to make the right decision.
Jerry Spinelli has penned a book that goes straight to the heart of wanting to fit in, of sometimes being too good to believe, of life and love and heartbreak and the desire to be different, yet the same as everyone else. STARGIRL is a pure delight, and you won't be able to help being drawn into this very believable story, and it's truly unbelievable characters.
I loved it 100%.
Amazing book, honestly. About the girl everybody wish they knew.
I was really looking forward to reading this book, but sadly, I didn't like it much. Jerry Spinelli's Stargirl is a book about a strange girl who comes to school and the boy who falls in love with her. Part of the problem is that I recently read Eleanor and Park, by Rainbow Rowell and it was such a fabulous book, dealing with basically the same subject. So, I'd hoped I'd love Stargirl just as much. Nope. Not even close. My recommendations? If you're looking for a sweet teen romance between a strange, misunderstood girl and the boy who dares to love her, read Eleanor and Park and skip this one. Sorry. Only 2 stars.
I understand completely why the early teenagers (especially girls!) of the YA audience would love this book. Stargirl is a free spirit just like we all wish we could be. She's chosen her own name. She dresses crazily, dances uninhibitedly, spreads kind messages and encouragement wherever she can, asks nothing in return, and finds love. She's kooky and non-conformist, open-hearted, generous and trusting. She even understands and forgives those who betray her. Wow.
I just wish this book had been written a hundred years ago, so I could have discovered it as an early teenager, fallen in love with it and named it my first favorite book of all time, ever. Alas. I'm just too old for it, I think. But I get why it's intended audience will absolutely love it. Fours stars for them. Two and a half for me. Alas.
**1/2 Two and a half stars.
I just wish this book had been written a hundred years ago, so I could have discovered it as an early teenager, fallen in love with it and named it my first favorite book of all time, ever. Alas. I'm just too old for it, I think. But I get why it's intended audience will absolutely love it. Fours stars for them. Two and a half for me. Alas.
**1/2 Two and a half stars.
My daughter read this over the summer and loved it as it reminded her of being homeschooled and transitioning to the public school arena.
From Amazon.com editorial reviews . . . "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.
From Amazon.com editorial reviews . . . "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.
One of the author's better books!
Great for any age! The words the author uses paints wonderful story of honoring individuality.
A lot of people seemed to like this book, but I found it overly sentimental and hard to connect to the main characters. I think I didn't like it for the same reason I didn't like the movie Patch Adams. Sometimes misfits trying to change the world come off as creepy.
This is one of my favorite YA novels. I simply adore it.
My 14 year daughter read for an English Honors class assignmentin 8th grade and truly enjoyed it.
Great book. I have ordered several copies and given them to my middle school nieces and granddaughter who love them.
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 cork board like a butterfly, but the pin merely went through and away she flew.
favorite of my bookloving daughter
Great book for adolescents by Newbury Medal winner
Stargirl. From the day she arrives at Mica High, the halls are filled with murmurs of, "Stargirl, Stargirl". She captures Leo Borlock's heart with just one smile. She sparks a school-spirit revolution with just one cheer. The students of Mica High are enchanted. At first.
Then they turn on her. Stargirl is suddenly shunned for everything that makes her different, and Leo, desperate with love, he urges her to become the one thing that can destroy her: normal.
Then they turn on her. Stargirl is suddenly shunned for everything that makes her different, and Leo, desperate with love, he urges her to become the one thing that can destroy her: normal.
mint condition...not sure if it has even been read before
This book has a few highlights, but otherwise is in very good condition.
