Star Girl
by Jerry Spinelli
Knopf Books for Young Readers (New York: 2000)
186 pages
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.A wonderful story about non-conformity, friendship, high school pressures to fit in, finding someone who makes you look at the world differently... The official description reads: "In this story about the perils of popularity, the courage of nonconformity, and the thrill of first love, an eccentric student named Stargirl changes Mica High School forever."
PW described her as "Part fairy godmother, part outcast, part dream-come-true, the star of Spinelli's novel shares many of the mythical qualities as the protagonist of his Maniac Magee. Spinelli poses searching questions about loyalty to one's friends and oneself and leaves readers to form their own answers." Parents Choice calls it "a unique love story and humorous tragedy." Kirkus Reviews called it "a magical and heartbreaking tale." Booklist was much less forgiving: "Dialogue, plot, and supporting cast are strong: the problem here is Stargirl herself. She may have been homeschooled, may not have seen much TV, but despite her name, she has lived on planet earth for 15 years, and her naivete is overplayed and annoying."
An ALA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults
A Publishers Weekly Choice of the Year's Best Books
View a Booktalk from the Bensenville Community Public Library.
When the author was asked if he believes that people like Stargirl really exist or if she is a fantasy character," he replied that "Stargirl is as real as hope, as real as possibility, as real as the best in human nature. Outrageous? I hope so. Thank goodness for the outrageous among us. I wish I were more outrageous, less predictable, more unrealistic. I understand that the story carries a whiff of fantasy, of the tall tale. The story, and in particular the character, are intended to raise dust in the corners of credibility, to challenge our routine ways of seeing ourselves. When Archie says to Leo, 'She is us more than we are us,' he refers to both her essential humanity and to our own often unrealized potential." That's the appeal for me of course -- I wish I was unique and danced to my own drummer (or ukelele), but am really frightfully boring and conformist.
Ages 12-up, Gr 6-10
Here's a list of books you might like if you liked Stargirl (from Nancy J. Keane and Barrington PL)