Stargirl Review

There’s a buzzing in the halls of Mica Area High School. Gossip about the new girl, Stargirl Caraway, flows through the students mouths as they exchange their opinions about her strange clothes, so far quiet personality, and the fact that she carries her pet rat with her at all times. Main character Leo Borlock finds interest in the new girl early in the book and soon after starts talking to her. They become friends and Leo finds her to be much more of an interesting girl than he expected. Throughout the book, it’s predictable that Leo and Stargirl will like each other as more than friends. Their journey as close friends continues and Leo gets life advice from Archie, the seemingly ancient man that gives Leo and his best friend Kevin counseling throughout the story. Stargirl causes much controversy at the school, including being a cheerleader and cheering for the opposite team (which upsets the students a lot). As Leo and Stargirl become closer, Leo confesses that he wishes Stargirl was more normal, most likely because many of his peers make fun of him for being friends with the girl that in the public eye is strange.. Stargirl vanishes from school because she is offended by what Leo has said and he can’t find her anywhere. The next thing he knows, he sees her in the courtyard, dressed completely normally to his surprise. He tries to call her by the name he knows her as; Stargirl. But she only responds to Susan. She tried her hardest to fit in, but after all her efforts she went back to being herself, Stargirl. Leo was embarrassed to be associated with a girl as weird as Stargirl, and let their friendship go. Unfortunately, he did not change his mind and never gained new interest in Stargirl. And you will have to read the book to find out the ending.

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli is a fantastic, strange, creative book that I really anjoyed reading. AS for having believable characters, I am not sure. Stargirl seems like quite a character, described as wearing extremely outgoing outfits that are not worn by the stereotypical teenager. “Several times in those early weeks of September, she showed up in something outrageous. A 1920s flapper dress. An Indian buckskin. A kimono…” (10) These are some of the outfits she wore in just her first part of being at her new high school! Although this seems peculiar, I really like how interesting and unexpected Stargirl is and acts. It is easy to tell that Jerry Spinelli worked hard on the book, because many of the characters, including Stargirl, are intriguing and have fascinating tendencies. I liked the pace of this book because it was easy to follow but not boringly slow. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a book that is a twist on the expected boy-meets-girl, girl-and-boy-like-each-other story. The strangeness of the main characters in this book make for a pleasant, yet entertaining read that most will appreciate. Overall I would say this is a very likable book.