Stargirl

Reader reviewed by ECB*

I feel so bad in the end for Stargirl. Hillari just topped of Stargirls bad feelings when she slapped her. I do think Leo could of gone and stood up for himself and go with Stargirl to dance instead of judging her because of what everyone else thought even though they both loved each other. I think Stargirl should move back to Arizona. It wasnt entirely Leo's fault. But I thought It was an excellent story! I love Jerry Spinelli and his books.

Reader reviewed by Dede

Stargirl is about a girl (whose given name is Susan) who marches to the beat of her own drum.  She is an inspiring character and I found myself wanting to be a little more like her.  She has been homeschooled until now (10th grade) when she comes to the high school in Arizona.  Everyone notices her because she does things her own way.  She dresses differently, she meditates, she has a pet rat, she brings her ukelele to school and sings happy birthday to people.  She is just an independent soul.  She gives people gifts without hoping for acknowledgement.  She is nice.  At first everyone likes her and she becomes popular.  She is invited to be a cheerleader.  But then it backfires.  Schoolmates get mad when she cheers for the other team, blaming her for their losses.  They turn their backs on her, all except Leo.  Leo is mesmerized by her and they start dating.  However, when Leo realizes that she is being shunned, and therefore he is also by association, he cracks and wants her to be more like everyone else.  She tries, but it fails.  She goes back to being herself but the damage is done already.  Leo totally disappoints me in this book.  He's not really there for her when she needs him, it's not unconditional love and has a huge effect on Stargirl.  There were parts in this book when my heart hurt for Stargirl, and this is truly a heartfelt book for teens everywhere.  The only thing that didn't sit well for me in this book is that Stargirl had been homeschooled in this town for a long time, and she was always this wacky, true to herself person, and supposedly noone noticed her around town?  It wasn't until she came to school that people paid attention?  Other than that this book is a winner. 

Reader reviewed by Dancerdork

The main character of this book is a weird girl who is falling inlove with a classmate and thinks the things she dose is totally normal. she is the laughing stock of the school but dosnt seem to notice. this book is for all ages 1-100 read it now. STARGIRL.

Reader reviewed by Future Teacher

Despite its raving reviews, Stargirl is rather dull, predictable, and impractical in its depiction of today's high school culture. This is particularly due to Stargirl's overplayed naivete--although the message to embrace individuality is certainly important, Spinelli attempts to transmit it through an unreliable main character too unrealistically oblivious to pressure from her peers. Further, the novel fails to explore the perils of conformity in relation to larger, more complicated social issues like diversity.  Despire its underlying call to celebrate difference and condemn intolerance, the story seemingly forgets to include characters of other ethnicities--those who are deeply affected by pressures to conform and suppress their individuality on a daily basis. Stargirl merely treads the shallow surface of adolescent life, never really exploring deeper, more pertinent concerns that would invite for rich critical analysis.

Reader reviewed by Angelica Maria Denise

Told from the point of view of Leo Borlock, an aware eleventh grader who looks at things from a distance. He knows how Mica Area High School (MAHS) is not a hotspot for noncomformity nor for school spirit. But everything changes faster than a twist in a mystery novel when Stargirl Caraway comes to town. Pet rats, happy wagons, enchanted places, dancing in the rain, flapper dresses, ukeleles! It is all too much for poor Leo. As Archie from Stargirl says: "... she is one of us. Most decidedly, she is more us than we are us. She is, I think, who we really are. Or were.' I recommend it to everyone. It makes me cry, laugh, and wonder around.

Reader reviewed by Meghan W.

Stargirl is an outstanding book about what it's like to be the oddball.

Stargirl is the new kid at school. And she's a little different. First day of school she's wearing an old-fashion dress, and sings happy birthday to a complete stranger in the cafeteria.

Everyone thinks she's weird. Leo doesn't know what to think. Hillari thinks she's an actress, and it's all a big scam. Someone else thinks she's an alien. She isn't real. She can't be.

But Leo realizes she is real. And it looks like she's here to stay.

At first everyone thinks she's kind of funny. Nearly everyday she sings Happy Birthday to someone during lunch, she knows everybody's name, she asks odd questions in class, and on holidays she gives everyone in her homeroom something.

And it turns out Stargirl's got a crush on Leo. And Leo likes her too. Stargirl isn't afraid to tell the world that she's in love.

The more time Leo spends with Stargirl, he realizes that she seems to get something that no one else does. But she also doesn't get how the world sees her.

The kids at school start to shun Stargirl. And Leo too, since he's with her. No one will talk to them. Leo can't stand it, but he wants to stay with Stargirl. He tries to get her to change. Changing Stargirl could be disastrous though. Can Stargirl survive the change?

Reader reviewed by Kiran

Stargirl introduces Leo, whose attention is caught by a new girl at school whose name is Stargirl. Stargirl is an eccentric girl who plays the ukulele, wears unusual outfits, and is just...weird.
The students at her new school do not like her unusualness. She is shunned, and tries to fit in. But it becomes clear that fitting in is just not for her.
The story of Stargirl teaches us that we have to be simply be ourselves, and let loose the Stargirl in all of us.

Reader reviewed by MssJos

Jerry Spinelli has an incredible knack for writing about the "different" kids in school. What is really impressive, is that he gives these characters some amazing strengths, one being the ability to overcome the odds and deeply impact the lives of everyone they encounter. Stargirl is no exception.

Leo Borlock is a shy eleventh-grader who directs/produces a show called The Hot Seat. When a new girl comes to his school straight out of being home-schooled, it is only a matter of time before she ends up on his show.

Stargirl is different--and not just because of her name. She plays the ukulele in the cafeteria while singing Happy Birthday to students she doesn't even know, she has a pet rat who travels with her everywhere, she cheers for both teams at basketball games, and she captures Leo's heart. Torn between siding with his peers who thinks she's crazy and Stargirl who's smile lights up his life, Leo must choose whose affection he values more. After Stargirl's unforgettable appearance on The Hotseat, Leo tries to help Stargirl fit in but instead, he learns a valuable lesson about the importance of standing out.

"We wanted to define her, to wrap her up as we did each other...Her ways
knocked us off balance." (p.11)

"She was elusive. She was today. She was tomorrow. She was the faintest
scent of 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 a corkboard like a
butterfly, but the pin merely went through and away she flew." (p.15)

In Stargirl Spinelli does a wonderful job of capturing the intensity of the pressure to conform adolescents are subjected to in high school. After experiencing this novel, we as readers can't help but hope we all have a little bit of Stargirl in us.

Reader reviewed by Nic

Leo Borlock's world is about to be turned upside down the day Stargirl Carraway enrolls at Mica High. Previously homeschooled, Stargirl is a fascinating new creature in the conformist town of Mica, with her outlandish outfits, pet rat, and complete lack of self-consciousness. Her schoolmates' curiousity about her leads to wide-spread adoring and emulation, and Leo Borlocks finds himself falling in love with her. Then Stargirl makes one social faux pas too many, and the school's population turns on her overnight. Leo tries to teach her to conform, and comes disastrously close to ruining all that she is.


"Stargirl" cannot be summed up in a review; it is so much more than anything I can tell you. Like Leo Borlock and Mica High, a little piece of you will change upon meeting her.

Reader reviewed by teena

wow talk about weird :)

i read stargirl when i was in 7th grade. it was unusual...but i loved it. we read books on the revolutionary war and ray bradbury, but nothing like this. it made me laugh. stargirl is a great character, although un-normal. maybe that's why i liked her so much and this book.