Review: Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Published: September 2002

Publisher: Scholastic

Format: purchased

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis

Leo Borlock follows the unspoken rule at Mica Area High School: don't stand out--under any circumstances! Then Stargirl arrives at Mica High and everything changes--for Leo and for the entire school. After 15 years of home schooling, Stargirl bursts into tenth grade in an explosion of color and a clatter of ukulele music, enchanting the Mica student body.

But the delicate scales of popularity suddenly shift, and Stargirl is shunned for everything that makes her different. Somewhere in the midst of Stargirl's arrival and rise and fall, normal Leo Borlock has tumbled into love with her.

My Thoughts

Stargirl tore me to pieces. It’s the story of a girl who goes by Stargirl and she decides to stop homeschooling and attend the local high school. She is a free spirit, to say the least, she dresses how she likes and says what she wants and doesn’t care what others think.

Leo the opposite of Stargirl he doesn’t want to be different. He wants to just lay low and not makes waves and just make it through high school. However, he does find something special in Stargirl and soon finds himself wanting to know more about her and find out what makes her the way she is.

I honestly loved this read. I know kids can be cruel and being different can make others uncomfortable but I loved how she didn’t care and wanted to be the best person she could even if that meant being different. I also liked Leo and while he made me a little mad at least because he struggled with his feelings for her. I mean I get how it is hard being a teen and how you just want be accepted and being different sometimes isn’t the best but at times I didn’t like how he treated her but being Stargirl she never really let that get her down.

Overall I loved the message of this book. That being an individual is a good thing and yes being a teen is hard but you can be yourself and not always have to fall in with the crowd. Just be your authentic self and live your best life possible. Nothing else matters. This is one book I encourage all to read we could all learn a thing or two from Stargirl.