Module 7: Stargirl

Summary

Stargirl's parents let her choose her own name, so she goes by Stargirl. She's new to Mica High, and everyone wonders if she is "real." She's quite eccentric, strums a ukulele and sings "Happy Birthday" to people in the cafeteria, she dresses in odd clothes, and sends presents to people she doesn't even know. When Leo, the narrator of the story, first meets her, he doesn't really know what to think. As a matter of fact, he and his friend try to put her on "Hot Seat," the school's informal radio show. Eventually, Stargirl gets to Leo, and they begin dating. He finds that she doesn't care what other people think about her, is very good-hearted, has a great sense of humor, and even has pretty normal parents. But, Leo worries whether his popularity is going to be jeopardized as a result of the relationship. After telling Stargirl that she doesn't have to be the way she is, he is pleasantly surprised when Susan emerges, wearing big hoop earrings and popping bubble gum just like all the other girls. A big part of her identity is lost, but Leo is happy to be associated with normalcy. The relationship ends when Stargirl realizes that she just doesn't want to change herself for a boy.

Personal Impressions

I really liked this story because it teaches a lesson that you should always be yourself. Stargirl did seem pretty far-fetched, and I wondered what high school would allow a girl to strum her ukulele and sing during lunch time. But, perhaps one of the more appealing things was that Spinelli writes about the eccentric. I love a good teenage romance story any day, so I enjoyed the book. Leo is a very realistic character, and how he feels seems relatable. My favorite part is when they start making up greeting cards for random people they see at the mall. Leo makes one up about a lady he saw wipe a booger off. It's funny.

Professional Reviews

Book Report (January/February 2001)

Spinelli spins a poignant and bittersweet story that captures the essence of nonconformity and teenage culture. Stargirl has been home schooled until she enters Mica Area High School in Mica, Arizona, in the 10th grade. Everything about Stargirl is different: She plays her guitar and sings Happy Birthday to students during lunch, commits random acts of kindness, and does not mind remaining anonymous. The students do not know how to deal with her. They are curious and speculate about her. They ignore her, embrace her, shun her, and then accept some of her ideas. One student, Leo, becomes Stargirl's significant other. In assuming this role, he must come to terms with wanting her to be like everyone else and yet not wanting her to change and lose her special qualities. Leo is not mature enough to accept the shunning and some of the other negative consequences of his relationship with Stargirl. He walks away, experiencing an overwhelming sense of loss. He is able to come to terms with this only after many years. This is a story that will ring true both to the young reader and to the older reader who remembers being young. This title is a must for all libraries. Highly Recommended. By Sandra Morton, Middle School Librarian, Friends School of Baltimore (Maryland)

Booklist (Vol. 96, No. 19/20 (June 1, 2000))

Gr. 6-9. Sixteen-year-old Leo recounts Stargirl's sojourn at Mica High in an allegorical story that is engagingly written but overreaches. Everyone notices Stargirl when she comes to school. She wears a granny gown, strums a ukulele, and sings "Happy Birthday" to kids in the cafeteria. She also carries around a pet rat. Her classmates veer between ignoring her and being discreetly fascinated by her weirdness--dancing when there's no music, speaking in class of trolls and stars. Slowly, Stargirl attracts a following, especially after she gives a spellbinding speech in an oratorical contest and singlehandly stirs up school spirit. But her intense popularity is short-lived as, predictably, the teens turn on her. Leo is attracted by Stargirl and her penchant for good works. But just about the time they get together, the rest of the school is shunning her, and to his confusion and despair, Leo eventually turns his back on Stargirl, too. Spinelli firmly captures the high-school milieu, here heightened by the physical and spiritual barrenness of an Arizona location, a new town where people come to work for technology companies and the school team is called the Electrons. 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. When Leo tells her that not everyone likes having somebody with a ukulele sing "Happy Birthday" to them, she is shocked. That she has not noticed she is being shunned is unbelievable, and, at times, readers may feel more sympathy for the bourgeois teens than the earnest, kind, magical Stargirl. That's too bad, because Spinelli's point about the lure and trap of normalcy is a good one. But to make it real, Stargirl needed to have at least one foot on the ground.

Library Uses

This would be a good book to conduct a book talk over. I know students constantly ask the librarian for book recommendations. If the librarian were to spotlight various books at the beginning of class, it may alleviate some of the requests. I also think it would be good idea to highlight literature on a blog that is linked to the school library page. The librarian could blog about books and make recommendations in an online format. Students could access the blog when they come in for library visits, see what books the librarian is spotlighting, and get recommendations from there. Stargirl is the perfect book for both of these activities because it is really too long to read in a library setting, but kids would enjoy reading it. 

References

Cooper, I. (2000). Books for youth: Books for older readers. Booklist, 96(19/20). Retrieved 25 November 2012 from: www.booklistonline.com

Morton, S. (2001). [Review] Stargirl. Book Report, (Jan./Feb. 2001). Retrieved 24 November 2012 from:  www.bookreporter.com

Spinelli, J. (2000). Stargirl. New York, NY: Knopf.