- Paperback: 192 pages
- Publisher: Orchard Books; New edition edition (July 1 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1841219266
- ISBN-13: 978-1841219264
- Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.8 x 1.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 222 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (490 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,036,662 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
"She was homeschooling gone amok." "She was an alien." "Her parents were circus acrobats." These are only a few of the theories concocted to explain Stargirl Caraway, a new 10th grader at Arizona's Mica Area High School who wears pioneer dresses and kimonos to school, strums a ukulele in the cafeteria, laughs when there are no jokes, and dances when there is no music. The whole school, not exactly a "hotbed of nonconformity," is stunned by her, including our 16-year-old narrator Leo Borlock: "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."
In time, incredulity gives way to out-and-out adoration as the student body finds itself helpless to resist Stargirl's wide-eyed charm, pure-spirited friendliness, and penchant for celebrating the achievements of others. In the ultimate high school symbol of acceptance, she is even recruited as a cheerleader. Popularity, of course, is a fragile and fleeting state, and bit by bit, Mica sours on their new idol. Why is Stargirl showing up at the funerals of strangers? Worse, why does she cheer for the opposing basketball teams? The growing hostility comes to a head when she is verbally flogged by resentful students on Leo's televised Hot Seat show in an episode that is too terrible to air. While the playful, chin-held-high Stargirl seems impervious to the shunning that ensues, Leo, who is in the throes of first love (and therefore scornfully deemed "Starboy"), is not made of such strong stuff: "I became angry. I resented having to choose. I refused to choose. I imagined my life without her and without them, and I didn't like it either way."
Jerry Spinelli, author of Newbery Medalist Maniac Magee, Newbery Honor Book Wringer, and many other excellent books for teens, elegantly and accurately captures the collective, not-always-pretty emotions of a high school microcosm in which individuality is pitted against conformity. Spinelli's Stargirl is a supernatural teen character--absolutely egoless, altruistic, in touch with life's primitive rhythms, meditative, untouched by popular culture, and supremely self-confident. It is the sensitive Leo whom readers will relate to as he grapples with who she is, who he is, who they are together as Stargirl and Starboy, and indeed, what it means to be a human being on a planet that is rich with wonders. (Ages 10 to 14) --Karin Snelson --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Publishers Weekly
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, said PW in our Best Books citation. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too,
By TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Stargirl (Mass Market Paperback)
Stargirl Caraway is an enigma. She's the type of girl that you either love or hate--with no room for any emotions in between. When she first comes to the high-school as a sophomore in small town Mica, Arizona, her name reverberates throughout the hallways. What kind of a name is Stargirl? Was she really home-schooled for all these years, or did she just magically appear in Mica? How can she seem so calm, so serene, while eating quietly alone in the crowded lunchroom, then strumming her ukulele as if all by herself ?The boys in school are immediately struck by her quiet, unassuming beauty. The girls are both jealous of her innate naturalness and excited to have her enthusiasm in the school. For Leo Borlock, it's a mixture of fear and excitement that has him falling in love with the mysterious Stargirl--and a desire to see her on the Hot Seat, the in-school television show he runs with his best friend, Kevin. The kids at school embrace Stargirl--her quirkiness, her individuality, her enthusiasm and exuberance for everything she does. She discovers friends and cheerleading, and she's popular. Popular, that is, until she starts rooting for the opposition, determined to bring joy and happiness to everyone, not just her home team. Suddenly, she's not the popular girl that everyone wants to be around. The same individuality that was once embraced is now snubbed, literally, by almost everyone in school. Except for Leo, who's in love with the enigmatic Stargirl, a girl who whole-heartedly loves him back. Until Leo is forced to choose between the affections of an entire school full of classmates and the maybe too individual Stargirl. When faced with the choice of one person versus many, Leo might not be strong enough to make the right decision. Jerry Spinelli has penned a book that goes straight to the heart of wanting to fit in, of sometimes being too good to believe, of life and love and heartbreak and the desire to be different, yet the same as everyone else. STARGIRL is a pure delight, and you won't be able to help being drawn into this very believable story, and its truly unbelievable characters. Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wow...amazing,
This review is from: Stargirl (Mass Market Paperback)
This is a great book to read. The beginning is kind of boring though. Who cares about the ties and stuff. All I can about is Stargirl. Somehow when you finish the book you will want more of it. It kind of feels like there's still more but it's not done.
5.0 out of 5 stars
To conform or not to conform, that is the question.,
By
This review is from: Stargirl (Paperback)
Stargirl, with a name like that she would have to be an original and she is. No one at Mica High has ever met anyone so non-conformant to the group norm. Stargirl sings happy birthday to student in the cafeteria while playing her ukulele. She drops money on the sidewalk for little kids to find. She cheers for BOTH teams at sports tournaments. Can anyone this selfless and caring survive the pressure to "follow the unwritten school rules" of behavior? Will her individuality be squashed or will the town of Mica, Arizona never be the same?Karen Woodworth-Roman
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