by Jerry Spinelli
Genre: Middle grade contemporary
My Rating: ★★★★
Description:
Leo Borlock's life is pretty ordinary. He goes to an ordinary school in an ordinary town filled with ordinary people who blend with the crowd and try not to stand out too much. And then one day, a new girl shows up at Mica high school -- a girl who doesn't blend in, who doesn't even try. Her name says it all: Stargirl Caraway.
Stargirl becomes a bright spot in Leo's ordinary life. But in a school like his, unique and popular are two different things entirely. Soon, he's forced to ask himself -- what does his value more? His social standing, or the girl he's quickly beginning to fall in love with?
Overall Thoughts
My brothers were actually reading Stargirl for literature class this year, and my Mom (aka, the Literature teacher) told me I'd really like it. And guess what? I did. I actually read the whole thing in just a couple of hours. I liked the message of celebrating nonconformity. The writing style. And the homeschool rep! (Which I do not see enough of in fiction).
The Characters
Most of the characters were fairly stereotypical, but I'm going to venture to say that that was an intentional choice made by the author. The character that truly stands out is Stargirl herself, both in the story and on the page. Everyone else feels average, one of the crowd, including the narrator, Leo. But I think that this really helps emphasise the themes of the book.
Writing
The Characters
Most of the characters were fairly stereotypical, but I'm going to venture to say that that was an intentional choice made by the author. The character that truly stands out is Stargirl herself, both in the story and on the page. Everyone else feels average, one of the crowd, including the narrator, Leo. But I think that this really helps emphasise the themes of the book.
Writing
The writing was really simple and also really impactful at the same time. I find that a lot of middle grade falls into one of two camps -- simplistic, dumbed down language choices, or simple, purposeful language choices that can be enjoyed by any audience. Stargirl falls into the latter category. I especially loved the descriptions of the desert, because those were just beautiful.
Overall, I really enjoyed Stargirl.
Content
Recommended for ages 9 and up.
Content
Recommended for ages 9 and up.
No swearing that I can remember. Mentions of kissing. Stargirl is bullied.
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