Review of Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli is a tale of belonging and popularity, of standing out and being your own person. Mica Area High School (MAHS) is full of regular kids; no one gets too excited about attending pep rallies or games, and no one is too worried about teachers or grades. Leo Borlock, the narrator, says his school is “not exactly a hotbed of nonconformity” (Spinelli, 2000, p. 10). Everyone fits a standard teenage mold, until one day, a ukulele-strumming girl appears wearing a long flowing dress. Her name is Stargirl, and she changes everything.

Image

Image of the novel, Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli. [Cover image of Stargirl]. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stargirl_(novel)

Evaluation

Stargirl is beautifully written, with figurative, musical language throughout the novel that brings the story to life. Spinelli uses metaphors to describe Stargirl’s ethereal qualities and to show how the “regular” students at MAHS don’t know what to make of her: “She was today. She was tomorrow. She was the faintest scent of a cactus flower, the flitting shadow of an elf owl” (Spinelli, 2000, p. 15). The students try to define her and pin her down, but Stargirl is unique. The language throughout the novel has a musical quality to it, and the sentences almost beg to read aloud: “She laughed when there was no joke. She danced when there was no music. She had no friends, yet she was the friendliest person in the school” (Spinelli, 2000, p. 10). Even early in the book, it is clear that Stargirl is different, and Spinelli’s language convey this to the reader.

The characters in the novel are believable and well-defined. We meet Leo, who prefers things to be normal, and Stargirl, who is unique and truly her own person. At one point, early on in the novel, Stargirl becomes the most popular person at school. Leo asks, “Was it the cheerleading?... Was it a Hillari Kimble backlash? … Was it Dori Dilson? … Was it us? Did we change?” (Spinelli, 2000, pp. 36-38). Throughout the book, Leo poses a variety of questions. These questions mirror the questioning that is going on inside Leo, as he tries to figure out who Stargirl is and what it means to be popular or to be different. The characters struggle with issues just as most high school students do, making the book both believable and relatable.

Finally, Stargirl is full of unexpected insights, and this is part of what makes it such a strong novel. The reader struggles along with Leo as he tries to figure out what he wants and whether he can accept Stargirl as she is. At one point, when Stargirl is cheering for the opposite team and her classmates are booing her, Leo notices, for the first time that “she didn’t seem to notice. She did not seem to notice” (Spinelli, 2000, pp. 52-53). But Leo notices, and it matters to him. Later in the story, Leo goes to see retired paleontologist, Archie Brubaker, to try to get some answers. In their discussion, Archie sates, “She’s not that easy to put into words, is she? … She seems to be in touch with something that the rest of us are missing” (Spinelli, 2000, p. 103). This is the heart of the story; Stargirl’s uniqueness sets her apart from everyone else. She doesn’t care that she is different. These insights hit Leo (and the reader) as he struggles to figure out if he wants to belong, or if he can be okay with being different and standing apart.

Response

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Stargirl. Stargirl resonated with me because high school is a time when many of us search to find our identities. I remember trying desperately to figure out where I fit in freshman year. It wasn’t until I transferred to a tiny private school sophomore year that I found my niche. In the novel, Leo seeks normalcy; he does not want to stand apart. Leo describes his classmates as conformists: “if we happened to somehow distinguish ourselves, we quickly snapped back into place, like rubber bands” (Spinelli, 2000, p. 10). Though he is drawn to Stargirl and her unique characteristics, Leo just wants her to be like everyone else. Stargirl also supports my world view; it is human to want things to make sense and, often, young people often value conformity over uniqueness. Near the end of the book, Leo writes, “I should show Stargirl and the world that I wasn’t like the rest of them, that I appreciated her, that I celebrated her and her insistence on being herself” (Spinelli, 2000, pp. 165-166). Stargirl is true to herself. She is unashamed of who she is and does not care, or even notice, that she is different. I would eagerly read more works by Jerry Spinelli. The sequel, Love, Stargirl, is now on my to-be-read list and I am excited to see what happens to Stargirl next. Students in middle school and early high school would easily relate to the issues and challenges in the novel, and I would recommend Stargirl to them.

Conclusion

Stargirl is a beautifully written book, full of figurative language, well-developed characters, and unexpected insights. This fantastic story will resonate with anyone who has ever struggled with popularity, being different, and figuring out one’s identity. Stargirl is a unique character, one you won’t soon forget, and Leo represents the “every man” who is struggling to figure out where he belongs. This book will make you think about popularity, conformity, and the price of fitting in. I recommend this book for middle school students and older. 4 stars.

Citation

[Cover image of Stargirl]. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stargirl_(novel)

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