Stargirl

Title: Stargirl
Author: Jerry Spinelli
Published: Aug 2000
ISBN: 9780439488402
Other books in the series: Love, Stargirl
Characters: Leo, Stargirl
Awards: Charlotte Award, Iowa Teen Award, YALSA Best Books for Teens
Genre: fiction, romance
Reading Level: 3rd grade
Interest Level: 5th-9th grade
Summary: Stargirl is a strange girl that makes quite the entrance at Mica High School. She doesn't seem to fit in with her crazy ways but nothing seems to faze Stargirl. Leo falls for Stargirl and all her crazy antics. The school seems to embrace Stargirl and she even becomes a cheerleader. All seems well until the school turns on Stargirl. Then Leo who always loved Stargirl and her unique personality feels the pressure to change her. Leo is caught trying to let Stargirl be herself and fitting in at school.
Review: This is a great story of first loves, identity, bullying and growing up. Stargirl is such a unique and fun character that you can't help but love her. But Stargirl doesn't fit into the mold of what is a normal high school student. You can't help but feel sorry for her as the whole school starts to turn on her. Leo is caught in the middle. He has to choose between allowing Stargirl to be herself or telling her to change. The books is wonderful first romance. It never gets into anything too mature, but instead focuses on the feeling of first love, pressures from your peers and identity. The fact that the story is told from a male point of view makes the story not too mushy and could draw in young male readers.
Reader's Annotation: Stargirl is weird and quirky and nothing Leo has ever seen before and he's in love with her.
Main themes: identity, love, high school, bullying
Read alikes: The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart
Why for tweens? This book has great appeal to older tweens who may be experiencing their first loves or dealing with questions of identity. They may see that Stargirl wasn't afraid to be who she was even after her classmates turned on her. The story is a good introduction to romance and because it doesn't venture into mature content it's a very sweet romance for tweens who aren't ready for the more mature romances in YA.