Stargirl

Photo Credit: www.barnesandnoble.com

Spinelli, Jerry. Stargirl. New York: A. Knopf, 2000. Print. ISBN: 0679986375. $17.99. 188 pages.

Awards:

Book Sense Book of the Year Honor Book 2001

ALA Best Books for Young Adults 2001

Michigan Library Association's Thumbs Up! Award 2001

Garden State Book Award (Teen Fiction Grades 6-8, 2003)

Iowa Teen Award Nominee 2002-2003

Iowa Teen Award Winner 2002-2003

South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominee 2002-2003

Young Hoosier Book Award Nominee 2002-2003

 

Young Hoosier Book Award Winner 2002-2003

 

ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults 2005

 

Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award Nominee 2006

 

Annotation: 

Stargirl isn't like everyone else, she marches to the beat of her own drum, but when the boy she loves tries to change her, she must decide what matters more to her: fitting in or being true to herself.  Reading Stargirl took me back to my awkard teen years and made me appreciate individuality once again. 

Booktalk style: Open End

What is it like to be different? Picture yourself as the new kid in a school where being popular means being like everyone else.  Picture yourself sticking out, but not even caring about popularity or fitting in.  Most of us draw back at the thought, but not Stargirl.  She is like Van Gogh’s white flower in a field of color.  She does kind things for strangers, strums her ukuele as she sings to classmates on their birthday, dances in the rain, and even cheers for the opposing teams during games. 

I am Leo, and Stargirl likes me.  I thought I valued her individuality, but when the school turns on her, I convince her to be more like everyone else.  I made her change because I wasn’t brave enough to love her like she loved me.  Now what will happen to my Stargirl?

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