Reviewed by Ben
I am giving Stargirl a four star rating. Stargirl is a book about a young girl in high school who is an individual and enjoys random acts of kindness. Everyone thinks she is weird and they do not except her. Although this occurs she goes about her business being herself.
In the book she falls in love with an average everyday boy named Leo. At first this embarrasses him, but later he embraces her and accepts her. He learns more of her and really comes to like her.
Later in the book because of a cheerleading incident everyone in the school shuns Stargirl. They also shun Leo because he is her boyfriend. At first they do not notice but later they do and it affects both of them.
Stargirl is a good book and I would suggest that everyone read. To find out what happens get the book from your local library.
Reviewed by Phillip
I am going to give Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli a 3 star rating out of five. Stargirl is a story about a girl who has been home-schooled her whole life and now she will try to make it in the world of high school. Stargirl is unique and does outrageous things that seem crazy to the people at the school, but she just thinks that she is normal. Then they begin to accept her slowly and she becomes one of the most popular girls in school. Everyone wants to be like her and everything is grand, but then it all changes and they turn on her.
There are some interesting characters in this book other than Stargirl herself. There is Leo; he is the director of the “Hot Seat” and the man Stargirl loves. Leo’s best friend is Kevin and he is the host of the “Hot Seat”. Anytime Leo and Kevin have a problem, they go to Archie. Archie is basically a mentor to the two of them.
The real drama comes when Stargirl and Hillari Kimble come into contact with each other. All these characters including Stargirl will be what keep you turning the pages of this book.
The setting of the story takes place at Mica High in Phoenix, Arizona. The author of the book is Jerry Spinelli.
I gave the story 3 stars because it was just something that I wouldn’t read and I am not interested in. I do, however, think that it is a story is a must read if you enjoy drama stories.
Reviewed by Megan
I’m going to give Stargirl 4 stars.
Have you ever had a problem with a bunch of girls talking about you because you bought a new outfit and they thought it was hideous and different?
Well that is what Jerry Spinelli’s book Stargirl is about, differences. Susan or should I say Stargirl is a loving kind spirited person only difference is to us is she is an alien. She’s outgoing and fun loving but no matter what she does she gets labeled as a freak. She always does her own thing and people start to get annoyed with it. Stargirl goes out of her way to be nice to people because it makes her feel good and her fellow classmates cannot stand it. They think she is trying to be so nice so she can get attention. At Mica High School her fellow classmates treat her like she is a stray dog that is nothing to them. They call her a spotlight hogger, an attention getter, but she is none of those she has just simply found herself. This is simply a mind opening story and very interesting to read.
Reviewed by Liz
I give the book Stargirl 4 stars. The book Stargirl deals with a high school Mica High that is basically a school full of people that are all the same. This all changes when a girl named Stargirl or Susan Caraway comes.
Star girl was home schooled and then decides to go to Mica High. She shows up to school wearing Indian buckskins and kimono’s and flapper dresses. The kids don’t take to well to her not being like everyone else. She puts flowers out on her desk in class. She sings happy birthday to the people whose birthday is that day and everyday at lunch she skips around and plays her ukulele. She has a rat named cinnamon that she carries around in her bag.
Leo and his friend Kevin have a show at school called the Hot Seat where people they ask to come and be asked questions from a jury of fellow students. Stargirl is asked to come onto the show and when she came on it was a disaster. Hillari Kimble was part of the Jury and Hillari despised Stargirl.
Leo and Stargirl eventually begin dating and the whole school shuns them. Leo tries to change Stargirl but it doesn’t work for very long. Leo soon begins ignoring her and avoiding her when she comes around because he doesn’t like that everyone is shunning him also. Stargirl goes to state for an Oratorical Contest and she had a vision that she would win and come back to everyone and it would all be fine. When she comes back it is not exactly like that.
There is a man named Archie who collects bones that he has found. He has bones all over the house. Kids meet at his house every Saturday and he talks to them about things. He had known Stargirl for a long time before she went to Mica High and knew different things about her that most students didn’t know. Stargirl had an office in Archie’s shed in his backyard where she had a big yearly calendar with names and birthdays on it.
Reviewed by Seth
I am going to give Stargirl two and a half stars out of five.
Personally I didn’t really care for the book, and wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, but the moral of the story was ok. I think this book is kind of for girls.
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli is set in a medium sized town in Arizona; the story is based around two main characters, Leo and Stargirl. Leo is your average teenager who just tries to be cool and tries to conform with everyone. On the other hand, Stargirl is her very own person, and in most people’s eyes, she would probably come off as very weird.
Stargirl comes to a new school after she has been home schooled for her entire life, The kids at her new school are at first kind of scared of her, then everyone gets used to her, and she actually becomes very popular, but this doesn’t last long.
I don’t really think that the book had a genre, at times it is mysterious, it is romantic, and at times even adventurous, throughout different times in the book.
The main theme of the book is individuality, and once you read the book you will understand why. Stargirl is by far the most individual person you will ever meet, from her clothes to the way she acts, even to the strange pet she has. The book also shows that teenagers are not acceptant of people who are different, and they can be extremely mean to a person who did nothing to them.
If you want to, you can read the book for yourself, but personally I wouldn’t even waste the time because it’s not worth it.
Reviewed by Justin
I am going to give Stargirl 3.5 stars out of 5. Jerry Spinelli put some really good detail into the scenery of the set. I have been to Arizona and he made me fell like I was back there. This was a very interesting book at the beginning. He has Stargirl doing so many different things, to keep you interested.
He changed it up a little bit in the middle, but you could still foreshadow what was going to happen. In the end I thought it was kind of boring, I thought it could have been a little better. To find out how Stargirl ends you will have to read the book.
Reviewed by Kasey
I personally believe that Stargirl deserves five stars out of five. I would recommend this book because it tells the story of a girl named Stargirl who chooses to be different from all the other kids in school and, even when they all decide that she’s TOO different, she doesn’t let that get her down. She shows that you do not have to conform to everyone’s idea of “normal” but instead can create your own self.
The novel is set in a modern high school in Arizona, which has all of the same “cliques” which our own high school has, as well as the certain people who “run” the school… at least on the popularity side. In this particular book, there is only one person like this. Her name is Hillari. She decides that she doesn’t like Stargirl and neither should anyone else so she begins to point out all of the weird things that Stargirl does. But, instead of hurting Stargirl, it helps her popularity at first.
However, as all good books do, there is a turning point. It comes during the basketball season. But for you to find out about that, you’ll just have to read the book.
Reviewed by Tim
I’m giving the book Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli 3.5/5 stars, which is a pretty good rating because it’s a pretty good book that touches on the idea of individuality. Stargirl is the new girl that comes in and is totally “different” from the kids at Mica High School. She does things like wearing long awkward dresses, playing a ukulele, and having a pet rat, Cinnamon. The school doesn’t know how to react to her and tries to stay away from her at first. People then get offended by her actions and decide to shun her. During this whole time Leo, the main character, is conflicted and secretly has a crush on Stargirl. He doesn’t want her, or anyone else, to know because, just like anyone else in high school, he doesn’t want to be “different”. This is a good book that I would suggest people read because it will make you think about how you act and asks the question “Are you an individual?”
Reviewed by Julie
I’m going to give Stargirl five stars out of five.
Jerry Spinelli’s Stargirl is an excellent example of individuality, peer pressure and nonconformity. Stargirl, the main character in the book, enters Mica High School after being home-schooled all of her life. She dresses differently, talks differently and overall acts differently. At first, people don’t know what to think about her, but mostly they’re labeling her as weird because they’ve never met anyone quite like her. She wears long pioneer skirts, asks completely random questions and sings, plays a ukulele and dances around the lunchroom. She quickly gains popularity after putting on quite a show at a football game, but she just as quickly gets on everyone’s bad side by being herself and cheering for the other team. All of a sudden, no one in the school is talking to her. Through all of this, the other main character, Leo, a troubled and curious boy, studies Stargirl and grows very fond of her. He likes how different she is but he also likes the approval of the majority, so he is caught in a battle of nonconformity and acceptance. Leo attempts to change Stargirl, but this doesn’t work so he ends up shunning her along with everyone else. This book is a prime example of high school woes and the immense pressure to conform.
The “villain” of the novel would definitely have to be Hillari, the popular high school girl who despises Stargirl because she isn’t “normal”. The novel really challenges the readers to ask themselves what normal really is, and if it’s possible for anyone to really be normal.
Stargirl teaches us all to be ourselves, and at the same time not to get stuck on ourselves. She is constantly committing random acts of kindness. Sometimes, however, these acts are not welcome. Some of the things she does are a little over the edge, but she always has the best intentions. She treats others the way she wants to be treated. She is beautiful in a way that cannot be explained. She is a mystery. Why does she act the way she does? This is up to the reader to decide. So, to form your own opinion of Stargirl (which is what I strongly recommend you to do), read this truly wonderful novel.
Reviewed by Kelse
I’m going to give Stargirl 4 stars out of 5.
Jerry Spinelli, the author of Stargirl wrote the book to tell of the importance of popularity, normalcy, and what it means to be an individual.
In Spinelli’s book, Stargirl moves to a school and finds that she is completely out of character to everyone else. She attracts and draws students out of their “nut shell” and into their own individual person in weird, but interesting ways. In this process she falls in love with Leo, another student at Mica High. In time she will have to choose; is changing for other people to be normal and more like them better than acting yourself?
In turn, everyone will go against Stargirl because she is different. The question is, what is normal and who gets to decide?
Dori Dolsin, befriends Stargirl and accepts who she is; however, the true test of friendship comes into play when Stargirl is no longer herself, but merely Susan. I strongly feel that if your friends truly accept who you are then they will stand by you no matter what, through thick and thin.
During the course of the book, Leo and Stargirl become a couple, and he soon finds what it is like to be shunned. The test Leo will have to face along with Stargirl is how important is it to be popular? Is it going to matter after High School whether you were popular or not? Leo will soon choose an unexpected path between caring what others think and following his heart.
I truly love this book because it shows how high schools are today. It shows how scary it is for people to be themselves. To find out what happens to Stargirl, Leo, and everyone else at Mica high, Stargirl is a must read book!
Reviewed by Stephanie
I am going to give Stargirl 4 stars out of 5. The author of this book is Jerry Spinelli. It is very rare to go to a High school and see a strange person doing nice things whenever it is possible. For an example: Stargirl spent time cheering for the opposing team, helping out a player from the other team, or spying on someone from when they are little so you can make a scrapbook and give it to them when they are older.
Stargirl’s individuality is the reason why I liked this book so much. It made me take a second look at people. She’s the girl that will make you want to get up for school wondering what she will do, today, tomorrow, or the next day after.
There is a boy, Leo, who is a TV show broadcaster, has all the friends he needs, and is happy with his life. He observes Stargirl and he starts to like her. I think he likes her personality and how she doesn’t care what people think of her but he also wants to fit in with his friends who think Stargirl is weird. But what is weird? Some people might consider dressing up as Heidi or Bo Peep is weird and some just think it’s being you.
As you start to read the book, there is one scene where Stargirl is cheering for both teams. The fans dislike this idea. They ask “Why would she cheer for the other team, when it’s our rivals?” But no one knows exactly why she does anything that she does. Later, people betray and ignore her.
If I were to choose a part I liked the most, I would choose the part when Stargirl gets all dressed up to go to a school dance. She dances by herself and people notice that she is having fun without caring what people think of her. People start to come up to her and dance with her. One of the school’s traditions is the Bunny Hop and Stargirl lead the kids everywhere. Hillari, a girl who thinks she is better than everyone else, comes up to Stargirl and slaps her for ruining her night. It’s up to you to find out what happens to Stargirl and her reactions to Hillari.
This book teaches you the importance of being yourself and doing things that make you happy. You should be a leader not a follower and you will find out in the book that Stargirl demonstrates this very well.
Reviewed by Jessica
I’m going to give Stargirl 4 ¾ stars out of 5.
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli is about a boy named Leo who meets a strange new girl at Mica High school. This girl has been home schooled up until her sophomore year and has no idea about how to act at school.
The main theme of Stargirl is individuality. Stargirl, the new girl, is very much an individual who likes to be herself and go around doing nice things for people. The book makes you think about many things, such as making fun of people, or how we, as high school students, treat people that we really don’t know anything about.
The only issue I had with the book was certain characters make me angry and I don’t really like the ending. If you want to find out why I don’t like the ending, you’ll have to read the book!
Reviewed by Ian
I am going to give Stargirl a 3 Star rating out of five.
Individuality is a key tool in Jerry Spinelli’s “ Stargirl”. The story is about a girl who has been home-schooled her whole life and has just moved to Mica, Arizona where she will attend her first school. Her true name is Susan but goes by Stargirl, or whatever name she feels like at any point in time. When she first starts school at Mica High School people notice her. She does odd things such as bringing cookies for everybody at lunch and singing happy birthday to people on their birthday. But Leo Borlock, a young boy only a year older than Stargirl, who is seeking a job in television, sees something intriguing about her. The only problem is that as he grows more attracted to her he must choose friends or Stargirl. Hillary Kimble, the preppy “I’m better than you” type, does not make things easy for either one of them. Continuously she makes threats to Stargirl throughout the story. But Stargirl presses on. Eventually this leads to Leo and Stargirl being shunned by the whole school. So Leo tries to persuade her to become more like everyone else instead of being herself. But this attempt turns unsuccessful.
I gave Stargirl three stars because I thought that it had key points in it that are great to base your life on such as individuality and acceptance. But the story line was “cheesy” in my opinion. It does not have anything that completely attracts the readers’ attention to the story.
Reviewed by Adam
I am going to give Stargirl a 3 Star rating out of five.
Individuality is a key tool in Jerry Spinelli’s “ Stargirl”. The story is about a girl who has been home-schooled her whole life and has just moved to Mica, Arizona where she will attend her first school. Her true name is Susan but goes by Stargirl, or whatever name she feels like at any point in time. When she first starts school at Mica High School people notice her. She does odd things such as bringing cookies for everybody at lunch and singing happy birthday to people on their birthday. But Leo Borlock, a young boy only a year older than Stargirl, who is seeking a job in television, sees something intriguing about her. The only problem is that as he grows more attracted to her he must choose friends or Stargirl. Hillary Kimble, the preppy “I’m better than you” type, does not make things easy for either one of them. Continuously she makes threats to Stargirl throughout the story. But Stargirl presses on. Eventually this leads to Leo and Stargirl being shunned by the whole school. So Leo tries to persuade her to become more like everyone else instead of being herself. But this attempt turns unsuccessful.
I gave Stargirl three stars because I thought that it had key points in it that are great to base your life on such as individuality and acceptance. But the story line was “cheesy” in my opinion. It does not have anything that completely attracts the readers’ attention to the story.
