Stargirl

Stargirl, that can't actually be a girl's name, right? Well, this book, written by Jerry Spinelli, is a riveting realistic fiction novel about a girl named Stargirl, a girl who has been homeschooled her whole life, does nice things for people anonymously, and is always really kind. This is a wonderful book to show kids and teens that just because someone or something is different, it doesn't mean they are bad. This book explores the theme of acceptance, accepting yourself and others.

"'Did you see her?' was the first thing Kevin said to me on the first day of eleventh grade." Leo and Kevin are best friends and main characters. Kevin was talking about the new student, Stargirl, an extremely different student at Mica Area High School who played the ukulele, sang, wore weird clothes, and didn't care about others' opinions. At lunch, she'd sing "Happy Birthday" to students, leaving everyone confused and wondering who she was. Some thought she was an actor to make the school more energized or a CIA agent. Gradually, the school warmed up to her, joining in her birthday songs but still wondering about all the odd things she would do. Stargirl's sudden appearance and dance at a football game energized the school, leading to her becoming popular and being asked to be a cheerleader. Still, students continued to wonder about her. Her downfall began during the basketball season when, at the finals game, the other team's star player got injured. She comforted him and held his hand while she got on the ambulance with him, causing Mica to lose confidence and the game. The next day, she was ignored; people acted as if she never existed. Leo suggested she should act "normal," but no one cared and kept ignoring her, even after winning a speech contest (the first-ever win for Mica High). She changed back to her true self. After all of this, she went to the winter dance and started to dance. Everyone looked at her in awe as she started to do the "Bunny Hop" (an old line dance like the conga). Students joined her, started to have fun, and went out of the school into a field to dance. They came back, and the next day Stargirl was nowhere to be seen, never came back, and no one ever saw her again. In the end, Leo is describing how the school had changed, how there was a club for doing one nice thing a day, and how whenever an opposing team would get their first goal, point, etc., a group of Mica students would cheer.

This book was a really good thought-provoker and should be taught in every school. Stargirl shows that not changing who you are for other people can have a good, long-lasting effect, like it did at the end of the book. During the last part of the book, when everyone is at the dance and they start dancing with her, it really shows that the students liked her the whole time; they just didn't know it because they had never seen anyone like her and didn't know how to feel about her. This makes sense nowadays, but the way we think needs to change because it hurts people and destroys our community. For example, most immigrants get treated poorly when they come to America, but they add a different culture or a different way of thinking, like Stargirl did. Sometimes they even add really good food. :)

If you haven't read this book, then I strongly suggest you do because it is very influential and has received awards such as the Parents' Choice Gold Award, ALA Best Books for Young Adults Award, and a New York Times Bestseller.