Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Stargirl is about a boy named Leo Borlock who went to Mica Area High School in Mica, Arizona. Leo was your typical junior. He ate what everyone was eating, he did what everyone was doing, and was just trying to blend in and be normal like what entire school did. For a long time, Leo has been facinated by porcupine neckties. He got his very first pocupine necktie as a going away present given to him by his uncle when he was 12. Ever since he's been collecting, only his collection never grew. Leo has been breathing air in and out for most of his life, nothing really special has ever happened to him. Not until Stargirl entered the picture. For Leo Stargirl is part fantasy, part reality, part dream come true.
Stargirl wore kimonos, floor-sweeping dresses, and brought ukelele everyday to school. She would decorate her desk with flowers and would sing happy birthday to strangers. She was a breath of fresh air. She named herself Pocket Mouse before she named herself Stargirl. At first, people were curious about her. They wanted to befriend her, watch her, talk to her, and talk about her. They did everything they could to get a better hold of Stargirl, to pin him down in a corkboard, and to have a better idea of her. Some time in the story, Leo and Stargirl fell in love. They would walk around and observe people, go to the dessert and meditate, play with Stargirl's pet rat, and just enjoy each other's company. Just when things were about to change from good to better, the entire school saw Stargirl as a threat to their lifestyle. They could not understand her behavior and started to get tired of her antics. They thought of her as a joke, anything but real. Some had theories that she's planted by the school, that she's an alien, that her parent's were travellers, they just had the need to put her down and label her. From being the most popular girl in school, Stargirl was sudddenly ignored. The sad thing about the story is that Leo was not mature enough and was not able to handle things well. He could not take the pressure and broke things off with Stargirl. He loved Stargirl but was scared to go out of the way and be ostracized by the school. At the high school dance, the most popular girl in school approached Stargirl and slapped her, telling her that she ruined eveything. Stargril returns Hillari's anger filled action with, yet another, act of kindness - a kiss. The story ended when Stargirl disappeared morning after the high school dance.
I love this book because it is life changing. It has changed my view on things and my perspective on friendship, love, and life. It has taught me the importance of non conformity. Sometimes we really have to go out of the way, to be different, and be out of the ordinary to be able to appreciate things more. Stargirl encourages readers to celebrate individuality, that each of us are different in many beautiful ways. I just have so much love and sentiment for this children's book. It has taught to be happy even things do not go your way, when everyone has turned against you, and when you're in the middle of nowhere scratching and searching for who you are.
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