A "Star" in the making...

TITLE: Stargirl

AUTHOR: Jerry Spinelli

REVIEWED BY: JPL TeenLink

BRIEF SUMMARY: Stargirl. From the day she arrives at quiet Mica High in a burst of color and sound, the hallways hum with the murmur of “Stargirl, Stargirl.” She captures Leo Borlock’s heart with just one smile. She sparks a school-spirit revolution with just one cheer. The students of Mica High are enchanted. At first.

Then they turn on her. Stargirl is suddenly shunned for everything that makes her different, and Leo, panicked and desperate with love, urges her to become the very thing that can destroy her: normal. In this celebration of nonconformity, Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli weaves a tense, emotional tale about the perils of popularity and the thrill and inspiration of first love.

WHY I PICKED IT UP: Jerry Spinelli wrote some of my favorite books when I was growing up. I wanted to see what he was up to now, and this won several awards.

WHY I FINISHED IT: Spinelli still creates compelling characters. I absolutely loved the character of Stargirl, and Leo was a good narrator. The story kept me interested, even though I knew what was coming based on the blurb on the book jacket.

WHO I'D GIVE IT TO: Anyone who likes good, heartfelt stories and generally true-to-life characters.

OTHER NOTES: Notice how I said "generally" true-to-life characters?

Yeah. There's a reason for that.

A lot of Stargirl's awkwardness and unusual behavior is blamed on her having been homeschooled. The excuse is made that she doesn't know how to behave around other kids because of her lack of social interaction.

*Rolls eyes*

Oh, please.

I know plenty of homeschooled kids. My nephews are homeschooled. They get plenty of social interaction. And believe me when I say that they don't act that way. They wouldn't act that way. Not even ten years ago when this was published, before homeschooling really moved into the mainstream as a viable alternative to public school education.

Stargirl may be eccentric. Her parents might have (probably did) encourage her individuality and urge her to express herself creatively. But let's not blame it on homeschooling.

Stargirl is a good character. But this whole aspect of the story really didn't sit well with me.

Still, though. A good read if you overlook all that.

(The library has the sequel, Love, Stargirl, if you are interested in reading more of Stargirl's story.)

See you at the library!

Life: the final frontier...

When I was growing up, one of my favorite books was Jerry Spinelli's Space Station Seventh Grade. This book follows a year in the life of Jason Herkimer, who has just dropped from being top of the heap to low man on the totem pole.

Let me explain. Jason has just left elementary school -- where, as a sixth grader, he was in the group all the little kids looked up to -- for seventh grade and junior high. Now instead of being looked up to, he's being looked down on.

Add to this his home life (where he lives with his mom, stepfather, sister and half-brother) and the fact that he's entering puberty. He'd talk to his father, but dad lives in the big city, too far away to be there when Jason needs someone to talk to. He'd talk to his friends Richie, Calvin, Peter, or Dugan, but they'd just make jokes. And he'd talk to his stepfather Ham, but...

Well, no. On second thought, he probably wouldn't talk to Ham.

Jason has a lot to learn about adolescence, girls, growing up, and life in general. And before all is said and done, he just might learn a little bit about himself, too.

And yes, there's a space station in there somewhere. But not in the way you'd expect.

As I said, this was one of my favorite books when I was growing up (yeah, it's about twenty years old -- but Judy Blume's books are even older than that). I highly recommend it.

A warning to sensitive readers: the book contains a bit of language, and some of the subject matter is...well...just what you'd expect from a teenage boy. Be warned, but don't let it put you off.

Check it out and let me know what you thought!