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Stargirl Author: Jerry Spinelli Trade Paperback Usually ships in 24 hours Delivery is subject to warehouse availability. Shipping delays may occur if we receive more orders than stock. Our Price: $13.95 You could save $1.40 (10%) with our iREWARDS Program Ordering is 100% secure . Spend $39 or more at chapters.indigo.ca and your order ships free!. ( Details ) ISBN: 037582233X Published: May 2002 | Published by Alfred A. Knopf BFYR Our customers who bought this item also bought: Dust (2001) Book ~ Arthur Slade Spider-Man: The Movie Storybook (2002) Book ~ Spiderman A Walk To Remember (2000) Book ~ Nicholas Sparks Ghost Boy (2002) Book ~ Iain Lawrence The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2001) Book ~ Ann Brashares chapters.indigo Review Stargirl -- her name is enough to set her apart, but from the first day of school, everyone can see she's different from any other student at sterile Mica High. She has a pet rat that rides on her shoulder. She serenades people on their birthdays in the middle of the cafeteria, accompanying herself on the ukulele. At first, no one knows if she's for real. But she is. Once the student body has gotten over its surprise, it begins to loosen up, to feel a bit freer, and suddenly Stargirl is the most popular girl in school. But just as suddenly and fiercely as she was embraced by Mica High, Stargirl is cast out, and just when she is at her lowest point in popularity, Leo Borlock falls in love with her. He's never been so happy -- until he notices that people have started to shun him, too. Leo loves Stargirl the way she is, but things would be so much easier if she wasn't so different. The utterly believable characters in this emotional story are ingeniously drawn. Stargirl's effusive humanism will make readers adore and pity her at the same time, because we understand early that a spirit such as hers won't allowed to run free in a place like Mica High. Leo is sympathetic, torn between his comfortable social life and his love for a girl he cannot understand. Spinelli has also encapsulated the craving for acceptance and popularity in characters like Wayne Parr, the idol of every guy in school, and Hillari Kimble the bone-deep nasty queen of the school. This is a stirring novel with no easy answers, but one that is uplifting in a melancholy way. From the Publisher 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. About the Author Growing up, Jerry Spinelli was really serious about baseball. He played for the Green Sox Little League team in his hometown of Norristown, Pennsylvania, and dreamed of one day playing for the major leagues, preferably as shortstop for the New York Yankees. One night during high school, Spinelli watched the football team win an exciting game against one of the best teams in the country. While everyone else rode about town tooting horns in celebration, Spinelli went home and wrote “Goal to Go,” a poem about the game’s defining moment, a goal-line stand. His father submitted the poem to the Norristown Times–Herald and it was featured in the middle of the sports page a few days later. He then traded in his baseball bat for a pencil, because he knew that he wanted to become a writer. After graduating from Gettysburg College with an English degree, Spinelli worked full time as a magazine editor. Every day on his lunch hour, he would close his office door and craft novels on yellow magazine copy paper. He wrote four adult novels in 12 years of lunchtime writing, but none of these were accepted for publication. When he submitted a fifth novel about a 13-year-old boy, adult publishers once again rejected his work, but children’s publishers embraced it. Spinelli feels that he accidentally became an author of children’s books. Spinelli’s hilarious books entertain both children and young adults. Readers see his life in his autobiography Knots in My Yo-Yo String, as well as in his fiction. Crash came out of his desire to include the beloved Penn Relays of his home state of Pennsylvania in a book, while Maniac Magee is set in a fictional town based on his own hometown. When asked if he does research for his writing, Spinelli says: “The answer is yes and no. No, in the sense that I seldom plow through books at the library to gather material. Yes, in the sense that the first 15 years of my life turned out to be one big research project. I thought I was simply growing up in Norristown, Pennsylvania; looking back now I can see that I was also gathering material that would one day find its way into my books.” On inspiration, the author says: “Ideas come from ordinary, everyday life. And from imagination. And from feelings. And from memories. Memories of dust in my sneakers and humming whitewalls down a hill called Monkey.” Spinelli lives with his wife and fellow writer, Eileen, in West Chester, Pennsylvania. While they write in separate rooms of the house, the couple edits and celebrates one another’s work. Their six children have given Jerry Spinelli a plethora of clever material for his writing. Jerry Spinelli is the author of more than a dozen books for young readers, including Maniac Magee, winner of the Newbery Medal. His latest novel, Stargirl, was a New York Times bestseller and an ALA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults. Tips for your Reading Group 1. As the saying goes, "love is blind." How is this truly the case with Leo and Stargirl? Looking back, how can you tell that Leo was falling for her? And does he stay in love with her, even after she moves away? 2. Professor Archie Brubaker is the voice of reason throughout the novel. Archie has many thoughtful insights into the personality of Stargirl, and at one point says about her: "You’ll know her more by your questions than by her answers. Keep looking at her long enough. One day you might see someone you know." Now that you’ve finished the novel, what do you think Archie means by this statement? 3. While Stargirl is a guest on "Hot Seat," Kevin asks her why she changed her name. Do you accept her reason why she did this? How is "Stargirl" an ideal name for her? Think about the possibility of changing your name several times. Do you think your name is an integral part of who you are, or can you imagine yourself with another one? 4. In the beginning, Hillari Kimble seems to be the only person who openly dislikes Stargirl. But then others begin to feel the same way as Hillari. Do you think that groups of people need a leader, like Hillari Kimble, to turn opinions against another person? 5. Do you, as a reader, like Stargirl? If you were a student at Mica High, would you reach out to her like Dori Dilson, or reject her like Hillari Kimble? Do you think the students of Mica High are ultimately too harsh on Stargirl? 6. Popularity, fitting in, and "sameness" are all key themes in Stargirl. Find places in the novel that reinforce these themes and discuss. Do you think Stargirl ever wanted to be popular? How might she define popularity? 7. After Stargirl changes back to "Susan," Leo says "she looked magnificently, wonderfully, gloriously ordinary. She looked just like a hundred other girls at Mica High--I had never been so happy and proud in my whole life." How did you feel when you read this part of the novel? 8. Author Jerry Spinelli plays two major events in the novel off of each other: the basketball championships and the oratorical contest. After Stargirl wins the oratorical contest, Leo says that "the cheering is as wild as that of the crowd at a championship basketball game." Stargirl is the focus at both events but in very different ways. How is she rejected at one and accepted at the other? And how does this acceptance ultimately lead to rejection? 9. The Ocotillo Ball at the end of the novel represents a turning point. Do you think Stargirl made a deliberate attempt to say good-bye at the ball? What do you make of the students’ behavior at the ball, and what does this tell you about the student body of Mica High as a whole? 10. Archie says about Stargirl, "Star people are rare. You’ll be lucky to meet another." Do you think Leo was grown-up enough for his relationship with Stargirl? How about the students of Mica High? Will Leo ever figure Stargirl out? 11. What is the irony at the end of Stargirl ? Is Stargirl popular after all? What happens to the "popular" kids in the story--do they stay popular? Review Quotes Stargirl is a true celebration of nonconformity. This oftentimes tense and emotional story explores the fleeting, cruel nature of popularity-and the thrill and inspiration of first love. The questions, discussion topics, and author information that follow are intended to guide readers and spark discussion as they begin to analyze the larger emotional, sociological, and literary elements of this exceptional and thought-provoking novel. Reader Reviews Average Reader Review: Number of Reviews: 5 1. This was a bummer... Reviewer: Lindsay from toronto Date: 2/15/2003 6:36:47 PM This book was sooooooooooo boring and a bit stupid. Here's some advice: DON'T BUY IT! Maybe it's just me though. I like authors like J.R.R. Tolkein,and Phillip Pullmen, J.K. Rowling etc. 2. Read this book!!! Reviewer: Deanna from Ontario Date: 12/22/2002 8:47:27 PM Stargirl is a terrific book! This book really shows readers about how people can are treated and how sometimes people treat other people different because of what they do or what they look like. I think everyone should read this book! 3. Astounding Reviewer: Andrea from Toronto, Ontario Date: 8/15/2002 12:15:27 PM This book is not what I expected, yet I loved every part of it. The way Jerry Spinelli touches on first love is so heart-warming! Well planned and written... hopefully there'll be a sequal! 4. Stargirl Reviewer: Lauren from Newfoundland Date: 7/10/2002 12:11:08 PM This is an excellent book! It is undoubtedly the best book I have ever read. This book shoud be read by everybody young or old. A work of art! 5. BEST BOOK I EVER READ ************** Reviewer: Kylie from DUck town Date: 5/28/2002 9:37:13 PM Star Girl is the best book ever. It is so down to earth and real. It shows the true emotions of a girl and a guy. At the end you will cry just like me! I loved this book and can't wait to purchase it! Read all of the reviews... 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