Stargirl (Readers Circle)

Rating:
Summary: Individuality at its Finest
Review: "Mica Area High School-MAHS- was not exactly a hotbed of nonconformity....If we happened to somehow distinguish ourselves, we quickly snapped back into place, like rubber bands." Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli, chronicles the story of young Stargirl and her arrival into a world unlike her own, the world of the typical American high school. Singing "Happy Birthday" with her ukulele, talking with her pet rat, or dancing in the pouring rain are just a few of the many things that make her "different" from everyone else. Her captivating personality draws in Leo Borlock, a fellow student, and because of her, even after he has grown older, he can say with confidence "...at night I feel it is more than stars looking down on me." As a college student, I feel this story transcends age barriers and, if read with an open mind, can provide the reader with the timeless qualities of honesty and unconventionality. If you find yourself wanting to "Just throw your head back and let it all out" and "Scream your ears off," then pick up this book and find joy in its originality.

Rating:
Summary: Read Star Girl
Review: Are you looking for a good book to read? If you are you should consider reading Stargirl. It is a wonderful book for adults and children and always leads to new problems. I think this book teaches you a great lesson about life and how you look at people. This interesting book is by Jerry Spinelli, a newbery medalist. He has written many books such as Wringer, Maniac Magee, Crash, and Knots in my Yo- Yo String. This book takes place in Arizonia and is about a very interesting girl, named Stargirl. She comes to Mica Area High School in eleventh grade and is not like everyone else. She is different by she wears different clothes and acts differntly. Also she is a cheerleader and at games she is always cheering for other teams. Stargirl has a pet rat named, Cinnamon who is always on her shoulder. Also she sends people birthday presents she doesn't even know. She has a friend named, Archie who has classes for kids at his house. He is a great person and teaches Leo, the narrator alot about Stargirl. Stargirl falls in love with Leo Borlock. Leo has feelings for her too, but he is afraid he will become unpopular if they get together. They go tot the mall, ride bikes and do a lot of stuff together, but at school they are distance. The question is, "Whose affection does he value more hers or the others?" Well if you are going to read this book you will find out the answer to this question.

Rating:
Summary: ........Stargirl.......
Review: If it came down to it would you chose love and individuality or popularity. This astounding book Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, an author of a number of great books, shows the true passion feeling a person feel trying to fit in. The publisher, random house children and in the year of 2000 it was copyright.

The book Stargirl shows the inner desire to conform. To blend in with a group or school, Stargirl a lone individual doesn't try to conform to the norm. " Mica area high school was not exactly a hotbed of nonconformity." Every one in MAHS had a group Stargirl had no group and had no reason to find one. A girl like Stargirl on her own path, beats to the sound of her own drum, changing to blend in so she couldn't be recognized in a group of people, that is conformity.

Individuality, being true to your self as this book show many people lie. Stargirl acts the way she wants being true, no being held back by the thought of what others think. " She is what we are or were." Stargirl thinks acts with no restriction of others. Its not individual to be in small groups that acts all the same, individuality is one big group that acts the way they want.

I think this book is a really good book, I would give this a 9 out of 10. This is an original kind of book this book is very empathetic of how the main character feels. These interesting characters Stargirl and Archie will leave you pondering. I fancied the reading ability of this book it was easy to read and gave more than a normal book of its reading ability.

I think this book is good for middle school and up, this book will teach you things of how to think and how to feel. This book left an impression of trying new things and thinking diffrently. The story is wonderful, the ending of this book will leave u asking for more and dazzled.


Rating:
Summary: Stargirl: Well worth your time
Review: It's just another stale and boring day at Mica Area High School. Everybody walks the same walk, talks the same talk, and does all they can to stay out of the spotlight. Out of thin air, a new student appears, skipping through the halls in a gaudy floor-length skirt whilst harmonizing with a ukulele. Thus begins Stargirl, a novel written by Jerry Spinelli and published in 2000 by EMC/Paradigm by arrangement with Random House.

Jerry Spinelli takes us on a crash course in individuality in Stargirl. Mica Area High School (MAHS) is a vast sea of conformity. Susan Caraway AKA "Stargirl" is the only person who is herself. She is "not connected" with the rest of the students. Everybody else looks, acts, and thinks the same. Stargirls sticks out like a sore thumb. When her antics eventually get her ostracized, she makes up a character, `Evelyn Everybody', as an example of how to be `normal'. Before she did anything, she'd ask herself, "Would Evelyn Everybody do this?" In the end, is it really worth it? Read the book and find out!

Stargirl makes excellent use of symbolism. During a long ride in the car, Stargirl asks the driver if he knew of any extinct birds. He responds by talking about the moa, possibly the biggest bird ever. Stargirl remembers the words of her friend and mentor, Archie Brubaker: "Mockingbirds may do more than imitate other living birds... They may also imitate the sounds of birds that are no longer around... The sounds of extinct birds are passed down the years from mockingbird to mockingbird." What she doesn't realize is that she is not too different from the mockingbird. She, too, is imitating a great species that was killed off long ago by people; she is imitating an individual. Individuality was lost to peer opinion when we were just a few years old. This book is chock full of symbolism and other interesting riddles.

All in all, I'd say Stargirl deserves 4 out of 5 stars. I commend Spinelli on his style of writing. I appreciated the use of symbolism throughout the book. On several occasions, there will be a passage from the book that makes you do some deep thinking. The ending of the story was spectacularly well thought out and written. However, Stargirl has its flaws. Although the story was interesting and well written, it was not as exciting as I expected it to be. Overall, I still believe that Stargirl was worth reading. I'd suggest this story to people who like to be challenged by reading, or people who simply like drama. Stargirl will be well worth your time.


Rating:
Summary: Different isn't ALWAYS bad.
Review: Jerry Spinelli does a great job of portraying a typical American high school but adds enticing "flavor" through his character, Star Girl. Star Girl is an optimistic, outgoing, caring individual who does not care what anyone thinks about her. Her free time is spent looking through fillers in the newspaper to see what is going on in people's lives, making cards, and strumming Happy Birthday on her ukulele to her peers. Star Girl's captivating compassion captures the heart of Leo Borlock. Star Girl reveals the fickleness and superficiality of high school. However, Star Girl is real and comfortable with who she is, and it seems that she is happier than any other student in Mica High School. This book teaches us to be ourselves and not worry about what others think of us. Star Girl shows us what it is to love. Just think what life would be like if we had more Star Girls running around!



Rating:
Summary: Stargirl book Review
Review: She's different. That's what's on everybody's mind as the new girl, Stargirl Caraway, twirls down the hallways at Mica Area High School. She sings softly and gently plays a ukulele, her hair spins as she does, and her eyes are the biggest any one has every seen, and every inch of them is filled with joy. Her face is pure and has no make-up on it unlike all the other girls at MAHS. She's different and everybody knows it. Jerry Spinelli is the author of Stargirl, and was published in 2000 by EMC/Paradigm Publishing.
Do you think you could stay loyal to someone that everybody hates? That's the decision that one high school student at MAHS, Leo Borlock, has to make. He is forced to choose between his new love, Stargirl, and his fellow classmates, that will no longer talk to him because he talks to Stargirl. He can't have both, even though he wishes he could. He tries to change her, he tells her that she's not "connected" and that she needs to be like everyone else, but she can't change she isn't happy when she does. A nagging questions keeps returning to Leo's head that a good friend asked him, "Whose affection do you value more, hers or the others?" This is the ultimate question that he has to make and no one knows how he's going to answer it.
She is the only individual at Mica Are High. Of course she's different and every one knows it, but how long can they take it. On the first day of school she was seen wearing an "off-white dress so long it covered her shoes, it looked like it could have been her great grandmothers." She was also a person that cared about others; she did random good deeds that were never rewarded. An example of this is she hates change, "its so...jangly". So every time she has change she leaves pennies, nickels, and quarters for little children to find and pick up. She also brings her ukulele to school every day and sings for a person in the cafeteria whose birthday is that day. "Star people are rare. You'll be lucky to meet another." That's exactly what Star girl is a true Star person.
This book was really interesting and I enjoyed reading it. The enchanting plot kept you pulled in at all times, wanting to read more. The characters were the same way; you had to keep reading to find out what they were going to do next. This book also makes you empathize and imagine you were in Leo place. It makes you wonder what you would do if that happened at your school. The ending was a minor let down, but the plot makes up for it. I think that people of all ages will enjoy this book. Teenagers would have no problem reading this book, but has some advanced vocabulary words. I have never read a book like it. I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars because I didn't like the ending, but overall it was a good book.

Rating:
Summary: it's ok
Review: spinelli takes an interesting approach to promoting the subject of individuality and conformity. the book does, however, tend to get a little preachy. spinelli also attempts to add twists to the plot that make the book seem to drag a little more than was necessary. while spinelli has a good idea, the people he is trying to reach, probably are not going to be accepting of his message while his words will essentially be wasted on the students who already understand what he is saying.

Rating:
Summary: Star Girl: "One in a Million"
Review: The story of Stargirl is a typical reflection of Highschool life. It's a time to find one's identity, yes, it's a time to find out who we really are and what we stand for. Stargirl is the perfect example of the teenager who decides not to live under the rules of "what everybody else does." Of course, we all know what i'm refering to. Remember those two words reminiscent of highschool,"peer pressure." Stargirl shows us that we can be different and not conform to the norm. We can be cool, caring and important without being a reflection of everybody else.
This is truly and intriguing story which shows us the hardship of life as a teenager but brings you love at the same time. A love that is pressured by what everybody else likes and does. Truly, at great story that anybody would love!!!

Rating:
Summary: Stargirl Book Review
Review: There's a new girl at your school. She's a tiny bit different than any of your classmates. Nobody is introducing themselves to her, she's eating alone. Do you talk to her? Jerry Spinelli's Stargirl, published by Randomhouse in 2000, is a great story that teaches you to take a chance and make a new friend.
Stargirl is as loyal to Leo as a dog is loyal to his master. In the book, Stargirl Caraway becomes friends with Leo Borlock, an average guy at Mica High. She gives up her personality and her wardrobe to please Leo and keep their relationship strong. I don't know anybody who would do that just to keep one friend. Jerry Spinelli creates his character, Stargirl, as a kind, giving teen, who acts like a little girl. She is so loyal to Leo; she changes from a geek to a normal teen just because her boyfriend wants her to. "And just like that, Stargirl was gone, replaced by Susan Julia Caraway." Stargirl was extremely loyal to Leo, but was Leo equally loyal back to Stargirl?
Stargirl's uniqueness showed as bright as a flashlight in the beginning. At Mica High, there were no girls, nor boys, who were as unique and outgoing as Stargirl. She wore crazy skirts, had a pet rat, decorated her desk each hour at school, danced in the rain and strummed her own ukulele at lunch singing Happy Birthday to strangers. "The lunchroom was dead silent. She started strumming the uke. And singing. It was `Happy Birthday.' When she came to his name, she didn't just sing his first name, but his full name." Stargirl began a Golden Age of individuality. Soon the whole school was dancing in the rain.
If I could rate the book Stargirl, I would give it a 3 out of 5. I thought it had an interesting plot, but I wasn't very original and I'm not sure it would really happen at today's public schools. It was very easy to read, but that doesn't mean I wanted to read it. The book had two interesting characters, Stargirl, of course, and an old man named Archie, which we didn't encounter too often. Archie was an old wise man (literally) who gave advice to high schoolers and talked to a cactus. Stargirl was an O.K. book, and I guess I would recommend it to teens if they were extremely bored on a Saturday.


Rating:
Summary: Stargirl
Review: This book is now my favorite book in the whole entire world. It's funny, sad, happy and all feelings you can think of, they are all in this book. I especially loved the rat, Cinnamon, because I loved his personality. I totally recomend everyone to read this book because it's sooo great!!! Two-Thumbs-Up!!