Spinelli, Jerry. (2002). Stargirl. New York: Knopf, 208 pp.

Grade Range: 6-12

Genre: contemporary fiction

Summary and Critique

Stargirl Caraway is not like the other students at Mica High. She laughs without apparent provocation, spends her free time delivering cards and gifts to strangers, and comes to school wearing odd costumes and serenading classmates with her ukulele. At first, the student body finds itself captivated by her eccentricity; one student in particular, Leo, quickly falls in love with her. But the student body gradually grow to hate Stargirl, believing her altruism to be phony. Leo finds himself to be half of the most loathed and ignored couple on campus. Popular before their relationship, he struggles with the school's shunning and convinces her to act like everyone else.

Although Spinelli insists that Stargirl is a realistic character, it is nearly impossible to imagine a teenage girl so oblivious to societal scrutiny. However, Stargirl provides readers with a likable role model who demonstrates the beauty of altruism and nonconformity.

Awards

2001 Book Sense Book of the Year for Children's Literature

Book of the Year, New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association

American Library Association (ALA) Best Books List

Themes/Topics

Friends and Enemies

Challenges and Triumphs

The Individual vs. Society

Love, Sex, and Romance

Author Information

Jerry Spinelli began writing at the age of sixteen years. He won the Newbery Medal for Maniac Magee (1991), a story about racism in a small town and the Newbery Honor for Wringer (1998), a story about bullying and the pressure to conform. Spinelli is married to children's author Eileen Spinelli. Together they have six children.

For more information on Jerry Spinelli:

http://www.randomhouse.com/features/jerryspinelli/ Biographical information, a bibliography, awards and reviews, and a reader's guide for Stargirl.

http://www.jerryspinelli.com/newbery_001.htm Spinelli's home page.

Media Connections

Movies

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) At age 10, Harry finds out that he's a wizard, and unlike other people. A national hero in the wizard world, he is alternately loved and hated by his classmates at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

My Girl (1991) The coming-of-age story of young Vada, a tomboy who doesn't fit in with her"girly" classmates.

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (1975) Choosing the seemingly cushy mental institution over hard time in jail, a free-spirited convict risks severe consequences for rebelling against the restrictions of the hospital.

Rushmore (1998) A film for older teenagers, it is the story of a likeable overachieving high school student who falls in love with a first grade teacher. His creativity earns him the respect of his classmates, but his ambition gets him into trouble with friends and authority figures.

She's All That (1999) As a bet, the most popular guy in school takes on a Pygmalion-esque challenge to transform the class nerd into his dream prom date, discovering layers of depth and creativity in his subject.

Online Resources

http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/spinelli.htm. Jerry Spinelli: Teacher Resource FileBiography, bibliography, and lesson plan ideas for teaching the b4teens_author.

http://en.thinkexist.com/keyword/nonconformity/ Nonconformity quotes and a database of other quotes.

http://www.teachingaboutreligion.com/dd_details.htm This site, although designed to teach students about religion, contains many ideas for teaching conformity vs. nonconformity, and peer pressure.

http://www.self-esteem-nase.org/ National Association for Self-Esteem. Provides information about self-esteem as well as activities and resources for building self-esteem.

http://www.genaustin.org/public/ The Girls Empowerment Network. Provides a variety of information for teenage girls as well as a forum for teenage girls to discuss various issues.

Related Texts

Cormier, Roy. (1974). The Chocolate War. Bantam Doubleday Dell, 272 pp. When a teen who refuses to sell chocolate bars for a fund-raiser at an all-boys Catholic school, he's intimidated by school administrators, harassed by fellow students, and eventually brutally beaten.

Konigsburg, E.L. (2000). Silent to the Bone. New York: Simon and Schuster, 261 pp. A young boy becomes mute after his infant sister's tragic accident, for which he is blamed and sent to a juvenile detention center. He works with his best friend to speak in code and to discover the truth.

Lowry, Lois. (2000). Gathering Blue. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 215 pp. An orphan girl must use her unique artistic gift to improve society.

Sachar, Louis. (1998). Holes. New York: Scholastic, 233 pp. The story of Stanley Yelnats, an overweight, unpopular boy sent to the desert to dig holes in Texas for a crime he didn't commit.

Updike, John. (1959). "A&P." Pigeon Feathers and Other Stories. New York: Knopf, 187-196. In this short story, adolescent Sammy finds himself infatuated with Queenie, a rich girl who strolls into the grocery store at which he works.

Teaching Ideas

(1) "Making Fun" Begin with this quickwrite: "Have you ever made fun of (or been cruel to) someone because they were 'different?' OR "Has anyone ever been cruel to you because they thought you were 'different?' "Have students develop these thoughts into a letter to the person they've written about.

(2) "Different People" Students each bring in one song that deals with the theme of popularity, individuality, nonconformity, or peer pressure. Listen to songs in class. Before each song, have them explain what we should listen for in the song, and how the song might relate to one of their own experiences. Then, give them a list of famous "different" people (e.g., John Lennon, Vincent Van Gogh, Allen Ginsberg, Janis Joplin) and have each student write a report on this person or character. Students may choose their own "different" people at teacher's discretion. They then present their person to the class in a 3-5 minute report; they should include a short sample of their person's work.

(3) "Point of View" Students read the John Updike short story "A&P." They rewrite the story from Queenie's point of view, with a special emphasis on detail and personality traits.

(Review written by Angela McClendon and edited by Jennifer E. Moore)