Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

 

I'm trying to read more middle grades fiction lately so that I can make good reading recommendations for my students. I happened to have Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli sitting on my shelf, so I decided to give it a go. This book is a middle school classic, but somehow I'd never ended up picking it up before. I'd heard a lot of positive things about it, so I started reading hoping that it would be a heartfelt story that lived up to its reputation.

The story is told from the perspective of Leo, a high school student living in a small town in Arizona named Mica. He lives a pretty average teenage existence, but things change for him when a new student named Stargirl arrives as his school. Stargirl is unlike anyone else Leo has ever met. She dresses in an odd assortment of old fashioned clothes, carries her pet rat around everywhere with her, and is frequently strumming on a ukulele during her free time. Aside from all that, she's strangely kind. She's constantly giving gifts and offering encouragement to people she doesn't know and is always on the lookout for ways to help others. She appears not to care at all about fitting in, a concept that Leo has a hard time understanding. He is both fascinated by and afraid of Stargirl. She eventually takes an interest in him too, and thanks to her whimsy and persistence, they start dating.

The rest of the student body is similarly fascinated by her. At first, they treat her with adoration, but eventually turn against her after her individuality begins rubbing them the wrong way. A school-wide shunning ensues, and Leo doesn't know how to handle it. He loves his girlfriend, but also doesn't know how to function in school without fitting in with the mainstream crowd. The shunning extends to him as well, and he can't handle the rejection. He becomes upset with Stargirl and encourages her to act more like everyone else to gain acceptance back into the pack. She does give it a try for his sake, and the chain of events this sets into motion changes both their relationship and Leo's life forever. 

I thought this book was a pretty good read, but not a perfect one. There were a lot of things I enjoyed about it. Most notably, the character of Stargirl was lovely. True, she was an early example of the manic pixie dream girl trope, but I couldn't help but like her ukulele and her unfailing kindness to others. She was such a beautiful dream of a character that I really couldn't understand a lot of Leo's decisions and feelings towards the end of the story, but I'll get to my feelings on him in a moment. 

The overall themes in the story were great as well. Spinelli delivers an important message about the importance of individuality and the sacrifices people make in order to fit in with everyone else. It can be dangerous to be different, especially as a teenager, and Stargirl certainly faces social consequences for her nonconformity. Her ability to not care about what others think is a great strength for her. Leo doesn't have this ability. and his life is worse off for it. This message is delivered in a pretty somber way throughout the text, which I appreciated. This isn't a book where everyone comes together to realize the error of their ways and has a happy ending. It's more complicated than that, and the story hits harder because of it. That's not to say that the book is depressing, because it's not, but it isn't completely lighthearted and positive either.

One aspect of the story that I didn't love was Leo's character. I know part of this is by design--his insecurities are a key part of the plot and of his growth, but those insecurities make him pretty unbearable at times. He is so concerned with fitting in that he becomes very hurtful to Stargirl, a person that he is supposedly head over heels in love with. I found myself truly disliking him at several points throughout the book. While I understand that he is young and concerned about navigating the social scene, I did not get how he could bear to be so cruel to a character that does nothing but be nice to people and love him dearly. Spinelli wants readers to see Leo as a kid that makes mistakes due to peer pressure, but is basically good at heart. I struggled to see him as anything but a dangerous combination of weak and impressionable, and I didn't love that his character growth had to come from making a series of mistakes that were very damaging to Stargirl.

Some of the plot elements were pretty unrealistic too. The idea of an entire school full of kids giving one student the silent treatment, when that student's only crime was being nice to people, is definitely an exaggeration of how bullying works. I teach in a middle school and I've seen a lot of mean behavior over the years. I don't care how odd the target of bullying is - it's never the entire school that participates in it. Most wouldn't pay attention or care, especially students across different grade levels. The idea that every single student in Leo's entire high school would be invested in shunning Stargirl is really unlikely and feels like the creation of an adult imagining what bullying looks like.

Another element of the story I thought was weak was the ending. I mentioned before that I liked that it wasn't a typical middle grades happy ending, but I also felt like it chopped off a bit abruptly. I wish there was a little more to the story. There is a sequel to this book, so maybe I would find more of the closure I'm looking for there, but I don't think I'm going to seek it out. I've got way too many books to finish reading to keep up with a series that isn't a special favorite.  

Ultimately, however, I thought Stargirl was a good book with very worthy themes. I can understand why so many readers love it, especially readers that actually picked it up for the first time when they were young. An adult reader coming to it for the first time will certainly notice some flaws, but it's still a great book for the audience it's made for. This is definitely a story I can stick in my classroom library and feel comfortable recommending to my eighth graders.

Challenge Tally

Clear the Shelves 2021: 23/50 (donate)

Total Books Read in 2021: 48