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Type of bind: Audio CD
EAN num: 9780739338971
Format: Audiobook, Unabridged
ISBN number: 0739338978
Label: Listening Library (Audio)
Manufacturer: Listening Library (Audio)
Quantity: 4
Printing Date: January 09, 2007
Publishing house: Listening Library (Audio)
Age index: Young Adult
Release Date: January 09, 2007
Sale Popularity Level: 112136
Studio: Listening Library (Audio)
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
Stargirl. From the day she arrives at quiet Mica High in a burst of colour 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 very first love.
From the Hardcover edition.
Amazon.com:
'She was homeschooling gone amok.' 'She was an alien.' 'Her parents were circus acrobats.' These are only a few of the theories concocted to explain Stargirl Caraway, a new 10th grader at Arizona's Mica Area High School who wears pioneer dresses and kimonos to school, strums a ukulele in the cafeteria, laughs when there are no jokes, and dances when there is no music. The whole school, not exactly a 'hotbed of nonconformity,' is stunned by her, including our 16-year-old narrator Leo Borlock: 'She was elusive. She was today. She was tomorrow. She was the faintest scent of a cactus flower, the flitting shadow of an elf owl.'
In time, incredulity gives way to out-and-out adoration as the student body finds itself helpless to resist Stargirl's wide-eyed charm, pure-spirited friendliness, and penchant for celebrating the achievements of others. In the ultimate high school symbol of acceptance, she is even recruited as a cheerleader. Popularity, of course, is a fragile and fleeting state, and bit by bit, Mica sours on their new idol. Why is Stargirl showing up at the funerals of strangers? Worse, why does she cheer for the opposing basketball teams? The growing hostility comes to a head when she is verbally flogged by resentful students on Leo's televised Hot Seat show in an episode that is too terrible to air. While the playful, chin-held-high Stargirl seems impervious to the shunning that ensues, Leo, who is in the throes of very first love (and therefore scornfully deemed 'Starboy'), is not made of such strong stuff: 'I became angry. I resented having to choose. I refused to choose. I imagined my life without her and without them, and I didn't like it either way.'
Jerry Spinelli, author of Newbery Medalist Maniac Magee, Newbery Honor Book Wringer, and many other excellent books for teens, elegantly and accurately captures the collective, not-always-pretty emotions of a high school microcosm in which individuality is pitted against conformity. Spinelli's Stargirl is a supernatural teen character--absolutely egoless, altruistic, in touch with life's primitive rhythms, meditative, untouched by popular culture, and supremely self-confident. It is the sensitive Leo whom readers will relate to as he grapples with who she is, who he is, who they are together as Stargirl and Starboy, and indeed, what it means to be a human being on a planet that is rich with wonders. (Ages 10 to 14) --Karin Snelson
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Rated by buyers -
A very good coming-of-age novel written entirely from a kid's point of view. We rarely even hear about adults - except of course for Archie, the leader of the Loyal Order of the Stone Bone - and he's certainly not portrayed as a "typical" adult. I think that's what I liked best about this book... never once was it condescending - as books with adult characters often are. It was a bit unrealistic, but enjoyable with good characters. You can see bits and pieces of yourself reflected in all of the characters. And most importantly it made me think....
Rated by buyers 
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**SPOILERS**
An absolutely amazing book. I remember reading it when I was younger and I didn't really understand it all that well. Reading it a few years later, it's so much better. I still hate and always will hate the ending, because Stargirl reads (although I guess Love, Stargirl gives me some hope that it might all be okay, that's subsequent on my reading list!), but still. I think everyone should be a star person. Stargirl is the person everyone should strive to be, the ultimate non-judging good. I love her character to death, she's just great. Leo, on the other hand, was such a nuisance. Come ON, he should have loved her for what she was, and it seemed like he did, until he began his little crusade to change her. Susan's not Stargirl. Susan's just...wrong. He shouldn't have done that. That was a truly bitter ending, and I wish things had ended on a high-note (like maybe she could have delivered the necktie in person).
It's such a true book though. So yeah, maybe none of us have Stargirls in our schools, but don't we wish we did? I know I do. It does illustrate that whole high school popularity contest very well, and I don't think it was exaggerated one bit.
The writing itself was gorgeous. It was detailed, but not so detailed that it was long-winded and b-o-r-i-n-g, it was actually detailed and kept my interest, which is ridiculously hard for a book to do. The descriptions themselves were magical, as was the dialogue. Great book, again, except for the ending. Can't wait to read Love, Stargirl!
Rated by buyers 
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Maybe this story was supposed to be written in this manner (more metaphorically speaking), but I don't know how anyone could literally believe it.
First of all, when Stargirl does actions like dancing in the rain during school hours (class time), especially when students can see that she's doing it (distracting to classes too), I don't see how school officials or authoritative figures would not take any action. Ditching class is usually grounds for at least a detention.
Also, by a lot of her actions, like going off-topic about totally random things (not the normal type of things to go off-topic in at a class), one would think Stargirl is autistic. No, really. See for yourself. (Or, don't... as this book isn't really worth anyone's time unless a small child needs a lesson about individuality and even then, I would find another story to explain it.) Also, it is quite rude to interrupt a teacher and a class which is in session to say ABSOLUTE NONSENSE. It may be "unique," but it is also undeniably stupid and quite obnoxious. There are much better ways to be unique and show one's individuality without bringing a rat to school, ditching class to dance in the rain, talking nonsense (really, nonsense) during class, and more.
If you want to teach a child about individuality, get him or her into hobbies, read stories to them that will inspire them, show them artwork, but really, please don't show them this book. The character shows the kind of individuality, which is... stupid. Normally I dislike calling books (which I usually consider works of art in themselves) stupid, but this one sadly deserves such a criticism.
There are other parts of the book that also... just don't make any sense. The main character Leo makes it clear at the beginning of the book that he is a Junior in High School, and then he speaks of what his classmates started saying about Stargirl in his (get ready for this) GEOMETRY class. Really? No... really?!?! Geometry is a Freshman class, and sometimes a Sophomore class, but a JUNIOR class? Please.
Also, the book tried to make it known that no one but Stargirl has individualism, but again, please. I attended an 18 person high school graduating class for 2 of my years of high school, and a 2000 person school for the other 2 years. Even the 18 person school had individualism. People had different interests, spoke their minds about issues, had intellectual debates, etc. Our bad, for not leaving a teacher in the dust to dance in the rain or not carrying small rodents in our bags, but I would say we had pretty damned good individualism. Religiously, politically, interest-wise, etc. And the 2000 person school. Hell yes! Of course there were cliques, but even within cliques people had different music tastes, and of course there was even more individualism than that. From people in non-cliques, and more. Basically, I did not buy that this book was trying to tell me that everyone at Mica Area High School was supposed to be not individualistic and pretty much, the same human being until... Stargirl arrived.
Of course there are other unrealistic, silly, and well, lame, parts of the book, but I hope what I have written so far in this review has done the job in convincing you to NOT read this book.
If I saved anyone any time in their life, this review was completely, and utterly worth it.
Rated by buyers -
I would highly recommend the book Stargirl. It is an interesting book that you just want to keep reading. Stargirl is about a high school student. She is very different and is just her self she doesn't worry about what other people think. She is unlike most high school kids who want to fit in. She is liked and also unliked by her high school. People just don't know how to react to her. She is so different and almost unreal. This intriguing book will hold your attention. I never wanted to put this book down. It is a book that many people could relate to about the high school struggle to just be yourself. I would definitely give 5 stars to Stargirl. :)
Rated by buyers -
This book was seriously one of the most terrible books I have ever read. It took me 3 months to get through this obnoxious and annoying story about this weird stalker named Stargirl. This book is very unrealistic, and most of the things in this book were just plain stupid. I cant believe my school made me read this tall tale about a alien girl and her pet rat. To make this book even the slightest bit better, I suggest that Mr. Spinelli should start completely over and write about a whole different subject. Like if she was like a ninja or something, that would be pretty awesome. Any thing other than that is shallow and pedantic. Congratulations "Stargirl" on being the worst book ever written.
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