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A review by theforereffect
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book originally came out when I was about 14 or 15. I remember seeing a review of it on a magazine and wanting to read it, but balking when I saw it in the middle grade section at the book store. I was so concerned with what others thought of me at that time I didn't want to read a book some one might think was childish. At that point of my life, I didn't want to stand out more than I already did. I didn't want to put one more target on my back.
I really, really needed this book back then.
I did eventually pick this one up, sometime in my 20's, but it hits differently now. I'm almost 40 and I have a child of my own. I'm at peace with myself in a way that only comes with middle age. I can look back and laugh at how trivial and temporary everything that happened in high school was, even though it felt monumental at the time.
There is something timeless about Stargirl. The lack of cell phones and social media and the abundance of print media are the only things that date this novel. Otherwise, the themes are as relevant today as they were 25 years ago and as they will be 25 years from now. It's always going to be hard for teenagers to figure themselves out, to be co fident and unafraid, to break away from the pack.
What keeps Stargirl from being especially cloying (although it certainly is a little cloying) is that it acknowledges that being different isn't easy, social isolation isn't easy, and being a teenager is not easy.
Stargirl is imperfect. She has no boundaries, she's obsessive, she's stubborn. The description of her office at the end was some low key serial killer shit.
But Leo is imperfect too. He is cowardly, he can't communicate, he doesn't have a clear sense of himself or what he stands for. Their relationship is perfectly teenager-y in the way that it is awkward and short lived.
I think this book is a classic. It's one to pass on to the young people in your life. It's one that can fuel a lot of self reflection and is a jumping off point for discussion about individuality and conformity.
I think 25 years later the Manic Pixie Dream Girl of it all did not age well.
I do want to read an adult contemporary romance with Leo and Stargirl now, though.
I really, really needed this book back then.
I did eventually pick this one up, sometime in my 20's, but it hits differently now. I'm almost 40 and I have a child of my own. I'm at peace with myself in a way that only comes with middle age. I can look back and laugh at how trivial and temporary everything that happened in high school was, even though it felt monumental at the time.
There is something timeless about Stargirl. The lack of cell phones and social media and the abundance of print media are the only things that date this novel. Otherwise, the themes are as relevant today as they were 25 years ago and as they will be 25 years from now. It's always going to be hard for teenagers to figure themselves out, to be co fident and unafraid, to break away from the pack.
What keeps Stargirl from being especially cloying (although it certainly is a little cloying) is that it acknowledges that being different isn't easy, social isolation isn't easy, and being a teenager is not easy.
Stargirl is imperfect. She has no boundaries, she's obsessive, she's stubborn. The description of her office at the end was some low key serial killer shit.
But Leo is imperfect too. He is cowardly, he can't communicate, he doesn't have a clear sense of himself or what he stands for. Their relationship is perfectly teenager-y in the way that it is awkward and short lived.
I think this book is a classic. It's one to pass on to the young people in your life. It's one that can fuel a lot of self reflection and is a jumping off point for discussion about individuality and conformity.
I think 25 years later the Manic Pixie Dream Girl of it all did not age well.
I do want to read an adult contemporary romance with Leo and Stargirl now, though.