Archie told kevin and leo that her given name was susan caraway. Jerry spinelli is the author of more than a dozen books for young readers, including maniac magee, winner of the newbery medal, and stargirl, a new york times bestseller and an ala top ten best book for young adults. The 2000 book chronicles the changes that come to an arizona high school after the arrival of the eponymous stargirl, a wholly unique teenager who. But considering the majority of reallife teenagers are probably a lot more like leo, kevin, and even stargirl than troy, sharpay, and the hsm gang, the film may actually be the more representative high school movie. Leo coaches her how, yet stargirl realizes that none of the students are warming up to her causing her to revert back to her normal self. It is only after stargirl changes that kevin feels more comfortable hanging out. It was a new york times bestseller, a parents choice gold award winner, an ala top ten best books for young adults award. Hes a quirky guy who hasnt learned to embrace the traits, such as his love for porcupines, that set him. At one point in spinellis novel, leo finds himself in sharp disagreement with the rest of his school.
Stargirl s old name is susan caraway although susan is the name her parents gave her, stargirl has changed what she is called many times. They begin with the name stars, but eventually transition her to the name stargirl. It tickled us to mention her name to strangers and watch the expressions on their faces. If you like stargirl you might like similar books love, stargirl, walk two moons, flipped, tuck everlasting, the city of ember. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. The new tenthgrader who arrived on the first day of school at mica high stands out. Quentin jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently. Courtney whitmore is an attractive and cheerful teenage girl, adoring the life she leads. Jerry spinellis stargirl, published in 2000, is a young adult novel dealing with the. The entire schools not sure what to think of her and the kind things she does. The word begins with a brief introduction to leo at the age of twelve, and chronicles his move from his home state of pennsylvania to arizona.
Love, stargirl is a 2007 young adult novel by jerry spinelli. Unfortunately, theyre lost on leo and kevin, who dont get what he means. Do you think the students of mica high are ultimately too harsh on stargirl. To protect her from danger, dugan returns to the s.
I could feel my heart practically breaking inside me as i was reading this book. Stargirl follows leo borlock, an 11th grader at mica high. From the day she arrives at quiet mica high in a burst of color and sound, the hallways hum with the murmur of stargirl, stargirl. Think about the possibility of changing your name several times. The first book in stargirl series introduces us to stargirl caraway, an enigma and the type of girl you would either hate or love without any room for emotions in between. Love, stargirl, the companion novel written from stargirls perspective, was a similarly smashing success in 2007, with over 400,000 hardcover copies sold.
While stargirl is a guest on hot seat, kevin asks her why she changed her name. Leo realizes that hes in love with her, but has a difficult. The stargirl community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Stargirl movie tiein edition by jerry spinelli, paperback. Stargirl was well received by critics, who praised stargirls character and the novels overall message of nonconformity. Stargirl might be a good introduction to a classic like to kill a mockingbird by harper lee. Handpicked recommendations to other books that have a similar writing style or theme to stargirl. Amused that he would now be her sidekick, courtney agreed and took on the shorter heroic name, stargirl. A popular cheerleader and an old friend of star girl. Stargirl explores a character that doesnt try to fit in and is still happy in her own skin. Stargirl didnt sing to hillari kimble, but sung to leo using hillaris name. Suddenly stargirl was not dangerous, and we rushed to embrace her. She wore an offwhite dress so long it covered her shoes.
She will remind them of favorite movie characters that do crazy things. Like a cactus flower, stargirl is only around for a short time. Spinelli himself says, in an interview printed in the back of the book, the character is intended to raise dust in the corners of credibility, to challenge our routine ways of seeing ourselves. Spinelli made his picture book debut with my daddy and me, a loving tribute to fathers and sons. However, she left a lasting impression on leo and the other students at mica high. Jerry spinelli is the author of many novels for young readers, including the wardens daughter. Popularity, fitting in, and sameness are all key themes in stargirl. Like much of spinellis best work, it straddles the line between reality and fantasy, dwelling in the land of legend and allegory.
Students love stargirls antics throughout the novel. The name stargirl represents how bright and mysterious she really is. I thought that necktie was just about the neatest thing in. The novel takes the form of the worlds longest letter, in diary form, going from date to date through a little more than a years time. Stargirl is a young adult novel written by american author jerry spinelli and first published in 2000. In the book, stargirl s outfits ranged from a 1920s flapper dress one day and a pioneer outfit the next, as opposed to her brightlycolored. A modernday classic and new york times bestseller from newbery medalist jerry spinelli. From the day she arrives at quiet mica high in a burst of color and sound, the hallways.
When she first makes her appearances as a sophomore in a high school in the small town mica, arizona she becomes the talk of the day and her name echoes throughout the hallways. Love, stargirl if stargirl floats your boat, then be sure to check out the sequel. Why because it will entertan you and make you want to read more. She goes to the ocotillo ball by herself and has a blast. The book follows a female student entering school, after eleven years of homeschooling. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. The 25 best young adult fiction novels of all time complex. Stargirl jerry spinelli page 3 read online free books. Falling action stargirl accepts the fact that leo can not love her for who she is. As stargirl marched out, i could see hillari kimble across the. Mica area high school has never seen anything like susan stargirl caraway, a classic manic pixie dream girl who wears native american buckskins, plays the. Grace vanderwaal interview about stargirl popsugar. Stargirl by jerry spinelli scholastic books for kids. It picks up where the previous novel left off after stargirl left mica high and describes her bittersweet memories in the town of mica, arizona along with the involvements of new people in her life, in phoenixville, pennsylvania.
Read more extraordinary books from the author of stargirl. She sparks a schoolspirit revolution with just one cheer. Seven stories about her by bruce brooks flipped by wendelin van draanen razzle by ellen wittlinger the curious incident of. The new tenthgrader who arrived on the first day of school at mica high stands out for many reasons. If you were a student at mica high, would you reach out to her like dori dilson, or reject her like hillari kimble. This study guide consists of approximately 40 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of stargirl. It is one of those ya books that are relevant and replete with life lessons for all to learn, whether you can relate to the characters or not. Leo is as ordinary as it gets, struggling to conform to the rest of his peers, he has to. Both girls and boys can relate to the themes in this story.
Mica area high school has never seen anything like susan stargirl caraway, a classic manic pixie dream girl who wears native american buckskins, plays the ukulele and cheers for both teams at. What is the name of the dude stargirl liked in the book. Stargirl is a romantic and funny novel by jerry spinelli. A vocabulary list featuring stargirl vocabulary list. Therefore she didnt break her word about singing to her.
Dori is a very supportive friend that also learns to accept star girl the way she is. There are some small cuts to characters from the book, like leos friend kevin and stargirls ally dori dilson, and i personally dont think the school is as mean to stargirl in the movie as. It picks up where the previous novel left off after stargirl left mica high and describes her bittersweet memories in the town of mica, arizona along. She decides that for mica she would be stargirl and stargirl she was. Their dates change from doing acts of kindness to going out for a slice of pizza and a movie. Happy birthday, dear alan ferkooooh alan ferkos face turned red as bo peeps pigtail ribbons. Here, i do an analysis comparing books ive read to their on screen adaptations. Plus, for those who cant get enough, theres also a 2007 followup book titled love, stargirl, so now is the perfect time to get reading and catch up on some childhood favorites. Stargirl has appeared in justice league unlimited, batman. This meaning that no one should have judged star girl by the way she appeared or by the way of her being different. All the differences between the stargirl book and movie. In this celebration of nonconformity, newbery medalist jerry spinelli weaves a tense, emotional tale about the perils of popularity and the thrill and. Stargirl brought leo there and told him to erase himself and forget everything and become part of the earth like she said in her quoteim erased im gone.
Love, stargirl is a book told from stargirl s point of view. Stargirl was well received by critics, who praised stargirl s character and the novels overall message of nonconformity. Stargirl could be called the high school musical of misfits and underdogs. Stargirl stargirl was written by jerry spinelli, and first published in 2000. Stargirl is suddenly shunned for everything that makes her. She captures leo borlocks heart with just one smile. Archie, the neighborhood wise man and resident cool old guy, is a retired paleontologist. Quentin jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous margo roth spiegelman from afar. She sparks a schoolspirit revolution with just one. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of stargirl by jerry spinelli. Love, stargirl picks up a year after stargirl ends and reveals the new life of the beloved character who moved away so suddenly at the end of stargirl. Then she started to call herself mudpie, and after that it was hullygully.
Lesson summary stargirl changes her name many times, often to peculiar things like mudpie and hullygully, and explains that. This is a story that is told in the first person narrative by a boy who is not the first person. The book itself drifts and meanders in a very pleasant way, much like stargirl herself. Courtney whitmore was originally known as the second starspangled kid, but she began using the name stargirl after she was presented with the cosmic staff by jack knight. Its like a diary, but as stargirl often talks to leo personally, its more of a letter. She named herself pocket mouse when she was little, and her parents started to call her pocket mouse. Called stargirl, the teenager is eccentric, compassionate, and delightfully unique. This prezi is about the book stargirl, this book is by. The book is the sequel to the new york times bestselling book, stargirl, and centers on the worlds longest letter in diary form. A boy becomes intrigued by a mysterious and quirky student named stargirl and spends his time trying to know more about her. I was twelve when we moved from pennsylvania to arizona. Raymond chandler and dashiell hammett have taught huge everything he needs to know about being a hardboiled detective, and hes just been hired to solve his first case.
In the early days, stargirls frequent nemesis was another young newcomer known as shiv. She first renamed herself pocket mouse, then mudpie. What is stargirl s old name in jerry spinellis book stargirl. This book will make you wonder why and will make you want to know whats going to happen next. What are some books like stargirl by jerry spinelli. Do you think your name is an integral part of who you are, or can you imagine yourself with another one. The novel takes the form of the worlds longest letter, in diary form, going from date to date through. Now, both bestselling paperbacks are collected in a handsome new boxed set, the ideal gift for any teen reader, as well as any of the many stargirl fans looking for a new keepsake edition of this beloved pair of novels.
When kevin tells archie that stargirl is like a different species, archie tells the boys, on the contrary, she is one of us. The sheep like school students are all recognizable. Stargirl is a former homeschooler who begins public school for the first time. And then the world is free to flow into me like water into an empty bowl. As kevin and leo talk after school, kevin starts to say some rather uncool things about stargirl, which makes leo realize something startling and horrible. Because of the shunning, stargirl stops wearing prairie dresses and starts going by susan, which is her real name. If everyone had taken the time to fully understand her, like leo did, everyone would have realized the.
Mar, 2020 there are some small cuts to characters from the book, like leos friend kevin and stargirls ally dori dilson, and i personally dont think the school is as mean to stargirl in the movie as. Stargirl trades in her quirky wardrobe for designer clothes and begins going by susan, her birth name. She captures leo borlock s heart with just one smile. Like wonder, these ten books push us toward greater empathy, compassion, and. Uncle pete would stand patiently before me while i ran my. The brave and the bold, justice league action, and young justice. Stargirl questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on stargirl. The film, which is based on the jerry spinelli youngadult.
The 10 most unintentionally terrifying childrens books related. There was a flurry of whistles and hoots, more for alan ferkos sake, i think, than hers. Stargirl by jerry spinelli discussion guide books on tape. Stargirl by jerry spinelli introduction summary and analysis. It had ruffles around the neck and cuffs and looked like it could have been her greatgrandmothers wedding gown. Jun 03, 2015 jerry spinelli, stargirl stargirl is what her name claims to be. Stargirl tries to please leo by going back to her actual name, susan, and act normal just like all the other students around her.
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