Stargirl Book
Stargirl is a young adult novel by Jerry Spinelli, first published in 2000. It tells the story of an eccentric and free-spirited girl named Stargirl Caraway, who joins Mica High School in Arizona and changes the lives of the students around her.
Plot Overview
The story is narrated by Leo Borlock, a junior at Mica High, who is fascinated by Stargirl’s uniqueness. Unlike other students, she wears quirky outfits, plays the ukulele, sings “Happy Birthday” to classmates, and shows kindness to everyone, even strangers. At first, her classmates admire her, but soon, her nonconformity makes her an outcast.
Leo and Stargirl develop a romantic relationship, but he struggles with the social pressure to be “normal.” When he asks her to be like everyone else, she tries, but it doesn’t work. Eventually, she returns to her true self but leaves town, leaving a lasting impact on Leo and the school.