Stargirl
Jerry Spinelli (2000)
“A girl who plays ukulele for strangers, carries a pet rat, and cheers for both teams — until Mica High decides she's too different to forgive.”
At a Glance
Leo Borlock, a junior at Mica Area High School in Arizona, is captivated by the strange and radiant new girl who calls herself Stargirl Caraway. She sings happy birthday to strangers, cheers for both teams, and cares nothing about what others think. The school briefly loves her, then turns on her when her radical kindness costs them a basketball championship. Leo, desperate to fit in, begs Stargirl to become 'normal.' She tries — and the normal version of her is unbearable to witness. Leo chooses popularity over her. She disappears, and the cost of that choice haunts him for the rest of his life.
Read full summary →Why This Book Matters
Stargirl became one of the defining novels of early-2000s middle-grade and YA literature, consistently appearing on school reading lists across the United States. Its directness about the cruelty of conformity, and its refusal to give Leo a redemption arc he didn't earn, made it unusual among novels for its age group. The sequel, Love, Stargirl (2007), was published by demand — readers wanted more of Stargirl's voice. A Disney+ film adaptation was released in 2020.
Diction Profile
Conversational and accessible, with lyrical passages in desert/enchanted place scenes — calibrated for middle-grade readers without condescending to them
Moderate