Stargirl by jerry spinelli so glad my daughter and i read this book

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli So Glad My Daughter And I Read This Book!She was homeschooling gone amok. She was an alien. Her parents werecircus acrobats. These are only a few of the theories concocted to explainStargirl Caraway, a new 10th grader at Arizonas Mica Area High Schoolwho wears pioneer dresses and kimonos to school, strums a ukulele inthe cafeteria, laughs when there are no jokes, and dances when there isno music. The whole school, not exactly a hotbed of nonconformity, isstunned by her, including our 16-year-old narrator Leo Borlock: She waselusive. She was today. She was tomorrow. She was the faintest scent ofa cactus flower, the flitting shadow of an elf owl. In time, incredulity gi vesway to out-and-out adoration as the student body finds itself helpless toresist Stargirls wide-eyed charm, pure-spirited friendliness, and penchantfor celebrating the achievements of others. In the ultimate high schoolsymbol 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 theirnew 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 resentfulstudents on Leos televised Hot Seat show in an episode that is tooterrible to air. While the playful, chin-held-high Stargirl seems impervious tothe shunning that ensues, Leo, who is in the throes of first love (andtherefore scornfully deemed Starboy), is not made of such strong stuff: Ibecame angry. I resented having to choose. I refused to choose. Iimagined my life without her and without them, and I didnt like it eitherway. Jerry Spinelli, author of Newbery Medalist Maniac Magee, NewberyHonor Book Wringer, and many other excellent books for teens,elegantly and accurately captures the collective, not-always-prettyemotions of a high school microcosm in which individuality is pittedagainst conformity. Spinellis Stargirl is a supernatural teen character --absolutely egoless, altruistic, in touch with lifes primitive rhythms,meditative, untouched by popular culture, and supremely self -confident. Itis the sensitive Leo whom readers will relate to as he grapples with whoshe is, who he is, who they are together as Stargirl and Starboy, andindeed, what it means to be a human being on a planet that is rich withwonders. (Ages 10 to 14) --Karin SnelsonPersonal Review: Stargirl by Jerry SpinelliMy daughter, Kyu (her actual name, from the Korean pronunciation of aChinese character meaning "star" - so maybe she is a "Star Girl"), read thisbook with her fourth grade class last year. Seeing it on the co uch whileKyu was practicing her cello, I picked it up and started reading. I pausedonly once, to put Kyu to bed, and when I finished I was overjoyed that Ihad come across this wonderful book.Others have described the plot of the book in detail, so I will not waste timeon that exercise here. I will simply point out that Star Girl is theembodiment of the Mark Twain exhortation to "Dance like nobodyswatching; love like youve never been hurt. Sing like nobodys listening; livelike its heaven on earth." Certainly an unusual approach to life for ateenager.As a 10 year-old, I do not expect Kyu to understand these characters fully.Parents will certainly understand, however. Some may have b eenfortunate enough to have had their lives touched by their own Star Girl; allof us will recognize the forces lined up against her.As Kyu gets a bit older and begins the angst of middle school, I willcertainly try to encourage her return to this book. Hopefully it will help hersee that her situation is not unique, and perhaps it will inspire her to breakfree of the limitations we all place upon ourselves as adolescents out of asimple fear of standing out. Hopefully it can inspire the same from me, herfather. For More 5 Star Customer Reviews and Lowest Price:

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Stargirl by jerry spinelli so glad my daughter and i read this book

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