At Mica High School in Mica, Arizona, things are quiet and uneventful. Everyone dresses alike. Everyone thinks alike. No one does anything that their neighbor wouldn't do.

Until Stargirl comes along.

Homeschooled for years, Stargirl defies categorization. She wears long, flowing pioneer dresses daily, intermingled with outrageous costumes. She serenades people with her ukulele at lunch on their birthdays. She brings her pet rat Cinnamon to school. She looks strangers in the eye. She dances to no music and seems to understand something about life that her classmates do not. Mica students aren't sure what to do with her, and she goes from being interesting to admired to shunned and finally ostracized.

Leo Borlock was perfectly happy with his generic Mica life. Then, against his will, he finds himself falling for Stargirl. The two share an incredible, eye-opening romance. In their own little world, everything is perfect and magical. But when they have to face their critical classmates, what will happen to their relationship?

This is by far Jerry Spinelli's best novel. It is a beautifully written story about nonconformity and the seeds of magic and quirkiness that we all possess, though we may not realize it. Readers will wish that they were friends with Stargirl. I was unsatisfied with the ending, but I understand why Spinelli would have ended the novel in that way. There is nothing I would change about this extremely touching and timeless story. I recommend this to everyone, regardless of their age.

This is a great book that any teen can relate to. It is funny in the great Spinelli style with the humor more geared towards teens. Every student that I recommend this book to loves it and asks if I will loan it to one of their friends. (Even if the friend is not in my class!)

This book is amazing! Its a MUST read for any junior high or even High school aged girl. It makes you think, yet its heart warming, charming and inspirational! (You may end up reading it multiple times!)

A great young adult book that adults will enjoy as well.

This was a REALLY good book. It is all about a girl who is different from everybody else at her highschool. Then Leo, an average guy at the highschool, falls in love with her. I stayed up till 1:30am finishing it up!

A beautiful story about a girl that doesn't quite fit in.

My daughter read this over the summer and loved it as it reminded her of being homeschooled and transitioning to the public school arena.
From Amazon.com editorial reviews . . . "She was homeschooling gone amok." "She was an alien." "Her parents were circus acrobats." These are only a few of the theories concocted to explain Stargirl Caraway, a new 10th grader at Arizona's Mica Area High School who wears pioneer dresses and kimonos to school, strums a ukulele in the cafeteria, laughs when there are no jokes, and dances when there is no music. The whole school, not exactly a "hotbed of nonconformity," is stunned by her, including our 16-year-old narrator Leo Borlock: "She was elusive. She was today. She was tomorrow. She was the faintest scent of a cactus flower, the flitting shadow of an elf owl."
In time, incredulity gives way to out-and-out adoration as the student body finds itself helpless to resist Stargirl's wide-eyed charm, pure-spirited friendliness, and penchant for celebrating the achievements of others. In the ultimate high school symbol 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 their new 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 resentful students on Leo's televised Hot Seat show in an episode that is too terrible to air.

This book has a few highlights, but otherwise is in very good condition.

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It was an OK read, probably won't recommend it.

Easy to read, but hard to describe. The main character is different from her classmates but she doesn't know the social code so she is not hurt by the laughter. Reading this books makes you stop and think about how you treat others.

Absolutely LOVED this book! It's geared toward teens, but is well written and anyone can enjoy. This girl comes into town and stirs it up. Everyone thinks she is so weird and has the strangest name, but once she starts making friends EVERYONE loves her! I can not wait to read the second one, "Love, Stargirl".

Another Spinelli classic! Stargirl is a wonderful story about being yourself and coming to appreciate someone for who they are. Love it!

this is an incredible book. it's not just another light, chick-lit kind of read. despite the fact that you can read it in a day, it really makes you think about life and people.

I loved it 100%.

A lot of people seemed to like this book, but I found it overly sentimental and hard to connect to the main characters. I think I didn't like it for the same reason I didn't like the movie Patch Adams. Sometimes misfits trying to change the world come off as creepy.

This is one of my favorite YA novels. I simply adore it.

My 14 year daughter read for an English Honors class assignmentin 8th grade and truly enjoyed it.

Great book for adolescents by Newbury Medal winner

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