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Ever since he moved to Mica, Arizona, Leo Borlock has learned to follow the unspoken rule at his high school to not stand out under any circumstance, but when Stargirl arrives at Mica High, the entire school cannot help but be changed by her presence. Leo himself can’t help but be fascinated by this stranger who is so far outside the status quo — and doesn’t even seem to care that she’s so different — that he both wishes to avoid her and be her friend all at once.
Stargirl has been homeschooled all her life. She likes wearing unusual, bright-colored clothes; she carries her rat, Cinnamon, with her everywhere, and, every day at lunch, she finds a new student to sing “Happy Birthday” to (while accompanying herself on the ukulele). Overall, she’s enchanted the Mica student body.
Then one day her popularity suddenly shifts, and Stargirl is shunned for every strange quirk that makes her different. Unfortunately, this is also around the time Leo realizes he’s started to fall in love with her. But is it worth being around Stargirl — loving her — if it means he’ll also be shunned by the very people he’s worked so hard to fit in with?
Stargirl is a very fast read, and while its exaggerated characters and writing style seem more appropriate for a middle-grade novel, it remains a tense, emotional story with morals that are appropriate for all ages. Along the journey, it provides the reader with a different way of looking at the world and those around us and poses some hard questions we all have faced or will face at one point or another: Why are we ostracized for being ourselves? Why do we have to hide who we really are to fit in? Why strive to be normal when we were born to stand out?
Overall, Stargirl is thought-provoking and profound in a way that stays with you long after you close the book. In my opinion, that makes this little-known tale a classic in its own right.
Rated: None. Students can be cruel, but there is little else to find offensive.
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