Stargirl
Written by: Jerry Spinelli
Recommended for ages 12 and up.
$13.95 Knopf Books

Take a group of high school students in rural Mica, Arizona, add an eccentric young girl who has been home-schooled for 9 years and throw in a lovestruck boy who prefers conformity and what do you get? A school, in fact a town, that is turned on its ear and doesn’t know how to respond.

When Stargirl arrives in Mica, Leo and the rest of the school population are in awe of her individuality yet are bothered by it at the same time. Why does she wear strange clothes? Why doesn’t she wear make-up? Why does she cheer for the opposing teams? How does she know everyone’s name and birth date? And besides that, why does she insist on singing Happy Birthday to them in the cafeteria?

When Leo attempts to change Stargirl by encouraging her to be “normal”, he is torn between his first love and the entire population of Mica High. There are a whole cast of strange characters that young readers will feel they already know before even finishing this page-turning story. This is a novel that teaches teenagers that non-conformity is okay. It will leave a lasting impression on those who are lucky enough to read it.