From the author's website: LOVE, STARGIRL picks up a year after Stargirl ends and reveals the new life of the beloved character who moved away so suddenly at the end of Stargirl. The novel takes the form of "the world's longest letter," in diary form, going from date to date through a little more than a year's time. In her writing, Stargirl mixes memories of her bittersweet time in Mica, Arizona, with involvements with new people in her life. My review: I loved the characters in this book. There's Dootsie, Stargirl's five-year-old best friend. She's a self-described "human bean" whose antics and comments had me in stitches. Next, we have Betty Lou, a self-mocking agoraphobic with surprising wisdom. Alvina is an eleven year-old Ultimate Fighter wannabe who alternately interests and exasperates. Perry, the young thief (with his own harem?) who interests Stargirl more than she'd like to admit. And finally, we come to Stargirl herself. The sixteen year old main character is either disarmingly honest or completely naive, but I have to say I found her charming. As mentioned in the summary, the story takes the form of an extended letter/diary that Stargirl writes to her "once (and future?) boyfriend," Leo. I will say there was a little more teenage moping and obsession than I would have preferred, but based on what I can remember, that's pretty much what the inner dialogue of a 16-year-old sounds like. Leo and Stargirl have broken up, and she's essentially trying to piece together a new sense of herself and her direction in life, coping with her feelings of loneliness and moving on. I keep wanting to call Stargirl naive, but the truth is that she seems to have a wisdom that's beyond her years. How many of us at sixteen have realized the importance of being ourselves even if that's not who others want us to be? The simple yet lyrical style of this book gave it the feeling of a fable in my mind, and I found myself thinking of it more like a teaching story than an actual novel, though it works well both ways. My final word? I enjoyed it, but if you lack patience for teenage flakiness, or you possess an unstoppable mockery impulse, this is probably not for you. Second opinons:
Yan at Books by Their Cover
3 comments:
I called my best friend in college Stargirl!
The funny thing is that it's not the character's original first name, but rather one she gives herself. It's cute.
I haven't read Stargirl (or realized that it had become a series!). I will have to read it - I really liked Jerry Spinelli while growing up :)
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