Realistic Fiction

Stargirl

Author: Jerry Spinelli

Grade Level:

6^th and 7^th

This book examines the emotions and feelings of being a teenager which makes it an appropriate story for 6^th and 7^th graders to read and relate to.  

Summary:

Stargirl is told in first person by the main character Leo. Leo is just a normal junior in high school until he meets the wonderfully strange Stargirl. Leo and Stargirl fall in love, but Leo is conflicted because her differences isolate him from the rest of the school. In an attempt to make his life easier, he tries to change her to be more “ordinary”. In the end, she continues to be her true self, and he learns how to see the world as a more extraordinary place.

Stargirl in the classroom:

One lesson that I would use Stargirl would be to teach diversity in the classroom. Stargirl is shunned by her fellow students because of her unique way of seeing the world. The class could research other famous people who were ostracized in history for being different.

Lessons involving character descriptions would also offer great activities to use with Stargirl.

ESOL strategies and Stargirl :

ESOL students can work on art projects depicting what they think Star Girl might look like. The descriptions of Stargirl and the clothes she wears are very in depth, allowing it to easily be translated into art.

ESOL students would also benefit from an audio version of Stargirl. This gives them the ability to start and stop the story throughout, to check for comprehension.

Read Aloud:

I would read Chapter 1 pages 3-6 because they really intrigue the reader about the character of Stargirl and the schools reaction to her.

Personal Opinion:

I read this book in May of 2000, just as I was about to graduate high school and remembered loving it. I reread it this week and remembered why. Jerry Spinelli captures the society of high school perfectly. He exposes the desperate need to fit in and the loneliness of not fitting in. This book embraces the things that can be learned when we open our eyes to seeing the world in a new way. It is wonderfully written and I can’t wait to reread it again in ten years.