I feel like Stargirl is a strange little book, but it's a good kind of strange. The kind of strange that makes a bit more sense as an adult.

From an adult's point of view, Stargirl feels like an examination on the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope in a middle/high school setting with that middle/high school lens. You admire what's different and strange, you crave it, you want it for your own, but once you have it, appreciating it as it is becomes difficult since society (and you yourself) may want to change that strange, unusual and precious thing. Stargirl herself is a manic pixie dream girl for our main character, but we also see her growing and changing both for the betterment of the strained society that is high school, but also for herself. The story feels incomplete, but that's because our characters, and our titular Stargirl is still growing and still writing her life's story.

To my surprise, this book ended up getting a musical adaptation on Disney+ - and it's pretty faithful to the book save for changing up a few details regarding the main character's backstory (swapping out an uncle for a father), and some details with Stargirl's clothing choices (though I imagine that was just fashion crew having fun when filming), and the songs really helped bring the story to life in movie form. ( )

Great. About the lemming problem in high school, blown chances, artificial popularity. good stuff ( )

If only they still made afterschool specials this would totally be in the running for production. ( )

Uno young adult di più di vent'anni fa, quando il genere non era stato ancora invaso da vampiri o malati terminali: è semplicemente la storia di una ragazza eccentrica vista con gli occhi di un ragazzo "normale".
La trama è tutta qui e all'apparenza anche un po' deludente, perché non succede niente di particolarmente degno di nota in questo libro: è la cronaca di un normale anno scolastico, tra partite di pallacanestro e balli di fine anno. E' Stargirl l'elemento di spicco, quella che sa trasformare anche le cose più banali in avventure eccezionali e che col suo anticonformismo metterà in crisi l'intera scolaresca, che non riuscendo ad incasellarla in qualche stereotipo deciderà di respingerla in toto.
Il coraggio che serve per essere se stessi e il valore dell'individualità: è chiaro fin da pagina due che questo è il messaggio che vuole trasmettere l'autore e l'intento didascalico a volte è talmente evidente da diventare pedestre; mai giudicante però, perché è difficile non curarsi dell'opinione altrui (soprattutto nell'adolescenza) e non colpevolizza chi non ci riesce o chi nemmeno ci prova, più che altro esalta quei rari esseri fortunati come Stargirl che riescono a vivere secondo le loro regole. La esalta anche un po' troppo forse, perché ne fa un personaggio quasi mitico a metà tra Peter Pan e la fatina dei denti, stucchevole e poco realistico. Il contorno invece realistico lo è parecchio, soprattutto il finale che resta coi piedi per terra senza lanciarsi in improbabili romanticherie.
La conclusione dopo averlo letto è che sia un romanzo scorrevole e leggero, molto dimenticabile soprattutto per un adulto e che però ha il merito di provare ad educare con garbo e senza moralismi. ( )

I wasn't sure what to expect in this story. So all unwitting, before I knew it, I was on an emotional roller coaster. As well, a feeling of this isn't going to end well kept pervading the narrative.
Apparently, middle school is very much like this novel: unconventional is dissed as 'weird' and challenging the local school community beliefs on social behaviour is unwelcome. Because it's scary to see a free-thinker, no?

What didn't resonate for me was how intolerant the senior grade population was. Isn't there some change in maturity in the jump to senior high school? I know student cliques are all-powerful and social pressure exists to conform to the school's dominant starlets parading their popularity. But still, the degree of an entire school shunning? Spinelli was writing about a small-town high school, so maybe that's not so surprising. What the author neglected was developing Leo's character to the extent written about Stargirl. I would have liked a less wishy-washy balance for the co-main protagonist, but he seemed more like a supporting character.

Exceptional passages are sprinkled throughout the book. These paragraphs lifted the novel (novella, actually) to the 3½ rating, though I was tempted by 4-stars. Despite the stars or lack thereof, this story is worth reading: the zen of being one with the desert (where Stargirl takes Leo to her 'enchanted place'); the conversations with Archie; the scenario preceding Stargirl's stellar speech after she's taken a short walk on the way to the competition. I have no idea whether the intended audience would relate to how the book develops, or even if the theme of "being who you are" will be convincing. Could be a good talking point in an enlightened high school classroom Lit class. ( )