This is a book review
like none other. This is a book review with a story. This is a book review that
tells a tale of how I met a book like one meets a friend for the first time.
This is why this book is required reading (not really). Because I’d like you,
dear reader, to meet all my closest and dearest friends. So let us commence.
* * *
I met
Stargirl after school in the Aquinas library. I was sitting at a table,
dwelling on the fact that I was procrastinating on working on an essay. My eyes
wandered as I glanced at the shelves of the Realistic Fiction section nearby.
My attention was caught by a book with no title on its bright blue cover. Stargirl,
by Jerry Spinelli. I’d seen Stargirl before during various trips to
Barnes & Noble in the past, and I’d even read the back cover once, but it
either didn’t resonate with me, or I had more important, pressing matters at
the time, so I had dropped it back in its place. But now, I needed something to
hold my attention (and give me an excuse not to work on that essay), so I
decided to give Stargirl a shot.
I enjoyed the beginning of the book, but I was still wary.
I thought that it could still be a typical, dull contemporary fiction novel. I
didn’t want to commit to the relationship. After I’d read a few chapters, it
was almost closing time at the library. I decided it was probably too late to
ask to check out the book, so I reluctantly returned it once more to its shelf
and left.
That night and the next day, I continued to think about Stargirl.
It had so much potential. The characters were cute and well-developed, from
what I’d read so far. I wanted to know more about their adventures. Finally, I
returned to the library 9th period to check out the book. I read Stargirl
for the rest of the period, on the bus ride home, and for quite a while when I
arrived home. I finished it that afternoon. Once I’d committed to reading it, I
found it was difficult to put it down until it was over.
I
was mesmerized by the main character, Stargirl herself. Stargirl is, in fact,
her real name. She has been homeschooled her whole life until she enrolls in a
small town high school in Arizona and nothing is ever the same. She dresses
oddly and doesn’t seem to notice the stares. She participates in class when no
one else will. She brings her pet rat to all her classes in a big bag with a
sunflower on it. She does what she wants, which is usually completely contrary
to the norm, the mold that all the other students squeeze themselves into. She
leaves a trail of wonderment and bafflement wherever she goes.
Stargirl
cares about people. It seems that
everything she does is for someone else’s delight and benefit. Every time
someone in the school has a birthday, Stargirl strums her iconic ukulele and
sings to them right in the middle of the school cafeteria. She leaves a treat
on every student’s desk each holiday. She makes cards for the lonely. She
leaves change on the ground for children to find. She is a fresh breath of
purity and wholesomeness in her stale, ordinary community. No matter what
challenges Stargirl faces, she always keeps that spirit of kindness alive in
her heart.
I
became attached to Stargirl right away. In a way, I look up to her as a role
model. She is the image of everything I’d like to be in my own life:
compassionate, intelligent, talented, and real.
Even though our acquaintance was brief for the short time I read her story, I
know she will remain a life-long friend. Stargirl has changed the way I
look at those who are different from me. Now, I’m becoming a little less afraid
of what others might think of me, and a little more accepting of others who
probably share my desire to be included and accepted.
I’d
like very much for you to meet Stargirl. And who knows, she might even change
your life, too.
By: Maggie McAuliffe
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