Somewhere in the midst of stargirls arrival and rise and fall, normal leo borlock has tumbled into love with her. Discussion of themes and motifs in jerry spinellis stargirl. She changed because she knew how important it the importance of knowing what is really important. These notes were contributed by members of the gradesaver community. Stargirl by jerry spinelli reflects the themes of conformity, individuality and kindness, especially in how the title character relates to other people in her school and town. Stargirl is a touching and thoughtful book, a celebration of individualism and a condemnation of the kind of society that would stifle it. Stargirl was not comfortable changing to being more like everyone else. As the book takes a turn, she starts the lose friend after friend. Mica, a form of rock, seems to represent the conformity bound high school students.
Awardwinning author gordon korman has a knack for understanding the preteen brain. This prezi is about the book stargirl, this book is by. The main conflict in the novel stargirl is between the female lead, susan stargirl caraway, and her classmates at mica area high school. If everyone had taken the time to fully understand her, like leo did, everyone would have realized the amazing person inside of her. I love that book you should read the second one called love stargirl. Aug 01, 2000 newberywinning spinelli spins a magical and heartbreaking tale from the stuff of high school. In her relationship with leo, she couldnt really accept herself, because leo couldnt accept her. A bittersweet paean to eccentricity and nonconformity, it is also a scathing commentary on teenagers, which makes its popularity with them all the more interesting. One of the themes, or morals of this story is never judge a book by its cover. In a celebration of nonconformity, jerry spinelli weaves a tense, emotional tale about the fleeting, cruel nature of popularityand the thrill and inspiration of first love. Previous page table of contents next page downloadable printable version. She stopped at an empty table, laid down her bag, slung the. Parents need to know that stargirl is a sort of supernatural character who is difficult to encapsulate, despite her classmates repeated attempts to pigeonhole her. Popularity, fitting in, and sameness are all key themes in stargirl.
Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in stargirl, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Stargirl was another fantastic book jerry spinelli. Leo who i am by nick jonas and a thousand miles by venessa carlton. This book resonates long after the cover is closed. Its like a diary, but as stargirl often talks to leo personally, its more of a letter. He added interesting characters, such as, leo the quiet and shy one, stargirl unique and fun one, dori dilson stargirl only friend, archie the wise and elderly one, kevin leos friend that likes the stoplight, and hillari kimble the popular bratty one. The third major event was what happened at stargirls competition and what happened when. Newberywinning spinelli spins a magical and heartbreaking tale from the stuff of high school.
Stargirl susan this is the main character, the protagonist leo borlock this is the narrator of the story. This meaning that no one should have judged star girl by the way she appeared or by the way of her being different. Find places in the novel that reinforce these themes and discuss. Love, stargirl is a book told from stargirls point of view. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. Stargirl prezi presintation by anna pannell on prezi. But by the end of the book, shes totally cool with who she is. The second major event was when stargirl was put on hot seat. This study guide consists of approximately 40 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of stargirl. The detroit news and free press stargirl tells us the captivating story of a magical, mysterious girl. We can tell that throughout the book, the one character that stays.
Someone who seems outoftime and outofplace at micha high school. The complete study guide contains summaries and notes for all of the chapters. Stargirl is a the type of book that is ripe for multilevel discussion. If everyone had taken the time to fully understand her, like leo did, everyone would have realized the. On the back of your poster explain why this part is your favorite and why it was significant in the book. Stargirls nonconformist personality leads to confusion and conflict among her teenage peers who prize acceptance. When stargirl, an unusual free spirit, is the new girl at an arizona high school, the gossip begins immediately. It is, in some ways, a ya version of the little prince, or a female version of spinellis own awardwinning maniac magee. The theme of a novel is a message about life that is present in the story. Stargirl is suddenly shunned for everything that makes her different, and leo, panicked and desperate with love, urges her to become the very thing that can destroy her.
After stargirl changes back to susan, leo says she looked magnificently, wonderfully, gloriously ordinary. Throughout the book, stargirl joins a cheerleading team, meets leo, and heightens her popularity status at school. The complete study guide is currently available as a downloadable pdf, rtf, or ms word doc file from the pinkmonkey monkeynotes download store. It was a new york times bestseller, a parents choice gold award winner, an ala top ten best books for young adults award winner, and a publishers weekly best book of the year. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. In this lesson, we will look at some quotes from stargirl that explain the. Written by timothy sexton a celebration of nonconformity. Above all else, stargirl is an absolute celebration of the joy and even the necessity of.
The most obvious theme is the careful look at conformity and how it limits us, making us latch onto false values and. A for sale sign stood in the front yard of the caraway home. Jerry spinellis stargirl, published in 2000, is a young adult novel dealing with the. Throughout the book, the author and everyone he describes seem in awe of stargirl and all her genuine, positive qualities. Throughout the book, leo notices the fluctuations of the pebble wagon which is how the reader knows stargirl s mood, otherwise stargirl would be portrayed as a happy character throughout the whole book. This is a gently mystical, thoughtprovoking, and enchanting rumination on conformity. Jerry spinellis young adult novel stargirl highlights the kindhearted quirkiness of a high school girl who calls herself stargirl. Stargirl, for example, has just moved to a new town. Fifteenyearold susan stargirl caraway longs for her boyfriend, leo borlock. Linebyline modern translations of every shakespeare play and poem. Dori dilson this is the one girl at mica high school that is stargirls friend unconditionally. Then, on page 87, leo describes the saguaro cacti, a recurring theme in the book. In this celebration of nonconformity, newbery medalist jerry spinelli weaves a tense, emotional tale about the perils of popularity and the thrill and. Fifteen years later, leo still remembered that school year followed by a sad lonely summer without stargirl.
The creators of sparknotes stargirl themes from litcharts. Apr 24, 2020 series creator geoff johns also created the comic book character stargirl, basing her on his sister courtney johns, who was killed in the twa flight 800 crash in 1996. Somewhere in the midst of stargirl s arrival and rise and fall, normal leo borlock has tumbled into love with her. From the day she arrives at quiet mica high in a burst of color and sound, the hallways hum with the murmur of stargirl, stargirl. When you want to learn about the themes and setting of a story, one of the best sources is the words of the author. The most obvious theme is the careful look at conformity and how it limits us, making us latch onto false values and means of evaluating others. In the book stargirl by jerry spinelli stargirl, the main character is a quirky teenage girl. Be specific about what you liked and disliked about the. If everyone else waited like leo they would have seen the real stargirl. She sings happy birthday to classmates in the lunchroom, props a small. Definitions and examples of 6 literary terms and devices.
Many of the characters in love, stargirl are isolated. This is one of the temes because on the first day stargirl was there everyone judged her said she was weird and held a grudge. What kind of theme do you think fits with the book. Unlike leo, who identifies as an american, an arizonan, and a mica high student, our stargirl just wont be boxed in. The stargirl community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. In jerry spinellis stargirl, conformity is a central theme. Few parents will have objections to the content, but there is one scene in particular where stargirl s peers verbally attack her on a television show. Jerry spinellis novel stargirl contains multiple themes as they concern relationships among people. The themes of love, stargirl include resilience, dealing with the fall out of a relationship, and learning to love ones new situation. Leo, the novels narrator, acknowledges from the beginning that his high school is not a bastion of individuality. I loved the concept and jerry spinellis cast of characters leap right off the page at you. We can tell that throughout the book, the one character that stays consistent in stargirl s life is this rat. Stargirl goes to school for the first time as a tenth grader.
Stargirl knows that true love is all about acceptance. The thematic fever pitch of the novel during the hot seat segment in. Themes theme analysis the importance of being ones self. Series creator geoff johns also created the comic book character stargirl, basing her on his sister courtney johns, who was killed in the twa flight 800 crash in 1996. Individuality and conformity jerry spinellis young adult novel stargirl highlights the kindhearted quirkiness of a high school girl who calls herself stargirl. Stargirl was well received by critics, who praised stargirl s character and the novels overall message of nonconformity. In this novel, the major problem is the way stargirl is treated as an outsider by. He sets the standard for student behavior at mica high school. Throughout the novel the author suggests through the character of stargirl that life might be more fun if we could let go of group notions about what is normal, and. The moa, on the other hand, and extinct bird from new zealand seems to represent stargirl. Stargirl stated to wear regular jeans, sandals, and tshirts when she only used to wear dresses. Stargirl s nonconformist personality leads to confusion and conflict among her teenage peers who prize acceptance. He deals with an internal struggle to go against what the norm would approve of. Not only do students follow the rigidly prescribed.
What are some theme songs for stargirl by jerry spinelli. Eleventhgrader leo borlock cannot quite believe the new student who calls herself stargirl. Anyway, like the questions asks, what do you think would be a good theme to describe this book. But the novels action centers more around the reactions. The book is narrated in the first person from the protagonists perspective and takes the form of many letters. In the middle of the book, stargirl started to change into a more popular girl. Due to stargirls unusual behavior including carrying her pet rat to school, singing while playing the ukulele at lunch, wearing strange clothing, and so on, most students peg her as an outcast even though she is extremely friendly to everyone. If so, you are on the right track to figuring out the tone of stargirl. Unlike leo he waited and he was able to the real stargirl and he feel in love. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. She did carry a large canvas bag with a lifesize sunflower painted on it. The third major event was what happened at stargirl s competition and what happened when. The stargirl community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis.
We can tell that throughout the book, the one character that stays consistent in stargirls life is this rat. This study guide consists of approximately 31 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of love, stargirl. She carries him everywhere with her, and leo is fond of him. Formerly homeschooled, stargirl comes to their arizona high school with a pet rat and a ukulele, wild clothes and amazing habits. What kind of theme do you think fits with the book stargirl by jerry spinelli. A modernday classic and new york times bestseller from newbery medalist jerry spinelli. Mar 25, 2019 stargirl goes to school for the first time as a tenth grader. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of stargirl by jerry spinelli.
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