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Spinelli, J. (2000). Stargirl. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN: 0-679-88637-0
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Grade Level: 6-8
Honors: Parents Choice Gold Award Winner
Summary: This story is about an eclectic girl named Susan, who moves into a new high school. Susan wears interesting outfits and prefers to be called Stargirl; this strange behaviors makes her stand out from her peers, and at first they do accept her. However, she decides to join the cheerleading squad, and students become interested in being more like her. This leads students to display their individuality more, and Stargirl becomes popular. The tide turns though when basketball season starts, and she begins cheering for both her high school and the opposing high school. Shunned by most of the school, Stargirl begins a relationship with one of the novel’s other protagonists, Leo. He convinces her to be more “normal” and she slowly begins to lose herself. After winning a public speaking competition, Stargirl realizes that she should not be obsessed with fitting in, and consequently, Leo breaks up with her. When she attends the school dance with a friend, she is able to draw most of the student body to the dance floor, much to the chagrin of some. After this night, she disappears, but not without deeply affecting Leo’s views on the world.
Activity: Throughout this book, one of the central themes is conformity versus individualism. To have students think about this concept, encourage them to understand what each major character represents and their ideas about the world. One way to do this is through the use of Pinterest boards ( https://www.pinterest.com/ ). A teacher can set up a classroom Pinterest account, and students can create their own individual boards within the account. Have students select one of the main characters from the novel and pin things that would apply to that character. Then have students present their boards either to the whole class or in small groups. Students should explain why they pinned those items, what each item would represent to that character, and how does the item reflect the character’s outlook on the world. Some examples of characters to focus on are Stargirl, Leo, Kevin, Hillari, Dori, Archie, and Wayne.
Idea inspired by Dr. Beeson’s EDUC110 class at Salem College.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Grade Level: 6-8
Honors: Parents Choice Gold Award Winner
Summary: This story is about an eclectic girl named Susan, who moves into a new high school. Susan wears interesting outfits and prefers to be called Stargirl; this strange behaviors makes her stand out from her peers, and at first they do accept her. However, she decides to join the cheerleading squad, and students become interested in being more like her. This leads students to display their individuality more, and Stargirl becomes popular. The tide turns though when basketball season starts, and she begins cheering for both her high school and the opposing high school. Shunned by most of the school, Stargirl begins a relationship with one of the novel’s other protagonists, Leo. He convinces her to be more “normal” and she slowly begins to lose herself. After winning a public speaking competition, Stargirl realizes that she should not be obsessed with fitting in, and consequently, Leo breaks up with her. When she attends the school dance with a friend, she is able to draw most of the student body to the dance floor, much to the chagrin of some. After this night, she disappears, but not without deeply affecting Leo’s views on the world.
Activity: Throughout this book, one of the central themes is conformity versus individualism. To have students think about this concept, encourage them to understand what each major character represents and their ideas about the world. One way to do this is through the use of Pinterest boards ( https://www.pinterest.com/ ). A teacher can set up a classroom Pinterest account, and students can create their own individual boards within the account. Have students select one of the main characters from the novel and pin things that would apply to that character. Then have students present their boards either to the whole class or in small groups. Students should explain why they pinned those items, what each item would represent to that character, and how does the item reflect the character’s outlook on the world. Some examples of characters to focus on are Stargirl, Leo, Kevin, Hillari, Dori, Archie, and Wayne.
Idea inspired by Dr. Beeson’s EDUC110 class at Salem College.