I have to admit, I normally hate sequels unless the books are completed series. What’s the point in a sequel to a story that’s already been told? But after reading Stargirl, I knew there was no way on Earth I’d pass up reading Love, Stargirl, the sequel to the original novel in which Stargirl writes the longest letter in the world to Leo, who, in the first novel of Stargirl and her wonderful ways, narrates.

In this sequel, Stargirl has moved away from Arizona, where her first (and only) year in public school was a flop. She’s now living in Pennsylvania with her mom, dad, and irresistible pet rat Cinnamon. She finds herself writing letters to her old boyfriend Leo, who although he loved her, wasn’t quite ready for, and didn’t deserve her at the time. (After all, he tried to make her the one thing that would destroy her – normal.) Her happy wagon is down to three pebbles – and seventeen unhappy pebbles sit beside it, waiting to be dropped back in. But a very loud, very sweet little five-year-old girl (Dootsie), an eleven-year-old girl with one sparkly nail who likes to fight (Alvina), a woman who hasn’t set foot out of her house in nine years (Betty Lou), and a boy found stealing lemons and bars of soap (Perry) all keep her company in her anguish and sadness over the separation from Leo.

The letters tell of all of her new friends, and the odd people she meets, and her countdown to the Winter Solstice; the longest day of the year. The ending was fantastic; Jerry Spinelli did it yet again – pulled on my heart just a little bit more with another of his wonderful stories. Stargirl made me think of things differently, and I plan on getting a happy wagon as soon as I find one suitable! 🙂

I thought that, considering I’m not too keen on the idea of sequels, Love, Stargirl was a very good addition to to Stargirl. I loved it. I fell in love with Stargirl when she entered quiet Mica High School in the first book, and I fell in love with her again when she moved to Pennsylvania and changed people’s lives the way I’ve never thought could be done before – with a bag of donuts, lots of hugs, and lemons.

Go read it.