I really liked this book. I visited the library Saturday with my mom and my sister, and I didn’t even glance at the blurb before adding it to my growing pile of books. I’ve wanted to read it for quite some time, but never got it around to it when I went to the Barnes & Noble as it kept getting pushed further and further down my list. I can’t believe I ever let it get out of my mind for so long, either. I was very impressed, and I plan on getting another book by E.L. Konigsburg as soon as I can!

This story is about four souls: Noah (fact: he loves facts), Nadia (swears up and down her dog, Ginger, is a genius), Ethan (hates sharing a seat on the bus with someone), and Julian (who has an English accent even though technically he’s American.) Each of them has a story to be told, and a friend to share it with. One afternoon, Julian, who is the… oddest out of all of them, invites each soul to a tea party, which starts it all. Soon, their paraplegic teacher, Mrs. Olinski, invites them all to participate in the school’s academic fair, and before they know it, they’re practicing and studying daily for an adventure they’ll never forget.

It was sort of hard to to write this review, because I felt like the book was short and choppy. I would have liked for the author to have spent more time on each character’s individual thoughts and feelings; however, I loved reading about the teacher’s point of view and how she felt about her students. It was really sweet and the characters were very unique.

I do recommend this book, but more to younger readers. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I would have maybe a year or two ago, but I appreciated the classically-told tale a lot; it’s definitely a timeless read! 🙂

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.

This is a book that I have read many, many times. I was out of books, I needed books, and I found this one at a Christian bookstore one day looking for a decent book that didn’t concern witches, vampires, or two teens making out on the front cover. And boy, did I make the right choice!

WWII, a dead mother, daily doses of Emily Dickinson, a new foster mother, and a crazy, outgoing new best friend are what Alcyone (Al-cee-u-nee, the name of a star) Everly finds herself left with after the death of her beloved mother in 1939. “I have a home, and I have a mother, and neither one are in Maine,” she tells her new foster mother, Miss Beatrice Lovell defiantly one afternoon after a social party they attend. Allie finds herself shutting everyone who loves and cares about her out of her life, and she can’t seem to stop.

Then Sam Carroll, her childhood friend, pops back into her life again. He brings back wonderful memories of her mother, and spending a lifetime gardening the stars… before the sickness caught up to her. But with him comes a painful time for Allie – love, memories, both good and bad, and quite possibly the thought of letting God into her life are things she desperately tries to shut out. But God is working on her, and Allie can’t help but let her heart be melted of stone and find what she’s been missing all this time – love. 

This is an all-time favorite of mine – has been ever since I picked it up and couldn’t put it down! I definitely recommend it to those of you who love historical fiction and a good romance.  🙂 Worth the read, and a box of tissues!

The other day, I finished reading Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. I was quite happy with myself; the book was only $7 sold in my Barnes & Noble and it lasted me two days, so it was definitely worth the read! =) However, more than the fact that it was under ten dollars and long enough to last me over a day, Stargirl was a heartfelt, beautiful novel – the kind I’ll be keeping on my nightstand for the next few months!

Stargirl Caraway is her own person – a ukulele on her back, a rat on her shoulder, her beautiful sandy brown hair falling just perfectly –  she captures Leo Borlock’s heart with her stunning smile. Everyone loves her. The cheerleaders want her on the squad, Leo and his best friend Kevin want to do an interview with her – you get the picture. She’s new, she’s fresh. She’s everything little Mica High has never had to experience before – she’s different. 

But just as quickly as the bouncy little sprite that walked into Mica High that first day after being home schooled her entire life came… she left even quicker. Everyone turned on her. She was no longer ‘Stargirl.‘ She was Susan. No one liked her anymore. In fact, they hated her. They hated her for being different, they hated her for cheering for the other team at the games, they hated her for her stupid little ukelele and disgusting rat, and especially when she sang happy birthday to someone in the cafeteria. I mean, what is that? Everyone thought she was fake. It was a show, it was a stunt – yes, that’s what it is! The teachers just sent someone like her for everyone to get into the school spirit. So they ignored her. No one talked her. No one.

Except for Dori Dilson… and Leo. Leo, who stayed. Leo, who loved her… or did he? Did he really? After all, he was the one who wanted her to change. But when Stargirl left, and Susan came… “Who are you if you lose your favorite person? Can you lose your favorite person without losing yourself? I reach for Stargirl and she’s gone. I’m not me anymore.” And then she’s gone. Without even a goodbye; she and her family move far out of the state and Leo fears he’ll never see her again.

But everyone remembers Stargirl. The cheerleaders begin to cheer for the other team when they score, people still strum ukuleles every now and again… she’s still there. She left an impression on them – an impact – that they’ll never forget.

As for me, this is a heartwarming story that literally made my heart melt. Stargirl is indescribably wonderful in every way, and she changed my way of thinking… because, really, she’s not different. She’s just like everyone else. In fact, she is more so because she is who we really are. And I love how Jerry Spinelli spun this beautifully written tale like he did – he covers true love, and popularity, and ‘different’ people can be so much like us.  Is it possible? Read it for yourself.

Two thumbs up!