Stargirl

Stargirl is a young adult fiction novel published in 2000 by the American author Jerry Spinelli. In a coming of age narrative, shy eleventh-grader Leo falls in love with Stargirl, a free-spirited newcomer at Mica High. When his fellow students turn against Stargirl—and Leo—he pressures her to become ordinary like everyone else. Over the course of the novel, Leo learns the importance of staying true to yourself. Spinelli explores themes of individuality, kindness, and the painful consequences of nonconformity. Stargirl won a Parents Choice Gold Award and an ALA Top Ten Best Books Award, in addition to being a New York Times Bestseller and Publisher’s Weekly Best Book of the Year. Stargirl was adapted for film in 2020 as a Disney+ original movie.

Other works by this author include There's a Girl in my Hammerlock, Milkweed, and Wringer.

This study guide refers to the 2002 edition published by Scholastic.

Plot Summary

Looking back from an adult perspective, first-person narrator Leo Borlock tells the story of his junior year in high school and the brief romantic relationship that changed his life. Leo and his family move to the small desert town of Mica, Arizona when he is 12.