My Two Cents

I really enjoyed reading Stargirl. Next time I'm at the library I'll pick up the sequel. Like Sarah, I thought the theme of originality was great. Now to touch on a few other things, mostly random.

Besides Stargirl, Archie was my next favorite character. Every time he talked to Leo you had to pay a little bit more attention because he seemed to talk in riddles, but if you were really listening and thought about it, what he said would make sense. There was also sort of a foreshadowing aspect in what he said, especially when he talked about losing the game (page 75). Even though he was specifically talking about the animal becoming extinct, there was no doubt that he was also referring to Stargirl disappearing.

I loved the comparison of the students with the mud frogs - dormant and waiting, waiting for the rain to come and make their lives complete. Because Stargirl was not afraid to be different, to be herself, the other students were able to feel more comfortable in showing their individuality. Stargirl was the rain.

There were so many descriptions of Stargirl that I thought were great, so many enviable characteristics she had. She thought only of others. "[H]er bad things did not stick to her. Our bad things stuck very much to her. If we were hurt, if we were unhappy...she seemed to know about it, and to care, as soon as we did." Even when she transformed herself into Susan, it was because Leo wanted her to. She also made an impact for good on those around her, even if they were reluctant to the changes, and that impact had a lasting effect. I liked how she taught Leo how to "see" and how she not only saw things but felt them as well.

I liked how the author helped the reader have different perspectives. It was easy to be upset with Leo for wanting Stargirl to change, but it was also easy to see why, even though he really liked her - and I think he truly liked her for who she really was - he wanted her to be like everybody else. It's hard, especially as a teenager, to go against the grain. We probably all know someone like Stargirl in some ways, someone who was a little (or a lot) different and was ridiculed for it. Conformity is safer. Not necessarily better, but certainly safer in the world of high school. I think most of us are like Leo. We seem to need the attention of others to confirm our own presence. So we try to fit in until we can figure out who we really are and be comfortable with that.

And last, I enjoyed the typo. Typos always amuse me.

Now, off to read The Screwtape Letters.


- Carly