Book #5: Jerry Spinelli's young adult novel Love, StarGirl is the book I finished the day before I created this blog. Angela loaned it to me for my birthday (yes, I promised... I'll give it back... after I buy my own copy).
It's written in the form of a series of letters/meditations on life to her true love, Leo. He was the main character in the previous book, Stargirl. (Spinelli actually doesn't write out the word "Stargirl" on the cover: it's a drawing of a star and a girl.) I adored the first book... but in it Stargirl was a bit of a mystery. She was amazing, but we only saw her through Leo's eyes. This second book is written from her point of view... and I love her point of view. She seems more human, knowable, fragile, strong... even more wonderful.
I'm not going to tell you if she mails the letters or not. You're just going to have to read the book.
The first paragraph of Love, Stargirl:
"January 1 / Dear Leo, / I love beginnings. If I were in charge of calendars, every day would be January 1."
That's not enough to show you the lyrical quality of the writing. Just a little more:
"...I found something today. Something special. The thing is, it's been right in front of me ever since we moved here last year, but today is the first time I really saw it."
Tangent: There's a Chaim Potok book that starts with "All beginnings are difficult." (I know it's not The Chosen... or Davita's Harp... Wait, I'll go check... I just checked and it's not My Name is Asher Lev... it must be In the Beginning, except I don't remember reading In the Beginning. Odd.)
Stargirl (Jerry Spinelli? Stargirl? When I'm inside the book there are no lines between author and character...) creates this whole community of people that I fell in love with. I read and read and read because I couldn't wait to find out how it ended and then I was so sad. Not because of the ending; but because I wasn't caught up in her world any more.
It's written in the form of a series of letters/meditations on life to her true love, Leo. He was the main character in the previous book, Stargirl. (Spinelli actually doesn't write out the word "Stargirl" on the cover: it's a drawing of a star and a girl.) I adored the first book... but in it Stargirl was a bit of a mystery. She was amazing, but we only saw her through Leo's eyes. This second book is written from her point of view... and I love her point of view. She seems more human, knowable, fragile, strong... even more wonderful.
I'm not going to tell you if she mails the letters or not. You're just going to have to read the book.
The first paragraph of Love, Stargirl:
"January 1 / Dear Leo, / I love beginnings. If I were in charge of calendars, every day would be January 1."
That's not enough to show you the lyrical quality of the writing. Just a little more:
"...I found something today. Something special. The thing is, it's been right in front of me ever since we moved here last year, but today is the first time I really saw it."
Tangent: There's a Chaim Potok book that starts with "All beginnings are difficult." (I know it's not The Chosen... or Davita's Harp... Wait, I'll go check... I just checked and it's not My Name is Asher Lev... it must be In the Beginning, except I don't remember reading In the Beginning. Odd.)
Stargirl (Jerry Spinelli? Stargirl? When I'm inside the book there are no lines between author and character...) creates this whole community of people that I fell in love with. I read and read and read because I couldn't wait to find out how it ended and then I was so sad. Not because of the ending; but because I wasn't caught up in her world any more.
1 comment:
"When I'm inside the book there are no lines between author and character..." I LOVE this line! I may use it. I'll give you credit, of course, but I'm going to have to use it! :)
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