re-read "Stargirl" last night, and it was magic all over again. i smiled, cringed, and cried like i've never read it before. this is one book you just have to revisit from time to time, in case you find yourself trying to blend in to the ordinariness again.
because with this book, not only has Jerry Spinelli so beautifully penned a story of a person's uniqueness, he has managed to impress a lesson about nonconformity without actually preaching it. no self-righteous moralizing. no saccharine clichés. no dude-you-sound-like-my-mom moments. (perfect, really, for those like me who have a distaste for preachy writing.)
the story just flows, with a sprinkle of young love here and old-soul wisdom there. you get to know the wide-eyed freckle-faced Stargirl. at first, you'll cringe at her antics, her outfits, her love for her pet rat (and what she does for her boyfriend! O_O)... but before you know it, you'll be sympathizing with her, rooting for her, maybe even crying with her. as she moves from being weird to teenager-y to memorable, she will move you, too.
by the time you're done and you're closing the book, you'll realize wow, that was really something.
and in the days after that, you'll keep catching your mind wandering back to the story and to its mysteriously magnetic heroine, and then you'll eventually realize that you actually want Stargirl to be real in your world -- or rather, you'll want yourself to be as real and unapologetically positive as Stargirl.
at least that's how i felt. i ended up sleeping with a smile on my face. and really, isn't that what bedtime stories are supposed to do? :)
ps.
after a million years, i'm finally getting the sequel "Love, Stargirl". it's even more awesome because it's my boyfriend who reminded me and wanted me to have it! apparently, real men dig Starchicks. :D
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