Seven years ago, Newbery Award-winning author Jerry Spinelli introduced readers to Stargirl Caraway. The ruffled-skirt-wearing, ukulele-strumming, rat-owning teenager won readers' hearts. She dared to be different at a school full of cliques, where everyone else strove to be the same. Stargirl's narrator, Leo, accepts Stargirl at first, but later urges her to be more like everybody else.
Spinelli's latest book, Love, Stargirl, provides a new view into Stargirl's world. This time, Stargirl is the narrator. She has moved across the country, and her experiences are revealed in letters written to Leo. "But the one thing that has never changed is the individuality of the main character," Spinelli told TFK.
Stargirl still drops coins on the ground, hoping they'll bring joy to those who find them. And she meditates at sunrise. But she no longer has to deal with the high school social scene, since she is now homeschooled. Instead, Stargirl becomes occupied with the lives of quirky neighbors. She befriends them, taking on their troubles as her own.
Now, Spinelli's hero is inspiring readers to take action in their community by starting Stargirl Societies. Their aim: to encourage self-confidence and promote tolerance. "If I had to pick the one most satisfying legacy, it would probably be the Stargirl Societies," says Spinelli.
At Theodore Roosevelt High School, in Kent, Ohio, students started a Stargirl Society in 2004. Each month, members meet with middle school girls for Stargirl-inspired activities and to discuss the importance of individuality. Like Stargirl, Society members leave anonymous feel-good notes for others. They've even held an inner-beauty pageant. "The main goals are celebrating people and being yourself no matter who you are," says Michelle Luscre, one of the group's founders.
All of the group's members are girls, but they are quick to stress the universality of Stargirl's message. "These books are for everybody," says cofounder Sarah Jackson. "They're about how to live your life so that you get the most out of it."