I can see why so many people thought the original Stargirl was special, and I'm sure many of them will enjoy this follow up to.

Far from painting a negative picture of homeschooled children (freaks and/or loners, taken out of class for religious or moral reasons), this is a pretty appealing view of what education outside the classroom could look like, and would have made me, reading this at the age Stargirl is in the book, seriously wonder whether I too could make the switch. Stargirl has wonderfully trusting and accepting parents, but taking this into account, you could imagine her world being real. It's hard to read at times, but happily for both us and for Stargirl it lessens thoughout the year, and while she might not be ready to forget Leo anytime soon, she can begin to move on. The pain in the first part of this book is so raw it's hard to believe the author, far from being a teenage girl, or a 20 something remembering the recent past, is actually a 60-something grandfather.

This is who she is – different from most of her peers, but quite happy being so, at least most of the time. It's not an act she puts on from time to time, or a character trait she flits in and out of. What makes her different is that she is this through and through. Stargirl is one of those wise-beyond-her-years characters that crop up in so many books these days, especially teen fiction. The book is really her journey through this new year, her long time away from Leo, and along the way she finds a precocious 5 year old called Dootsie, a neighbour imprisoned in her own home, a Robin Hood-style thief who also boasts a harem of girlfriends, and various other random characters. Still, with home school assignments such as go to place x and write a poem about your experience, or the brilliantly titled Elements of Nothingness, she is finding ways to fill her days. Stargirl has moved from the Arizona desert to an altogether much colder place in the east, and after some uncomfortable experiences in the first book, is no longer in school. The book then takes the form of both a letter to an old flame Leo, and a diary (where sadly there is but one January 1st each year). If I were in charge of calendars, every day would be January 1. Then, the sequel, Love, Stargirl dropped through my letterbox and I got to discover just what it was everyone had been gushing about.Īs we start this book with Stargirl it's a new year. I was also aware that it had a snazzy cover, and there were piles of copies stacked up in every Waterstones I went in to, but being past the target teen age I didn't get as far as reading it. When the original Stargirl was released I was vaguely aware that people were talking about something that everyone seemed to find quite special.

Love stargirl book summary