Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli is the story about a boy and a girl. Not just any girl though--Stargirl. She is a new student at Mica High and the subject on everyone's mind. Who is she? Where did she come from? Stargirl is unlike anybody else these students have ever seen and from the time Leo Borlock first sees her, he knows he wants to know her. Stargirl steals the hearts of not only Leo, but of the entire school. Then everything changes; Stargirl is shunned for her actions and for what makes her who she is. Scared of losing Leo, Stargirl attempts to be what she was not meant to be: a typical Mica High student, even if it means losing herself in the process. Eventually, Stargirl returns to her true form, to the dismay of Leo, and eventually Leo abandons her as well. The reader is with Leo every step of the way, examining his thoughts and his actions, but by the time he realizes his mistakes, it is too late.
Spinelli, Jerry. Stargirl. New York: Random House, 2000. Print.
Before Reading: Discuss the book's cover; why is the title not printed? Based on the cover, what do you think the book will be about?
During Reading: How did the first chapter, when Leo receives the anonymous necktie, foreshadow other events in the book?
Writing: After reading the section about Leo and Kevin's interview, ask students what questions they would like to ask Stargirl.
Vocabulary: vague, ultimate, perpetual, elusive, noteworthy, dramatic, acquainted, detached, flustered, verdict, shunned, hostility, oblivious,
Web Links:
Be sure to read the squeal to Stargirl...
Love, Stargirl
Poor Ramona. She thought third grade was going to be perfect: she gets to ride the bus alone and she likes her teacher, Mrs. Whaley, but things never go as planned. Ramona's family is having troubles, with her dad going back to college, and Ramona's school life is not reassuring. She has to go to Howie's house after school which means Willa Jean will be there, this egg-crack fad landed her with yolk stuck in her hair, her teacher thinks she's a nuisance, and to top is off Ramona did the "most terrible, horrible, dreadful, awful thing" and threw up in front of everyone. However, even through all her mix ups and blunders, Ramona finds the positive and manages to survive third grade.
Vocabulary: admired, inspiration, obedient, genuine, dreaded, and astonished
In Sweetgrass Basket by Marlene Carvell, two sisters, Mattie and Sarah, are sent away from their home with the Mohawk tribe to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in order to be trained so they can "make their way in the world", as one of their teachers put it. There's only one problem: the girls just want to go home to their father and to where they feel they belong. Mattie and Sarah promised their father that they would be good and behave, but it proves to be very difficult; Mattie speaks her mind and is very protective of what she believes in, while Sarah just wants to disappear and be off the radar. The bond between these sisters is portrayed very realistically, both during the good times and when trouble threatens to break them apart. This book is written in prose and the alternating voices of Mattie and Sarah making it captivating and unique. 
After Reading: How did the way in which the book was written change the way it was read? Did the alternating voices contribute to the book? 
Shooting the Moon by Frances O'Roark Dowell is a story about Jamie Dexter and how she is so excited that her brother is fighting in Vietnam; she even wishes that at the age of almost thirteen that she could join. She can't wait to start getting letters from her brother, describing the wonders of wartime. When the first message from her brother arrives though, it's not the letter she had wished for, but a roll of undeveloped film instead. Once she figures out how to develop the film, she wonders why her brother takes the pictures he does and as more rolls of film arrive, the beauty of the war fades and Jamie begins to see the terror of it. Then, Private Hollister, her friend at the rec center who plays endless gin rummy with her, may go overseas too, Jamie is determined to not let it happen. This is a story about growing up and seeing things for what they really are-- remember, things are not always as they seem.
