She was homeschooling gone amok." "She was an alien." "Her parents were circus acrobats." These are only a few of the comments to explain weird world of Stargirl Caraway, a new 10th grader at Arizona's Mica Area High School who wears pioneer dresses and kimonos to school, plays a ukulele in the cafeteria, laughs when there are no jokes, and dances when there is no music. The whole school is stunned by her.
In time, the student body finds itself helpless to resist Stargirl's charm, friendliness, and celebrating the achievements of others. Stargirl is recruited as a cheerleader which many people are unhappy about. Popularity, of course, is the important key in this situation, and bit by bit, she becomes more and more popular as people shout her name in the corridors of the dull but now exciting school.
Why is Stargirl showing up at the funerals of strangers? Worse, why does she cheer for the opposing basketball teams? The growing tension comes to a high when she is verbally abused by resentful students on Leo's televised Hot Seat show in an episode that is too terrible to air. While the playful Stargirl is trying to forget(but still upset)the television show, Leo, who is in the throes of first love (and therefore "Starboy"), is not made of such strong stuff: "I became angry. I resented having to choose. I refused to choose. I imagined my life without her and without them, and I didn't like it either way."
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