Review: Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli is the much-awaited sequel to the fabulous young adult novel, Stargirl. I listened to Stargirl about 2 years ago and loved it, so was very excited to hear about this continuation. This novel is written as a series of letters from Stargirl to Leo, her former boyfriend in Arizona. Stargirl now lives with her parents in Pennsylvania and is home schooled, lonely and longing for Leo. When the novel began I was a bit startled by how like a normal teenage girl Stargirl was sounding, pining after Leo. After a while though, I really appreciated how much more mature Stargirl is in this novel. Though she still has kooky ideas and says kooky things, she is struggling in this novel to be the girl she once was. Her best friends are a 6 year old named Dootsie and Betty Lou, an agoraphobic divorcee. Throughout the year Stargirl befriends a tomboy named Alvina, a complex boy named Perry and various other characters in town. Through it all she realizes that she still loves Leo, but can have a normal and fulfilling life without him near. The climax of the book comes when Stargirl hosts a solstice party which brings all of her friends and neighbors together to watch the sun rise on December 21. The ending, when she hears from Leo, is sweet and satisfying. I really enjoyed Love, Stargirl and am so happy that Jerry Spinelli decided to write this lovely sequel.