Ultra-conventional Mica High in a small town in Arizona is happy to just go with the flow.  Standing out is never a good thing.  Then a mysterious girl named Stargirl arrives to shake things up.  She's charismatic, utterly genuine, and a huge freak compared to the students.  Average guy Leo Borlock soon becomes enamored with her, and a relationship begins to develop between the two of them as Stargirl shares more and more of herself with him.  He loves her as she is, but soon the rest of Mica High is resentful of her being so different and begin to shun both her and Leo.  So Leo asks her to do what goes aganist everything Stargirl believes in: try to be normal. 

What can I say?  This book is amazing.  The characters are deftly written, unique but believeable, interesting, compelling.  Stargirl in particular is fascinating. "Free-spirited" doesn't even begin to describe her.  She does things like leave loose change on the ground for kids to pick up.  She gives anonymous gifts to strangers.  At school, she sings to people in the lunchroom when it's their birthday.  And her and Leo's feelings for each other are sweet and real.  At first I had a hard time re-reading this book because the ending was so bittersweet and I couldn't tell if I was satisfied with it or not.  Now that I've had time to think, I can safely say that this is one of the best YA books I've ever read.  Plus, Spinelli has such a gift with words that it makes me envious.

Rating: 5 ukuleles out of 5.