Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli!

Title: Love, Stargirl

Author: Jerry Spinelli

Hardcover: 288 Pages

Publisher: Knopf Books For Young Readers, First Edition edition (August 14, 2007)

 "LOVE, STARGIRL picks up a year after Stargirl ends and reveals the new life of the beloved character who moved away so suddenly at the end of Stargirl. The novel takes the form of "the world's longest letter," in diary form, going from date to date through a little more than a year's time. In her writing, Stargirl mixes memories of her bittersweet time in Mica, Arizona, with involvements with new people in her life.
 In Love, Stargirl, we hear the voice of Stargirl herself as she reflects on time, life, Leo, and - of course - love."

   

   Love, Stargirl was far more better than the first book Stargirl. I wasn't sure if I wanted to pick up Love, Stargirl right away but I'm glad that I did.

   Love, Stargirl is told from Stargirl's point-of-view, and this book picks up a year after Stargirl has moved away. Stargirl has changed a bit by this time. She's not as crazy and carefree as she was in the first book. Stargirl is going through heart break and being home-schooled again. However, she meets a lot of new people who will help change her for the better.

   I loved all of the characters in this book. Every single one. We first meet Stargirl's five-year-old neighbor, Dootsie, who is wild and speaks her mind. Whenever Stargirl can't find the words to say, Dootsie says them for her.

   Alvina is an eleven-year-old hot-tempered girl. She's stuck between the difficult time of being a kid and becoming a teenager.

   Charlie's story was so sad. Charlie is a seventy-four-year old man who is waiting for death to take him so he can be with his wife. Everyday he sits by her tombstone,waiting for the moment when he can join her.

   And then there's Perry. Perry is one of those characters where he just confuses you every minute. Sometimes I loved him, and then I would be so angered with him. Perry has a lot of things going on, but he lets people believe what they wanna believe. Sometimes he even goes along with it.

   Stargirl writes letters to Leo over the course of a year, and the letters are of her new life in a new state. She encounters a lot of things during the year. She befriends a neighbor who is afraid to go outside and she is confused about her feelings towards Perry.

   But she never stops thinking of Leo, and everyone who knows Stargirl knows of Leo too, thanks to Dootsie. Every character in this book changes some part of Stargirl. Whether it be about her life or emotions, they all teach her something. Stargirl, however, changes these characters too.

   It was really something to read about Stargirl in the first book and see her so carefree and then to read the second book, and see her growing up. The ending was satisfying to me. I was expecting her and Perry to start some kind of relationship, but I actually liked that they just remained close for now. I liked that it was a lot more realistic. And then there's the letter from Leo. Well, more like a word from Leo. It kind of leaves it off for you to decide. Maybe Leo and Stargirl will see each other again, and maybe Stargirl will form a better bond with Perry. 

   Overall, I loved this book. So if you read the first one and weren't sure about reading the second one, read it. The second book is a lot better in my opinion. 

Love, Stargirl received a 4 out 5 stars.

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