Sweetness is such a wonderful ingredient, and so rare in a YA novel.When Stargirl joins regular school after having been homeschooled most of her life, she is something of a phenomenon. She dresses strangely and does odd things. She seems to know everybody's name and everyone's birthday. She strums her ukulele and sings 'Happy birthday' to each one. She is the weird girl at school, but diverting enough to become popular.The problem, though, is that Stargirl does not seem to see a difference between 'us' and 'them'. At basketball matches, she cheers equally for both teams - for don't you feel elated when a team scores? Apparently, the answer is 'no'. Cheering for the enemy is unheard of, unthinkable.Yet, Stargirl does not care - or even seem to notice - when classmates begin to shun her. She continues to burst with spontaneity and love.So, Leo, who loves her but seeks … [Read more...]