Gr 6-9 This wonderful novel by Jerry Spinelli is equally wonderful in translation. Spinelli's famously quirky character, Stargirl Caraway, descends like a force of nature on Mica Area High School, carrying a ukulele on her back. Stargirl is a true original, both naïve and eccentric, with a core of goodness and magic. The novel's narrator, Leo Borlock, tells the story of Stargirl's impact on the kids at school as she does astonishing things, like cheer for the opposing team at a basketball game. Leo begins to fall in love with Stargirl as he watches her perform small acts of kindness and recognizes her unique way of seeing the world. On the other hand, Stargirl's antics begin to backfire, and the popularity she initially enjoyed among her classmates soon turns into resentment. The translation captures Spinelli's poetic language perfectly, particularly in the final chapter, in which a grown-up Leo reflects back on all the events that took place at Mica Area High. The translators wisely refrain from attempting to translate Stargirl's name, as its straightforward simplicity will be apparent to readers of any language. Recommended for all libraries and bookstores. Tim Wadham, Maricopa Cty. Lib. District, Phoenix, AZ Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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