“She was an alien.” “Her parents were circus acrobats*.”

    These are only a few of the theories concocted* to explain Stargirl Caraway, a new 10th grader at Arizona’s Mica Area High School who wears pioneer dresses and kimonos* to school, strums a ukulele in the cafeteria, laughs when there are no jokes, and dances when there is no music. The whole school is stunned* by her, including our 16-year-old narrator Leo Borlock: “She was elusive*. She was today. She was tomorrow. She was the faintest scent of a cactus flower, the flitting shadow of an elf owl.”

    In time, doubt gives way to adoration* as the student body finds itself helpless to resist Stargirl’s charm, friendliness, and penchant* for celebrating the achievements of others.

    Popularity, of course, is a fragile and fleeting state, and bit by bit, Mica sours on* their new idol. Why is Stargirl showing up at the funerals of strangers? Worse, why does she cheer for the opposing* basketball teams? The growing hostility* comes to a head when she is verbally flogged* by students on Leo’s televised “Hot Seat” show in an episode that is too terrible to air. While the playful Stargirl seems impervious* to the shunning that follows, Leo, who is in the struggles of first love (and mocked as the “Starboy”), is not made of such strong stuff.

    It is the sensitive Leo whom readers will relate to as he grapples with who she is, who he is, who they are together as Stargirl and Starboy, and indeed, what it means to be a human being on a planet that is rich with wonders.

    Both the book and its Chinese version are available on amazon.cn.

    (SD-Agencies)