Stargirl
Discussion Questions and Resource Page

Discussion Questions / Readers' Guide for Stargirl

1) What are the benefits and disadvantages of having a show like Hot Seat in a high school? Do you think programs like that should exist?

2) When Stargirl becomes Susan, she acts more like everybody else, but Leo notices she only has two pebbles in her happiness wagon, which is lower than she said she'd ever been before. Do you think people can make changes that make them happier? Is there something about yourself that you always wanted to change? What would you have to give up in order to make that change?

3) What purpose does Archie serve in this book? Why did the author choose to include this character?

4) Stargirl says if she had her way, crime would be on page 10 of the newspaper, and ants would be on page 1. What does this say about her values? How do your priorities compare to Stargirl's?

5) Stargirl demonstrates many acts of kindness, and seems confused when Leo says it's nice to get credit for kindness. Which of Stargirl's acts did you think was most kind? Do you think there would be more kindness if people got credit for it? How important is credit, and why do people seem to need it?

6) What attracts Leo to Stargirl? Do you judge her for acting so strangely in public? Do you judge Leo for wishing Stargirl would act more like Susan in public?

7) What responsibility do groups have to protect individuals? If someone is so different from you that you feel uncomfortable, do you have a responsibility to be polite, or to try to understand that person's perspective, or to try to protect that person from others' hostility? Is Stargirl threatening to the students at Mica High School?

8) Leo observes that Wayne Parr does nothing special, but people seem to follow his lead. People follow Stargirl sometimes, but other times they reject her. What makes a school hero? What should a school hero act like? Is there a hero in this book, and if so, who is it?

Additional Resources Related to Stargirl:

Stop Bullying
A U.S. government resource for teens about what they can do to stop bullying, whether they observe it or experience it themselves.

Stargirl

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