conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Do you know a description for a book titled Stargirl about Reading, Arizona, International with the genre: New, Used & Rental Textbooks?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Professor of Education Arizona State University Dr. David the author taught high school social students and reading in Arizona public schools before entering college teaching. He currently teaches secondary school teacher preparation courses in adolescent literacy. He co-chaired the International Reading Association's Commission on Adolescent Literacy and is actively involved with several professional associations. His twenty-five year publication record balances research reports, professional articles, book chapters, and books. Noteworthy publications include the International Reading Association position statement on adolescent literacy and the Handbook of the Reading Research chapter on secondary school reading. Recent books include Teaching Adolescents Who Struggle with Reading (2nd ed.) and Principled Practices for Adolescent Literacy.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Do you know a plot for a book titled Stargirl?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Stargirl (novel): The book begins with a brief introduction to Leo at the age of twelve, and chronicles his move from his home state of Pennsylvania to Arizona.\nBefore the move, his Uncle Pete gives Leo a porcupine necktie as a farewell present, inspiring him to collect more like it.\nAfter his collection is mentioned in a local newspaper, Leo receives a second porcupine necktie for his birthday, left anonymously , and the story begins.\nThe story picks up four years later with the arrival of a new classmate, Susan Caraway, at Leo\'s high school.\nSusan goes by the name Stargirl, and her behavior is unusual.\nTeens at Mica Area High School prize conformity above all else, but Stargirl seems not to care what anyone else thinks of her.\nShe comes to school in strange outfits—kimonos, buckskin, 1920s flapper clothes, and pioneer clothing with no makeup.\nDuring each class period she decorates her desk with a tablecloth and flowers.\nShe dances in the rain and strums a ukulele every day during lunch while singing "Happy Birthday" to kids she has never met.\nShe attends strangers\' funerals and cheers for both teams during sporting events.\nHer behavior is so unusual that at first the student body does not know what to make of her.\nPopular student Hillari Kimble declares that Stargirl is a fake, and speculation and rumors abound.\nWhen Hillari orders Stargirl not to sing to her on her birthday, Stargirl keeps her promise—she sings Hillari\'s name, but directs the song to Leo and mentions that she thinks he is cute.\nLeo gradually becomes intrigued by the mystery of Stargirl, following her after school and passively observing her odd actions and the student body\'s reactions.\nThough at first rejected by most of the highschoolers, Stargirl gains a measure of popularity by joining the cheer-leading squad.\nStudents begin to mimic her behavior, and at lunch she no longer sits alone.\nHer antics on the squad spark a boom in audience attendance at sporting events.\nLeo privately celebrates the outburst of individuality taking over the school, even though his own shy demeanor keeps him from participating.\nStargirl has a small wagon the size of a fist, which she calls her happy wagon.\nShe has 10 stones in her wagon and every time something sad happens, she takes one out.\nWhereas, when something happy happens, she puts one in.\nThis wagon is supposed to remind her that more good things happen than bad.\nStargirl\'s popularity is short-lived, however.\nThanks in part to her efforts, the basketball season is the best in the school\'s history and school spirit flourishes.\nStudents begin to resent Stargirl\'s habit of cheering for both teams which made her very popular throughout the school.\nTheir anger comes to a head during a filming of the student-run television show, Hot Seat, which is run by Leo and his best friend Kevin.\nDuring the show a "jury" of students is invited to ask questions of the guest star.\nThis show\'s guest is Stargirl, and though the questions start innocently the session soon turns into an embarrassing attack on Stargirl\'s personality and actions.\nAn advising teacher cuts the show short, and it is never aired, but the damage is already done.\nShortly thereafter, Stargirl comforts a hurt player from the opposing team during a playoff basketball game, and is blamed for Mica High\'s subsequent loss.\nShe is shunned by the entire student body, except for her friend Dori Dilson, Leo, and, to some extent, Kevin.\nLeo praises Stargirl for her kindness, bravery, and nonconformity, and the two begin a tentative romance.\nThey spend more and more time together, and Leo experiences her unusual lifestyle and starts helping her with various projects, such as leaving cards for people they don\'t know and dropping change on the sidewalk for others to find.\nFor a while he is deliriously happy with their relationship, but as reality sets in, he realizes that the entire school is shunning both of them.\nIn response, Leo convinces Stargirl to act more "normal".\nShe starts going by her real name, Susan, wears typical teen clothing, and becomes generally obsessed with being accepted and popular.\nThese actions fail to produce results.\nStargirl decides that the best way to become popular is to win the state\'s public speaking competition.\nShe dreams she will win the contest and get a victorious party.\nShe wins the finals, and her eccentric and creative personality helps her achieve victory.\nBut when she returns to the school expecting to receive a hero\'s welcome, Stargirl is bitterly disappointed that only three people show up.\nRealizing that she has achieved nothing by trying to fit in, and has betrayed her true self in the process, Stargirl reverts to her former personality.\nLeo is not able to cope with the shunning that comes with being Stargirl\'s boyfriend and breaks off their relationship, confused about his feelings and unable to overcome his need to be accepted by the other students.\nDespite the breakup, Stargirl attends the school\'s dance—the Ocotillo ball—with her friend Dori.\nLeo watches from a distance as Stargirl arrives at the dance on a bike covered in sunflowers.\nThough initially ignored by the other attendees, something about Stargirl begins to attract attention and temporary acceptance.\nShe convinces the bandleader to play the "Bunny Hop," and gradually the other students come to join her in the dance until eventually the only people not in line are Hillari Kimble and her boyfriend Wayne Parr.\nWhen the dance ends, Hillari confronts Stargirl, tells her that she always ruins everything, and slaps her.\nStargirl returns Hillari\'s attack with a polite kiss on the cheek.\nNo one in the town sees Stargirl again after that night, and Leo learns from mutual friend Archie whom he seeks advice from that she and her family have moved away to Pennsylvania.\nThe story continues with the sequel, Love, Stargirl, where Stargirl writes Leo letters.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Do you know a plot for a book about Reading, Arizona, International?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Stargirl (novel): The book begins with a brief introduction to Leo at the age of twelve, and chronicles his move from his home state of Pennsylvania to Arizona.\nBefore the move, his Uncle Pete gives Leo a porcupine necktie as a farewell present, inspiring him to collect more like it.\nAfter his collection is mentioned in a local newspaper, Leo receives a second porcupine necktie for his birthday, left anonymously , and the story begins.\nThe story picks up four years later with the arrival of a new classmate, Susan Caraway, at Leo\'s high school.\nSusan goes by the name Stargirl, and her behavior is unusual.\nTeens at Mica Area High School prize conformity above all else, but Stargirl seems not to care what anyone else thinks of her.\nShe comes to school in strange outfits—kimonos, buckskin, 1920s flapper clothes, and pioneer clothing with no makeup.\nDuring each class period she decorates her desk with a tablecloth and flowers.\nShe dances in the rain and strums a ukulele every day during lunch while singing "Happy Birthday" to kids she has never met.\nShe attends strangers\' funerals and cheers for both teams during sporting events.\nHer behavior is so unusual that at first the student body does not know what to make of her.\nPopular student Hillari Kimble declares that Stargirl is a fake, and speculation and rumors abound.\nWhen Hillari orders Stargirl not to sing to her on her birthday, Stargirl keeps her promise—she sings Hillari\'s name, but directs the song to Leo and mentions that she thinks he is cute.\nLeo gradually becomes intrigued by the mystery of Stargirl, following her after school and passively observing her odd actions and the student body\'s reactions.\nThough at first rejected by most of the highschoolers, Stargirl gains a measure of popularity by joining the cheer-leading squad.\nStudents begin to mimic her behavior, and at lunch she no longer sits alone.\nHer antics on the squad spark a boom in audience attendance at sporting events.\nLeo privately celebrates the outburst of individuality taking over the school, even though his own shy demeanor keeps him from participating.\nStargirl has a small wagon the size of a fist, which she calls her happy wagon.\nShe has 10 stones in her wagon and every time something sad happens, she takes one out.\nWhereas, when something happy happens, she puts one in.\nThis wagon is supposed to remind her that more good things happen than bad.\nStargirl\'s popularity is short-lived, however.\nThanks in part to her efforts, the basketball season is the best in the school\'s history and school spirit flourishes.\nStudents begin to resent Stargirl\'s habit of cheering for both teams which made her very popular throughout the school.\nTheir anger comes to a head during a filming of the student-run television show, Hot Seat, which is run by Leo and his best friend Kevin.\nDuring the show a "jury" of students is invited to ask questions of the guest star.\nThis show\'s guest is Stargirl, and though the questions start innocently the session soon turns into an embarrassing attack on Stargirl\'s personality and actions.\nAn advising teacher cuts the show short, and it is never aired, but the damage is already done.\nShortly thereafter, Stargirl comforts a hurt player from the opposing team during a playoff basketball game, and is blamed for Mica High\'s subsequent loss.\nShe is shunned by the entire student body, except for her friend Dori Dilson, Leo, and, to some extent, Kevin.\nLeo praises Stargirl for her kindness, bravery, and nonconformity, and the two begin a tentative romance.\nThey spend more and more time together, and Leo experiences her unusual lifestyle and starts helping her with various projects, such as leaving cards for people they don\'t know and dropping change on the sidewalk for others to find.\nFor a while he is deliriously happy with their relationship, but as reality sets in, he realizes that the entire school is shunning both of them.\nIn response, Leo convinces Stargirl to act more "normal".\nShe starts going by her real name, Susan, wears typical teen clothing, and becomes generally obsessed with being accepted and popular.\nThese actions fail to produce results.\nStargirl decides that the best way to become popular is to win the state\'s public speaking competition.\nShe dreams she will win the contest and get a victorious party.\nShe wins the finals, and her eccentric and creative personality helps her achieve victory.\nBut when she returns to the school expecting to receive a hero\'s welcome, Stargirl is bitterly disappointed that only three people show up.\nRealizing that she has achieved nothing by trying to fit in, and has betrayed her true self in the process, Stargirl reverts to her former personality.\nLeo is not able to cope with the shunning that comes with being Stargirl\'s boyfriend and breaks off their relationship, confused about his feelings and unable to overcome his need to be accepted by the other students.\nDespite the breakup, Stargirl attends the school\'s dance—the Ocotillo ball—with her friend Dori.\nLeo watches from a distance as Stargirl arrives at the dance on a bike covered in sunflowers.\nThough initially ignored by the other attendees, something about Stargirl begins to attract attention and temporary acceptance.\nShe convinces the bandleader to play the "Bunny Hop," and gradually the other students come to join her in the dance until eventually the only people not in line are Hillari Kimble and her boyfriend Wayne Parr.\nWhen the dance ends, Hillari confronts Stargirl, tells her that she always ruins everything, and slaps her.\nStargirl returns Hillari\'s attack with a polite kiss on the cheek.\nNo one in the town sees Stargirl again after that night, and Leo learns from mutual friend Archie whom he seeks advice from that she and her family have moved away to Pennsylvania.\nThe story continues with the sequel, Love, Stargirl, where Stargirl writes Leo letters.