I'm baa-aack (kind of). I thought this Jerry Spinelli interview was already on Life, Literature, Laughter, but it wasn't. I was thinking about it, since the movie Stargirl just started showing on Disney +
I loved talking with Mr. Spinelli and his adoration of his wife, Eileen (whose book, Naptime, Laptime, I just recommended to a friend for his mother-in-law's first Mother's Day as a grandma)
Soooooo, many, MANY years later, here's my interview with Mr. Jerry Spinelli (note, I went on the Google to see how long they've been married at this point, so that number is accurate for 2020)
INTERVIEW WITH JERRY
SPINELLI
Newbery Award winning author Jerry Spinelli does not believe
in sequels. “Let wherever it (the book) ends
reverberate.” he says.
And so it was with Stargirl, his bestselling YA novel
about 17 year old Stargirl Caraway.
That book, told from Leo’s (her boyfriend) point of view
ends with Leo at 33 and neither he nor we knowing what has happened to
Stargirl, although it is pretty clear that she is ready to reenter his life.
It was a perfect ending for a lyrical, magical book
So, what happened?
Spinelli has never written a sequel before and had no
intention of writing one for Stargirl (which does make for some inconsistencies
between the two books).
The idea came from the same place that many of his
inspirations do, his beloved wife, author and poet, Eileen.
“Why don’t you put out a Stargirl journal?” she said on the way home from the movies one
night. “You could also write a ‘giftie’
little holiday book related to Stargirl, something that might be at the
register, rather than in the book section.”
Jerry Spinelli thought that was a wonderful idea, but that
that since it was a Stargirl book, the holiday should be Solstice, not
Christmas.
But, as for many writers, Stargirl had her own ideas. Much as he tried to “fulfill the assignment”
his words kept gravitating toward a story.
Love, Stargirl takes place
a year after Stargirl and is told entirely from Stargirl’s point of
view, and, yes, Solstice figures prominently in the story.
Let’s talk to Jerry Spinelli about Stargirl and his life
SL: Stargirl
Changes her name, did you ever want to change yours?
JS: My nickname was
‘Spit’ and I didn’t like that. I tried
to change it in college, announcing one day that I wanted to be called Weasel,
it only lasted a week or two. Apparently
you can’t give yourself a nickname, the world calls you what it wants to, as I
showed in Maniac Magee.
SL: But doesn’t
Stargirl choose her name?
JS: Yes, she is
successful in naming herself. I guess I
took both sides of that same issue in separate books.
SL: Will Stargirl
change it again?
JS: I’m not sure, but
I believe she likes this one. For
Stargirl, it’s never been a matter of “It’s time to change my name.” she simply
does it when the time is right.
Spinelli is quite defensive when asked about the criticism
that Stargirl is not a realistic portrait of a teenage girl.
JS: Stargirl is very
real. I know her, I married her” He continues, “What kind of a sad thing does
it say about us that such a person seems out of reach? We’re reaching out to that flying hem of her
long flowing skirt. We can reach her, we just have to run a little
faster, be a little better.
SL: Would you have
taken Stargirl’s side in high school?
JS: I was not
courageous enough. Leo reflects my high
school persona.
SL: What makes Eileen
Stargirl?
JS: Stargirl’s ‘happy
wagon’ (where she adds or subtracts stones based on her happiness level) is
straight from Eileen’s life. One of the
more prominent issues in Stargirl is a surprising lack of appreciation
for Stargirl’s kindnesses. I have seen
that over and over again with Eileen.
Eileen
gives gifts for no reason, she connects with everyone even those she doesn’t
know well. Once, when Eileen was
younger, she worked as a maid in a hotel.
She would sometimes leave a little drawing as a personal touch. She was told to do her job ‘as written’ but
it went against her nature to do so. She
continued to leave the drawings and was fired.
Spinelli’s adoration of his wife of forty three years (with
whom he has six children and twenty one grandchildren) is palpable. No wonder Stargirl comes through so clearly
in his books.
He is also thrilled that his books (so, in reality, Eileen)
have inspired Stargirl societies. The
first one was in Kent, Ohio. They meet
every month and do ‘Stargirl things’.
They throw spare change on the sidewalk, slip encouraging, anonymous
notes into lockers at school, invite accomplished women to speak at their
meetings and hold inner beauty contests.
“They’re an example of what can be done, “ says Spinelli,
“this is a legacy of which I’m prouder than the book itself.”
So, does it work to have a sequel to Stargirl? Any time spent in Stargirl’s world is time
well spent.
Will Leo and Stargirl end up together? One only has to look at Jerry Spinelli and
his Stargirl to know the answer.
