Customer Reviews

Dairy Queen

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

D.J. Schwenk is the third child, and only daughter, of a small-town Wisconsin dairy farmer. The summer she turns sixteen finds her shouldering much of the load of the farm, because her two older brothers are off at football camp, and her father has an injured hip. She doesn't complain much, and struggles to meet the expectations of her demanding father, but inside, she's not happy. She's doing poorly in school, because of the farm work, and had to quit the basketball team, where she was a star. She has a best friend, Amber, but things aren't perfect between them either. And she worries about her younger brother, Curtis, who hardly ever talks.

A family friend, the football coach of the rival high school, sends one of his star players to help out on the Schwenk's farm. Brian Nelson has a great arm, but has been spoiled by his father, and doesn't have much discipline or team spirit. Before she quite knows what's happening, D.J. agrees to train Brian, to help him get ready for the fall season. They have to keep this a secret, because the towns are such strong rivals, and Brian ends up helping out on the farm quite a bit as camouflage for what they're really doing. After a prickly start, Brian and D.J. learn to talk to one another openly, and both grow as a result.

The story is told in D.J.'s first-person voice, which is necessary, because she's so quiet that we could never get to know her in third person. But inside her head, D.J. has a lot to say, and a thoughtful, sometimes sarcastic, voice. Here are a few examples:

"If there ever was a TV show called People Who Are Crazy and Need to Have Their Heads Examined, I'd be the very first guest. They'd put me on one of those couches and a guy with a beard and funny accent would ask me questions, and the audience would ooh and aah as they realized this girl was crazy. What else would explain what I had just done?" (Chapter 8)

"I kept eating, my head down. Mom kept talking, but I didn't say anything else because that's what we Schwenk's do. If there's a problem or something, instead of solving it or anything, we just stop talking. Just like cows." (Chapter 9)

"Amber was pretty good at making fun of people, but Brian -- well, he did make fun of other people, like me not being able to talk or his mom and sunblock, but it wasn't mean. It was just fun. If I had to make a list of the very best qualities someone could have, that would be right at the top. Being nice-fun instead of mean-fun." (Chapter 12)

D.J. does think a lot about football, and about cows, but for the most part she uses them as metaphors to think about larger questions. For instance, she draws analogies between people's rote actions and the day to day existence of cows, wanting to not be like a cow (someone who doesn't make choices) herself. She made me think about my own life, and times when I go through the motion on a day-to-day basis vs. displaying initiative.

Dairy Queen is a romance, in a sense, as we explore the growing friendship between the awkward farm girl and the spoiled quarterback. But that aspect of it never comes close to dominating the real story, which is about the coming of age of a girl in difficult circumstances, trying to find her own voice. I identified with D.J, despite our very different backgrounds and interests. More importantly, I cared about her, and wanted her to be ok. When I finished the book, all I could think about was getting on to the sequel, so I could spend more time with her.

I loved Dairy Queen, and I highly recommend it for upper middle school and high school readers. It's quite clean, except for some references to underage drinking. While I think that boys could enjoy it, given all of the football and training references, the female protagonist might keep them away. But I hope that the football aspects of the story won't keep non-athletic girls away. Because once you give her a chance, D.J. has a lot to offer.

This book review was originally published on my blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, on June 3, 2007.

Refreshing and wholesome, Catherine Gilbert Murdock's DAIRY QUEEN stands like a tall glass of cold milk in a crowded YA soda cooler. Examples that set it apart: the setting is Wisconsin; the protagonist (D.J. Schwenk) is a 15-year-old tomboy who wants to play on the boys' football team; and D.J. falls in love with the quarterback of her hometown's archrival (of all people).

The first-person point of view provides an intimate, even folksy bit of country charm. Murdock keeps it clean, too, choosing to make this much more than a farm girl-meets-privileged boy tale by highlighting the strange family dynamics of the Schwenks. Like many of us, this family has its secrets. For example, sons Bill and Win, who have left the nest (OK, farm), are not talking to the dad; the youngest boy, Curtis, is not much talking to ANYone; and nobody seems to know how to talk the words "I'm sorry" to each other.

D.J.'s curmudgeonly dad can no longer run the dairy due to physical limitations and her mom is subbing as the principal at a local school. That leaves D.J. and Curtis to milk the cows and run the farm. When archrival Hawley's coach (a good friend of D.J.'s dad) sends quarterback Brian Nelson to the farm to work, D.J. falls udderly in love and takes on the improbable (and some readers might complain, unbelievable) role of Brian's personal trainer.

The Brian-D.J. relationship takes front seat, but D.J.'s place in her family is equally compelling. Then there's her best friend Amber. More secrets. (And you thought life was all cheeseheads and sausages in Wisconsin. Who knew?)

Reluctant readers will probably balk at reading this book (or perhaps only "skim" it, if you'll pardon some dairy bad word play), but readers with an appreciation for characterization and not just plot should enjoy it. And while it is more a girl's book, DAIRY QUEEN has just enough football to intrigue, perhaps, a guy who likes to read as well. Or maybe not. Four stars for novelty and psychological drama. And pass the cookies.

Dairy Queen by Catherine Murdock tells the story of a girl named D.J. who has to pick up the slack on her family's farm when her father's hip injury prevent him from doing the bulk of the work. Her two older brothers, now away at college, were big hometown football stars. She helped them train for football while she trained for track and basketball.

During the summer, she has to help train Brian, the quarterback for the rival high school's football team, as a favor to the coach, a longtime friend of her father's. D.J. does so reluctantly at first, only to strike up a friendship with him -- and realize how much she herself enjoys the game. So much so that she decides to go out for the team when the school year starts back up again.

Though this book has been strongly received by sports fans, please note that there's more to this story than just football. It is also about family. It is about growing up on a farm, about growing up in a small town, and simply about growing up. Though D.J.'s family members don't talk or emote very much, they are everpresent: the farm and her father are always on her mind, and she misses her brothers in fits and starts. D.J. is also going through a rough patch with her long-time best friend, Amber, and almost doesn't believe it herself when the two girls argue and drift apart. She's got a lot on her plate, and if she doesn't balance it correctly, she may have to drop something and disappoint her family and herself.

Catherine Murdock's debut novel won over readers. It was followed up a sequel entitled The Off-Season. D.J.'s fans should also check out the corny-but-cute made-for-television movie Quarterback Princess starring Helen Hunt.

Not just for Teens. I loved it and then gave as a gift it to a Godchild of 30 something who loved it too. so now I am waiting to get the report from the two teens; one girl and one boy who have it. Something so sharp about dealing with real imperfect people in a loving way. Nothing held back in growing up and learning to be an adult. Whatever age it seems to have a truth about change and resposibility. And definitley made me laugh again and again.

I am reading this novel with high school students of various levels and they are all enjoying and identifying with the book. I have written guided reading questions, vocabulary and research project suggestions for each chapter and will share them if you e-mail me and request them mcollelo@sbcglobal.net

The only sport that D.J. will truly ever know is football, what with most of her family playing it and the cows having names like Joe Namath. The only life D.J. Schwenk is used to is the farm life. Now that her two oldest brothers are gone to college, and never seem to stay in contact with them, and her father having a bad hip, it's up to D.J. and her brother, Curtis, the one that hardly ever talks, to get things done.

But this summer it looks like D.J. will be getting an extra hand from Brian Nelson, the football player from Hawley, the enemy school. Even though Brian is helping, he isn't very good at it. Let's just say his farm work is as bad as his football skills. But for some reason, everyone thinks he's the next greatest football player. What's worse is that D.J. is actually starting to like Brian, but he's the enemy and can hardly throw a ball. So what does D.J. do? Well, she starts to train Brian, since she would always have to help her brothers during football season, and maybe now Brian would see her as more than just a farm girl.

That's not the only issue that D.J. has though; her mother is working two jobs to support the family and it seems like she is keeping something from them. And D.J.'s best friend isn't being so friendly anymore. And what about the idea that just so suddenly pops up into D.J.'s mind, the one that says she should try out for the football team. Let's just hope that not everyone in her town will go crazy over this idea, especially her parents. But can she do it?

DAIRY QUEEN is an extremely cute coming-of-age novel. It goes against all the clichés where girls are just not good at guy sports. And D.J. is the perfect heroine, showing that anyone can do anything if they just put their mind to it. A wonderful story that is far from ice-cream -- but it still fills your heart with joy!

Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen

Dairy Queen is simply the most unique teen book I have read in a while. Lately it seems that all the storylines for teen books are the same boring girl/boy romance. I was in a desperate need for a bit of fresh air, something to clear my muddy thoughts. And then I picked up Dairy Queen, and it just took my breath away. After reading Dairy Queen, I learned the importance of stepping up to the plate when the time came to. You know when a book is going to stay with you for a long time when some phrases play back in your head at night: "When you don't talk, there's a lot of stuff that ends up no getting said."

Happy readings :)

The word "charming" is too vague, and it makes me think of smarmy real estate descriptions, but...I...can't...stop...myself. Dairy Queen is just so darn charming that I am forced to momentarily succumb. Catherine Gilbert Murdock has taken a traditional coming-of-age story about a tomboy in a small town and wrung some feisty new life out of it. Her character, DJ Schwenk, is a fifteen year old girl living on a dairy farm and learning about boys, football and family ties.

The first few pages of Dairy Queen are a little disconcerting. DJ speaks in the first person with a simple style and slangy dialogue, and she definitely sounds like a fifteen year old from Wisconsin. Once I settled into her voice, though, I was hooked. DJ is disarmingly honest, naïve, observant and witty - Gilbert Murdock's voice is spot on. DJ's mixed feelings toward her family are a realistic combination of humor, angst and love, but they aren't overdone or corny.

Gilbert Murdock also skillfully addresses some of the issues female athletes face. DJ gets called a "dyke" on the football field, but what upsets her more is that the opposing player pinches her butt as he says it. DJ describes herself as "big" and "strong," but she has no more than an occasional pang of jealousy for the thin "girly girls." She may not be free from insecurity, but she is comfortable in her skin. I found DJ's healthy body image and appetite to be a refreshing departure from teen weight and popularity obsession. More importantly, DJ's focus on training and competition rings true to anyone who has ever loved to play. When that focus begins to clash with a budding summer romance, DJ is forced to make decisions she has been putting off all summer. By that point I was praying for a sequel as charming as the debut.

Picked this book up because the cover was appealing, without realizing it is geared towards HS age. It was an entertaining book, easy to read on a shallow level, but with lots more to it if you care to analyze. One one level, a 'romance'...boy and girl take instant dislike to each other, but end up friends....will it be more than that?
But if you want to go on to a deeper level, there is the story of growing up, of standing up for yourself and acting on YOUR beliefs instead of trying to please everyone by 'going along'.
As I read I felt like I was listening to a teen...casual and unpolished narrative...which in this case is good. Formal, structured grammar would have taken away a bit of the 'atmostphere'.
A lot was accomplished this summer, but at the end, you have to wonder...I don't want to tell you what about and give away the end...but luckily, I hear the author wrote a sequel, so my questions will probably be answered.

I picked this book up because the cover got to me in a
big way. If I owned the original photograph, I'd frame
it. When I started browsing through the book, I got
hooked by the marvelous DJ and the story of what
happens when nobody talks about what's going on in
their lives and their hearts.

To an adult, urban reader in this psychologized world,
Dairy Queen is a thriller. Each muted half-conversation
is tense with things unsaid and with personhood denied.
It's a book I would have loved to share with my kid.

--Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE and
the forthcoming novel bang BANG from Kunati Books.ISBN
9781601640005