Reviewed by Erika (Class of 2012)
This story is one that is easy to relate to, easy to understand. DJ is the person you want to win, not someone else. She definitely is someone who is easy to relate to. ( )

Loved this book! Such a wonderful narrator. I love football and it's nice to see other girls taking an interest in it; I just can't imagine all that hard farm work she had to do. The story really drew me in and had such substance that it doesn't just qualify as fluffy-teen-lit. Such a wonderful author. ( )

DJ has picked up the slack at the dairy farm ever since her father hurt his hip, and now their neighbor wants her to train the rival team's quarterback!
This is a riveting book. Now, a lot of books have been written about farming, but never one about a high school girl trying to run a dairy farm all by herself. This fact alone makes the reader feel for DJ. Then the addition of a spoiled boy who needs to be trained for the rival football team really starts the action, but slowly. This is one of those stories in which nothing seems to happen as it is read, until the end and the reader realizes how much went on. It's a lovely story, with unexpected twists that will leave the reader cheering for DJ and her right to go for something she never knew she loved.
Recommended for high school and public libraries, especially ones with readers that need a little push. ( )

Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock is one of those books my book bully kept badgering me to read. So on her suggestion I went out and bought the paperback. However, that wasn't good enough for her....to truly appreciate the greatness of this book I needed to listen to it on audio. Never one to go against my book bully I immediately placed the audio version on hold at my local library. A few days later I was able to pop the first disc into my car radio and I was soon whisked away to Red Bend, Wisconsin by the mesmerizing voice of Natalie Moore.

Dairy Queen isn't a fast paced story its slow and mellowing and a nice change from the speed of every day life. DJ is such a relatable character I loved getting to know her. There is mystery trying to figure out the events that occurred to cause the split that divided her family. I also admired her courage in making the decision to try out for the football team. When I was in high school there was a girl who wanted to try out for the team, coming from a town where football is everything and watching the uproar that followed when she wanted to try out. So I could picture clearly the struggle that DJ went through...which wasn't as big a deal as I thought it might become. Dairy Queen was a fun story and enjoyed the time that I spent listening to it. I really need to start The Off Season so that I can find out what's next for DJ, her budding romance and re-connecting with her best friend. Dairy Queen was a great book to listen to on audio I really enjoyed Moore's narration and think I might have to check out some other books that she's narrated.

As originally posted on my blog Ticket to Anywhere. ( )

Author last name, first name. Title. Year. Publisher: City.
Murdock, Catherine Gilbert. Dairy Queen: a novel. 2006. Houghton Mifflin Company: New York.

Genre:
Sports fiction

Themes:
Football, Farming, Friendships, Relationships, Family issues, Future decisions

Age / Grade Appropriateness:
Ages 11 & up

Awards:
Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award, Master List, 2009
BookSense Summer Books for Children #1 Pick, 2006
Borders Original Voices Award (Young Adult Literature), 2006
Great Lakes Book Award for Children's Books, 2007
Lone Star List for Texas Middle School Readers, 2007
Midwest Booksellers' Choice Award for Children's List, 2007
Pennsylvania School LIbrarians Association YA Top Forty List, 2006
Quill Award, Young Adult Category (Finalist), 2006
School Library Journal Best Books List, 2006
TAYSHAS List for Texas Young Adult Readers, 2007-2008
Thumbs Up! Award, Michigan Library Association (Honor Book), 2007
VOYA Review Editor's Choice, 2006
VOYA Top-Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers, 2006
YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, 2007
Young Reader's Choice Award, Pennsylvania School Libraries Associaton, 2008-2009
(http://www.yourlibrary.ws/ya_webpage/...)

Censorship Issues:
This book has some foul language in it. Most of the language comes from parents or coaches. Some of the profanity is dealt with by other characters in the story. The characters use a little profanity, mirroring that of the adults. There is also a little talk about sexual activity. They do not go into much depth; it is just mentioned a few times in the story.

Plot Summary (Summarize the plot in 250 words or less):
Fifteen year-old Darlene Joyce (aka D.J., aka Dairy Queen) is having an eventful summer to say the least. Just when she thought that she could just go through summer somewhat like a cow, doing just what she is told, she has to go and grow up. She is the oldest left in the family, so after her father has surgery on his hip, she was given all of the responsibility of keeping the farm up along with getting all of her school work done. The later, of course, took the brunt of the hit and she ended up failing sophomore English. Not to mention she had to quit basketball to find time to milk the cows and bale the hay. Then comes Coach Ott (of the town’s rival team), and very good friend of the family, who wants her to train his quarterback. The reason being that she has been around football all of her life, because her dad was assistant coach (before he had to take over the family farm) and her two oldest brothers were the best ever to play at Red Bend High. Therefore she knew more about training after watching both of them during the off-season than any girl should be allowed. So she agrees to train Brian, behind her dad’s back of course, and gets a new look on life.

Critique (Consider if the book fits the bill of a YA book as we have discussed /read. Include your opinion of the book here as well):
This book has characters that are very real. The main characters all live in a rural area. In that aspect, it would be hard for some young adults to identify with the chores and struggles from that aspect. The characters do have the same issues as any ordinary teenager, however. These issues include struggles with friendships, relationships, and getting along with family. The scenes in the second half are all common to most teenagers. The farm scenes, which occur a lot in the first half of the book, may not be to common to some young adults.

Curriculum Uses (Possible uses in the classroom / school library / public library):
Obviously studies concerning agriculture would parallel great with this novel. This novel would also go well with studying the geography of Wisconsin as well as its socioeconomic make up. Although this story has a girl as a character, boys may get a kick out of the insight she has on sports and guys in general. The sport of football and all of the positions are mentioned often and could go along with this novel. The many talks of lack of talking may give this book a popular liking in the psychology department as well.