REPORT CARD for the Dairy Queen trilogy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
bff charm: yay!
swoonworthy scale: 5
talky talk: straight up with a side of wisconsin cheese
bonus factor: friday night lights
relationship status: #1 fan
the deal:
when i was in high school, the idea of failing a class was, like, my worst nightmare. for d.j. schwenk, however, it’s simply pocket change from a really sucky year. as the oldest sibling left on her family’s struggling dairy farm, d.j. has to deal with shizz that makes pre-cal look like a walk in the park (er, field?), including twice a day milkings (what!) and barn deep-cleanings (gross!). as if manual labor wasn’t tough enough, she now has to work alongside brian nelson, the star player of her high school rival’s football team and an all-around tool of a dude. brian’s coach wants him to learn the “value of hard work,” but before too long, d.j., a natural athlete, finds herself teaching brian less about farming and more about playing football.
as the books progress, d.j. is forced to examine her own passion for playing sports, her growing interest in brian and her role in shaping the future of the farm and, more importantly, her family.
bff charm: yay!
y’all, i have to admit something to you. if i met d.j. when i was in high school, we would not have been friends, because i was one of those super nerds with a dash of drama club (double whammy of geekdom), which means i pretty much feared all athletes. d.j. would have totally intimidated me with her height (girl is a HOSS on the basketball court), not to mention her fierce athleticism. but see, avoiding d.j. would have been a huge mistake on my part, because she’s not yr stereotypical jock. first of all, she’s the hardest working YA character i’ve ever read. second, her confidence level is at, like, green (that’s low, in case you don’t speak Homeland Security), and instead of sitting at the cool table, d.j. mostly loners it up with her bff amber, who is basically the black sheep of the school.
in reality, d.j. is just like anyone else in high school. she’s trying to figure out who she is and where she fits in, and for the most part, there doesn’t seem to be a place for her. but instead of whining about it (like i would), she just throws herself into working on the farm and playing sports, and she does it all with a fantastic sense of humor. this is the kinda girl you can root for, both on and off the field.
swoonworthy scale: 5
without getting too spoilery on you, there is definitely some serious sparkage between d.j. and brian, esp. given their competitive natures (did somebody say, “the cutting edge”?!!!). i love the fact that the style of this book is pretty realistic, which means less of the sparkly vampire type of I WOULD DIE FOR YOU shizz and more of the angst-filled, “does he like me?!” moments (awkward is the new sexy, as far as i’m concerned). don’t mistake my medium scoring for a lack of super hot tension, cos there’s plenty of that, but the book focuses more on the reality of starting up and maintaining a relationship in high school (i.e. it can crazy suck!).
talky talk: straight up with a side of wisconsin cheese
d.j.’s voice rings loud and clear from the v. first page of the book, and i admit, her rural wisconsin stream of consciousness can take some getting used to. in spite of a few too many detours into “aw shucks!” territory, i found murdock’s style to be extremely authentic and totally charming. from d.j.’s farmer-turned-gourmet-chef dad to beaner, the immature yet adorable skinny dude we ALL knew in high school, each character’s voice is unique and well-developed, making the conversations in this book completely believable and utterly compelling.
bonus factor: friday night lights
when i first began watching “friday night lights,” (aka the best show on television), i experienced a major epiphany: even though i hate watching real sports, i LOVE watching fictional sports!!!! cos i actually *care* about the characters, and so there’s all of this suspense and dramz and i end up doing a lot of fist pumping, which is way more acceptable in front of a TV than it is on the city bus with a book in yr other hand. anyway, the point is, there’s a lot of sports in this book, but i enjoyed every second of it because murdock made me root SO HARD for d.j.
there’s a few other reasons for my choice of FNL as the bonus factor but… no spoilers! i refuse!
casting call:
it should come as no surprise to you that i can’t think of a single hollywood actress who looks like she could totally dominate in basketball. if hollywood ever makes this movie (and they should!), i hope they’ll actually pick a REAL high school b-ball player. say, someone like stephanie holzer!
stephanie holzer as d.j. schwenk
LOOK AT THOSE GUNS Y’ALL!!!
and speaking of “friday night lights”…
scott porter as brian nelson
i actually hated scott porter’s character on FNL, but his cockiness and all american good looks make him a natural choice for brian.
and when it comes to the tough best friend with a majorly bad attitude, you know i gotta go with my girl, olivia!
olivia thirlby as amber
relationship status: #1 fan
as far as i’m concerned, the “dairy queen” trilogy is an all star MVP. like any killer game, it made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me yell and scream and cheer like a crazy person. in fact, i’m such a fan of d.j. schwenk, i would do anything to support her, from holding a bake sale (twist my arm!) to joining the freaking drill team (that’s saying a LOT, y’all). and if anyone dares to say they don’t like these books, i will beat them over the head with my huge foam hand until they promise to buy me a dip cone, which i’ve really been craving since i started writing this review. so, yeah, TEAM D.J. FTW!!!!
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
hmmm, you’ve almost got me convinced to read about something I would have previously said ‘no way’ to! Thanks, Posh!
i’ve never read these, but i’ve heard about them for ages. not sure how i feel about the sports, but i can handle the cows and the cuties fo’ sho’! thanks for the convincing review!
trust me, you guys, these books will charm yr PANTS OFF. plus, as we’ve recently discussed, i think we need to expand our horizons when it comes to YA, and “dairy queen” is a great place to start. don’t think of this as a “sports book,” think of it as a book about a totally kickass girl trying to define herself and her future in a v. small town (now, does that sound more up yr alley?).
I actually like watching sports, AND I love The Cutting Edge (who doesn’t?! Seriously, who doesn’t, because then we can’t be friends anymore), and I LOOOOVE Olivia Thirlby, so this sounds awesome!
toepick!!
ok, meredith and poshdeluxe, you’ve convinced me.
Um, this sounds like a ton of girls I went to high school with (and was on the basketball team with). And I just want to let you all know that the farm kids (who were also known as the bus kids because they were the only ones who had to take the bus) are tough as balls. I’ve milked a cow (we were taught in fourth grade) and that business is way hard. Those girls are awesome (and one of them just got married and is taking over the family farm, Yay Katie!! -also my former catcher in softball). Anyway, to comment on the “aw shucks” language, I just want to throw out there that we don’t swear as much in the Midwest, so we say jeez, gosh, and other words to avoid both swearing/blaspheming. So, it may not be realistic language to y’all, but just keep that in mind.
good point, sally! as a southern girl, i feel v. lucky to have access to yr midwestern insight, esp. when it comes to mysteries like milking cows and How People Survive In a Place That Freaking Cold.
you should check these books out! i have the feeling you’ll get a kick out of them (and some bouts of nostalgia, too).
I’m with Meredith. If anyone doesn’t like The Cutting Edge, we’re having a friendship break up!
Very appropriate subject matter, Posh! Esp. with the Big Game coming up (Geaux Saints)!
I ADORE the DQ books! Riveting, real, and grrrl.