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Dairy Queen Catherine Gilbert Murdock Books

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Dairy Queen Catherine Gilbert Murdock Books

I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about Dairy Queen. I had seen lots of good reviews for it, but it didn't really seem like my thing. I gave it a try anyway, hoping to be surprised, but I should have stuck with my gut. D.J. is working on her family's farm all summer, since her dad is in a walker, her mom is busy with her job, and her two older brothers are away. It's just D.J. and her brother Curtis, until Brian arrives. D.J. is not happy about their new helper, since he's a spoiled rich boy in her eyes and knows nothing of hard work. But soon, she's recruited to train him for the upcoming football season, since she helped with her brothers. Then she decides she wants to join the team, too.

I'll start with what I did like about Dairy Queen, which was the themes on communication. D.J.'s family never talks. Whenever they do, and there's a disagreement, someone just leaves angry. Curtis actually just doesn't talk at all. How is anyone suppose to know how you feel, or what's going on, if you don't tell them!? Communication is important, and that's something D.J. learns as she fumbles her friendship with Amber, and her possible budding romance with Brian. D.J. also spends a lot of time pondering how everyone just does what's expected of them, instead of doing what they really want to do. So even though I don't give one crap about football, I did enjoy watching D.J. go for it despite it not being what her dad wants her to do, or what society expects.

What I didn't like about Dairy Queen was this fight D.J. has with Amber. They're best friends, so this should have been a great plot point, but it just isn't. I didn't believe it for a second, because it made no sense. I appreciate the author covering this issue (I can't say what without spoiling this whole plot thread), but it could have been done in some more believable way. There was just no way I can believe Amber thinking what she did. It doesn't help that she doesn't even explain why she felt that way (see, lack of communication!). D.J. does have some inner monologue about "signs" she noticed, but even with those things, Amber's thinking was way too much of a leap.

Then there's D.J.'s weird obsession with Oprah Winfrey. Okay, so, I don't think she's actually obsessed with her, but Oprah is mentioned in pretty much every chapter. D.J. describes people as "Oprah-like" or "pulled an Oprah" or just referred to them as Oprah. It was so weird. The first time was enough. I'm sure it had to do with her uncanny ability to ask a simple question and get everyone to spill their life story, but it was a bit much. Not everyone who talks openly is Oprah-esque.

Dairy Queen wasn't really my thing at all, so I'm kind of bummed. I was hoping it would end up being a nice surprise, but I was mostly bored and annoyed. However, I loved the ending. That was a cute twist! I kept wondering who D.J. was addressing (it doesn't feel like she's talking to the reader), and I liked who it ended up being.


Tags : Amazon.com: Dairy Queen (9780618683079): Catherine Gilbert Murdock: Books,Catherine Gilbert Murdock,Dairy Queen,HMH Books for Young Readers,0618683070,Family - General,Social Themes - Emotions & Feelings,Sports & Recreation - Football,Farm life;Wisconsin;Fiction.,Football;Fiction.,Wisconsin;Fiction.,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9),Farm life,Fiction,Football,Wisconsin,YOUNG ADULT FICTION,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Girls & Women,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Lifestyles Farm & Ranch Life,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Romance General,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Sports & Recreation Football,Young Adult Fiction Family General (see also headings under Social Themes),Young Adult Fiction Social Themes Emotions & Feelings

Dairy Queen Catherine Gilbert Murdock Books Reviews

When I read a contemporary YA book that's as enjoyable and wonderful as this one, I wonder why I don't read more contemporary YA. I like to read for meaty issues--and this book actually has some--but I also like to read for the sheer joy of reading, which is why it's such a pleasure to pick up a book like this one. I wanted to just fall into the pages and spend as much time with its characters as I possibly good.

One thing that really struck me about this book was its voice. I liked how it was sort of stream-of-consciousness at times. The wording was very inelegant, and that made the book wonderful because it felt like I actually was reading the musings of a teenager who was growing up on a farm. Sometimes characters in YA novels feel more sophisticated than they should. This isn't to say that there aren't sophisticated teenagers out there, because of course there are, but adolescence is a time when you spend so much of your time flailing away that I liked that it showed in this book. Even adults don't always have it all figured out, so it was refreshing to read a book like this, where I wasn't confused by a world-weary attitude that felt too old for a sixteen-year-old character.

Along with the well-done voice, this is a book that tackles a variety of issues in a sensitive, convincing way. D.J. and her family are pretty typical in that they have trouble talking about any big issues. It's uncomfortable to do this, and I could really buy into the idea that they spend a lot of time concealing what they feel. Naturally, their reluctance to talk about anything leads to a whole host of issues, and I thought Murdock did a wonderful job of showing how difficult it can be to find your voice and to talk about the things that really matter with the people you love the most. The family dynamic was just so convincing and so well done. No one is really to blame, and none of the characters are what I would consider bad, they're just all human beings whose foibles complicate their lives and relationships. I don't mind really angsty books if they have something to say, but it's nice to read something down-to-earth, where people are dealing with the sort of communications issues most of us deal with on a regular basis.

I loved D.J. as a character. I loved that she wasn't anyone uber special. She felt like a girl to whom I could relate, a girl who might actually exist. She makes mistakes, she does dumb things, and she acts in ways that hurt other people, even when that's not her intent. Yet her earnestness pulled me in, and I really felt for her as she struggled to figure out what she wanted out of her life. I think it's normal for a lot of people at that age to feel that way, to pause in the middle of doing all those things they're told they're supposed to do and wonder what the point is. I liked that D.J. had her own reasons for wanting to pursue football, and I like that, though Murdock touches on the difficulties this entails, it doesn't become some huge deal or the impetus for an epic battle. The story is more personal, and I was glad for it.

As soon as I finished this book, I noticed that there were two more and I instantly wanted to read them. While this is a trilogy, this first book isn't like the first book in most trilogies that I read. The story arc is complete, the important things are tied up, but there's still more room for story, more potential for growth from all the characters. I can hardly wait to spend more time with the Schwenks.
4.5 stars

I loved this book so much I read it in one sitting in the bathtub of all places. And trust me, I live in student housing in desperate need of renovation so that is by no means a cozy bathtub, but I was so engrossed in this story that I kept reading long after the water got cold.

I admit, I grew up on a farm driving tractors ever since I was a little kid (so young that I look at my kids and think Were my parents really crazy enough to let me operate machinery when I was that age???) so I LOVED all of DJ's description of the farm. This setting was pitch perfect for me. Catherine Murdock knows about agriculture and farm living and Midwestern charm. That part about having to send a favorite cow, Joe Namath, away in her old age? I have lived this, so I felt a connection to this story and its characters that I haven't felt in a long time.

Besides that setting, I was captivated by DJ's authentic voice. As she struggles to be seen by her family and find her own balance between her work on the farm and pretty much everything else that takes a back seat to that, I felt equal parts admiration and sympathy for this hard-working girl who needs a bit of appreciation.

Of course I love a little romance in my YA books, and Dairy Queen has just a dash of romance that develops perfectly in that slow, realistic kind of way.

I've had this book sitting on my shelf unread for two years, so thanks to Colette who read it and told me I was going to love it because she knew me back during the farm girl days. She was right.

Everything that is wrong in Catching Jordan is right in Dairy Queen. THIS is what Catching Jordan should have been.
I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about Dairy Queen. I had seen lots of good reviews for it, but it didn't really seem like my thing. I gave it a try anyway, hoping to be surprised, but I should have stuck with my gut. D.J. is working on her family's farm all summer, since her dad is in a walker, her mom is busy with her job, and her two older brothers are away. It's just D.J. and her brother Curtis, until Brian arrives. D.J. is not happy about their new helper, since he's a spoiled rich boy in her eyes and knows nothing of hard work. But soon, she's recruited to train him for the upcoming football season, since she helped with her brothers. Then she decides she wants to join the team, too.

I'll start with what I did like about Dairy Queen, which was the themes on communication. D.J.'s family never talks. Whenever they do, and there's a disagreement, someone just leaves angry. Curtis actually just doesn't talk at all. How is anyone suppose to know how you feel, or what's going on, if you don't tell them!? Communication is important, and that's something D.J. learns as she fumbles her friendship with Amber, and her possible budding romance with Brian. D.J. also spends a lot of time pondering how everyone just does what's expected of them, instead of doing what they really want to do. So even though I don't give one crap about football, I did enjoy watching D.J. go for it despite it not being what her dad wants her to do, or what society expects.

What I didn't like about Dairy Queen was this fight D.J. has with Amber. They're best friends, so this should have been a great plot point, but it just isn't. I didn't believe it for a second, because it made no sense. I appreciate the author covering this issue (I can't say what without spoiling this whole plot thread), but it could have been done in some more believable way. There was just no way I can believe Amber thinking what she did. It doesn't help that she doesn't even explain why she felt that way (see, lack of communication!). D.J. does have some inner monologue about "signs" she noticed, but even with those things, Amber's thinking was way too much of a leap.

Then there's D.J.'s weird obsession with Oprah Winfrey. Okay, so, I don't think she's actually obsessed with her, but Oprah is mentioned in pretty much every chapter. D.J. describes people as "Oprah-like" or "pulled an Oprah" or just referred to them as Oprah. It was so weird. The first time was enough. I'm sure it had to do with her uncanny ability to ask a simple question and get everyone to spill their life story, but it was a bit much. Not everyone who talks openly is Oprah-esque.

Dairy Queen wasn't really my thing at all, so I'm kind of bummed. I was hoping it would end up being a nice surprise, but I was mostly bored and annoyed. However, I loved the ending. That was a cute twist! I kept wondering who D.J. was addressing (it doesn't feel like she's talking to the reader), and I liked who it ended up being.