sprite writes
broodings from the burrow

December 9, 2009


into the stacks: dairy queen
posted by soe 3:04 am

Dairy Queen, by Catherine Murdock

From the jacket: “‘When you don’t talk, there’s a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said.’ Harsh words indeed, from Brian Nelson of all people. But, D.J. can’t help admitting, maybe he’s right…

“Welcome to the summer that fifteen-year-old D.J. Schwenk of Red Bend, Wisconsin, learns to talk, and ends up having an awful lot of stuff to say.”

My take: This had been on my to-be-read list for ages, probably since it first skyrocketed into the blogosphere shortly after it was published three years ago. I finally picked up a copy from the library over the summer and couldn’t believe how great a narrator I’d been missing out on.

D.J. is a farm girl from Wisconsin who’s good at sports, bad at English, and frustrated with her family. Her father got hurt and the brunt of the work running their struggling dairy farm has fallen on D.J. (and, to a lesser extent, her younger brother) while he recuperates from surgery. When a dear family friend sends over summer help (hoping she’ll help instill him with some discipline), she knows she ought to be grateful. But when it’s the quarterback from the rival high school, a boy with a reputation of being a poor sport and a lazy jerk, D. J. flips out:

“So when Brian Nelson stepped out of his fancy new truck in his fancy new work boots that his mother probably bought him at Wal-Mart, I was just about as angry as I’ve ever been.”

Eventually, D.J. and Brian are able to work together — on farmwork, on football, and on life skills. But will that be enough to help Brian be the leader he wants to be or for D.J. to solve the communication problems plaguing her family, including the ones that have kept her two older brothers away from the farm? Or will old habits prove too hard to overcome?

Not only is her character endearing, but D.J. also has a great voice:

“I know when you watch TV about half the characters are gay, and probably in New York or Los Angeles or someplace like that you could meet tons and tons of gay people, and I’m okay with that. Some folks around here say mean things, but, hey, as long as you drink your milk and don’t call me Dairy Queen I don’t care what you do. But I also know Wisconsin doesn’t have any gay people. Or if it did, they all left.”

Can’t you just imagine a sophomore in high school thinking that?

There are two more books featuring D.J. as the main character and I’ll be seeking them out at the library. If you like realistic teen fiction (fans of Sarah Dessen, I’m looking your way), I’d suggest picking this one up soon.

Pages: 288

Category: books. There is/are 3 Comments.



This sounds like such a great book! D.J. definitely sounds like a strong Sarah-Dessen-type character.

I’m glad that you were able to get your cleaning done, and had a great time at your party with friends. It does all come together, though not without that stress first. And I’m envious of your snow! It’s all rain and wind here.

Comment by Debby 12.09.09 @ 10:39 am

Just requested it from the library 🙂

Comment by jenn 12.09.09 @ 9:44 pm

@Debby: The snow was gone by the next day, which does make it easier to find it charming. And I think you’d like Dairy Queen.

@Jenn: I think you’ll like it, too. You both were people I figured might want to check it out.

Comment by soe 12.12.09 @ 3:15 am