Dairy Queen

I really need to pick up the second book!

Reader reviewed by perlycc14

I really enjoyed the book Dairy Queen! This book was a good, clean, fun, and interesting book. I enjoyed it because I can relate to it. Some examples are that in the book, she grew up in Wisconsin, well so did I. She also had a family that liked the Green Bay Packers, but some liked the Minnesoda Vikings, just like my family. It is also a good book for teens because it is a unique book. There is no book quite like it. I enjoyed the fact that she had to coach Brian for football season, when they are rivals at opposing schools. I like it because it is a book about a girl who has a crush on this boy from a opposing school, has to work hard on this farm, basically depends on herself for things sense her parents and Curtis are not around, and she flunked out of Language Arts. Those are some reasons why I would recomend this book to teens, espeically teen girls. They could totally relate to this!

Reader reviewed by Chantele

Dairy Queen is the story of D.J. Schwenk. A fifteen year old dairy farm
girl, who doesn't talk much, and who's whole life is taking care of her
father's farm. She gets up early every morning, milks the cows, cleans
the barn, cuts the grass, loads the hay, and does almost all of it
herself. When her grades start falling, and her home life gets to be
almost unbearable, she finds herself with an unlikely friendship. Brian
Nelson, a rival high school football quarterback, starts working on the
farm to gain more strength for the upcoming football season, and she
soon finds herself as his personal trainer. Thinking he is the same as
all the other football jocks, she doesn't have anything nice to say to
him. At first. As time goes by, and they start to open up to one
another, D.J. is suddenly caught up in a whirlwind of emotions. Add in
a brother who rarely talks, two older brother's who were star football
players, left home in anger after a fight with her parents, and haven't
been heard from since. A father who doesn't listen, a mother who has
secrets of her own, and a girl who loves football, and you have a great
story about friendship, love, trust, heartbreak, and determination.

Reader reviewed by Mary Beth Miller

D.J. Schwenk, a girl from Wisconsin isn't your typical teen. She doesn't have a cell phone, worry about her plans for spring break, or keep up with the latest fashion trends. Instead she gets up at the crack of dawn to milk the cows at her family's farm. But when she decides to tryout for her high school football team, all the secrets being piled up against her come out into the open, and teaches her just because it's nice nice, doesn't mean something shouldn't be said. This book really helped me to see that just because you aren't the most popular girl in school, and the guy you like is out of your league, doesn't mean your dreams are out of reach. I would recommend this book to anyone who has given up on life, love or who thinks they aren't good enough, because you never know where life will take you, and the only way to find out is to live life, even if that means cleaning the barn; and the best part? There's a sequel!

Reader reviewed by bookworm9

DJ Schwenk is just trying to get by-- she's failed English class and is spending the summer caring for the family dairy farm because her injured father can't. There are a lot of things that get left unsaid in the Schwenk family, but DJ finds herself opening up to Brian, a football player from the rival high school whom DJ is supposed to be training. When DJ decides she herself wants to go out for football, she knows she-- and her relationships with her family and Brian-- may never be the same... but change could be good.

This is a phenomenal book. It touches on a bunch of themes (teen romance, homosexuality, families, outsider-ness), but is mostly just a great story told by an unforgettable narrator. The sequel, The Off-Season, is just as good, and there is supposed to be a third book coming out soon.

Reader reviewed by Katie

I had never heard of Catherine Gilbert Murdock until I read this. I'd heard that it was worth reading, but I was a little hesitant. But, after beginning it I just couldn't put it down!! DJ Schwenk is probably one of my favorite fictional characters EVER! She's sooo spunky and so 'I really don't care what everyone thinks.'

She has a great attitude, and goes through something that most teenage girls face. I'm so sick of every book being written about rich brats from the city. This is about a down-to-Earth girl the Minnesota rural area. Living in a rural area myself I can totally relate even more. So, pick up this book! It's worth the read, and you'll be enlightened about how the other half of the world lives. (:

Reader reviewed by The Story Siren

I had heard nothing but good reviews for this book, so I went in expecting a lot and I wasnt disappointed. Besides I am a little bit of a farm girl myself, so I totally related to D.J. I could barely read about bailing and unloading hay without my skin itching!! The only time I was truly happy to get up before four in the morning was to feed my cute little feeder calf, and the fact that I could go back to sleep afterward helped too.


Dairy Queen is the story of D.J. Schwenk. And let me tell you this girl is overworked, in more ways than one. Not only does she do almost all, if not all of the work on her familys dairy farm she also has to struggle daily with her uncommunicative family. And this family needs to talk, because needless to say, they have some problems.


Brain Nelson happens to show up one day, and D.J.s life starts spinning. Brain is the quarterback of Hawley the rival of D.J.s school. At first Brain and D.J. dont really get along (well duh), but they make it work. D.J. is going to be Brains trainer for the summer, not only does she know a lot about cows, but apparently she knows a lot about football. Her two older brothers are football players extraordinaire, so D.J. couldnt help but pick up some things here and there. But Brain ends up helping D.J. in the end, which she totally didnt see coming. He makes her realize how truly frustrated she is with her life, and how much she loves football.


There is so much more to this story, than I can summerize, but I dont want to spoil the milk for anyone else! Sorry, I just had to! Anyway. D.J.s character is totally believable, as a person, let alone a teenager. She struggles with friendship, sexuality, confidence and even first love. She just blew me out of the pasture, ha! I know I did it again! I cant wait to read The Off Season.

Reader reviewed by Sara

"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.
Stuff like why her best friend, Amber, sin't so friendly anymore. Or why her little brother, Curtis, never opens his mouth. Why her mom has tow jobs and a big secret. why her college-football-star brothers won't even call home. Why her dad would go ballistic if she tried out for the high school football team herself. And why Brian is so, so out of her league.
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."

I really didn't think that I'd like this book, but I ended up completely loving it! D.J. is such a loveable character. I can definately relate to the way she feels in most of the book. She was so funny too... The drama was real and believable and I walked away having learned a few lessons about life. Even if the story did talk about football a lot. :)

Reader reviewed by Courtney

I wasn't to sure about this book when I checked it out at the library, but I had heard good things so I got it anyway! I LOVED this book!! D.J is funny and totally relatable!This book made me laugh out loud! The second I finished it, I was own my way to the book store to buy my own copy!

Reader reviewed by Jen

I have never loved a book as much as I love Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock. This novel tells the story of D.J. Schwenk's seemingly lackluster summer before her junior year. Going through the ups and downs of D.J.'s farm life was not even close to being boring. This was in large part due to the fact that her rival school's QB ends up working side-by-side with her while she trains him. This novel soon became my favorite and I give my personal guarantee you will not be disappointed!