Life is looking up for D. J. Schwenk, star of Dairy Queen. She's made it to eleventh grade, she's reconnecting with her best friend, and she's got a thing going with Brian Nelson. But best of all, she's playing for the Red Bend High School football team—as the first female linebacker in northern Wisconsin. But then the season goes suddenly, horribly wrong: her brother Win is put into the hospital after getting a devastating injury during a game. Once again, D.J. is forced to step up and be there for her family. It's a heavy burden, even for D.J.'s strong shoulders. She'll have to dig deeper than she's ever had to before.
When we last left D.J. Schwenk in Dairy Queen, she was trying to cope with her family's problems, the inclusion of Brian into her life, and surviving being on the Red Bend football team. You know, when most people thought girls shouldn't be on the team.
At first it seemed like she had found solutions to all of those problems. But all good things must come to an end, whether D.J. likes it or not.
With Brian being her sort of boyfriend, D.J. is pretty ecstatic, since not only is he hot and athletic, he is her first real boyfriend. But it sort of creates a problem since D.J. isn't so sure where there relationship is heading or if it is going at all. Brian isn't too sure, either, since it seems like D.J. would rather spend time with her family then hang out with him.
Her friend, Amber, is starting to get noticed, for all the wrong reasons, though. Now known as the girl with a girlfriend, Amber is beginning to change, once again, right in front of D.J.'s eyes, all because people in their town don't approve of that kind of relationship.
D.J.'s family is beginning to resolve their relationship problems. But when they think all is well, their financial problems come into play. Not only that, but D.J. herself and her brother, Win, suffer injuries that just might put an end to what they love the most.
While trying to control all of her problems, D.J. must be able to find her strength, the one that got her through her summer and the one that helped her get on the football team.
Once again, D.J. shines as a heroine who shows that everyone has the ability to get over any obstacle thrown their way.
Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen
writes,
In Dairy Queen by Catherine Murdock, readers met a girl named D.J. who had to pick up the slack on her family's farm when her father's hip injury prevented him from doing the bulk of the work. She also had to help train Brian, the quarterback for the rival school's team. Her two older brothers were big hometown football stars - and now, unexpectedly, she might become one as well.
In the solid sequel, The Off-Season, D.J. continues to juggle her school life, her home life, and her sports life. Homework and farmwork just keep coming. Then she gets injured, which obviously and completely changes her athletic schedule. Further complicating matters are D.J.'s mixed feelings about Brian and her strained relationship with her best friend. When two other family members become hurt in debilitating ways, the Schwenks have to come together in a big way - and have to make even more sacrifices.
Give Dairy Queen and its sequel The Off-Season to girls you know who refuse to back down when coaches tell them girls shouldn't or can't play certain sports - and tell them that YES, THEY CAN!
writes,
Sometimes, after a successful first novel, its sequel may fall flat. This certainly is not true in the case of Catherine Gilbert Murdock's sequel to Dairy Queen. In The Off Season, we find D.J. Schwenk coping with even more challenges than ever, many of which could topple someone twice her age. While we know that D.J. has real style and substance, this time we find her to be more of a hero than ever. Once again, she rises to the occasion, providing the stability for her injured brother to move on with his life. A loyal friend, she stands behind her friend, Amber; and, because she believes in honesty, she refuses to look at her boyfriend through rose-colored glasses, realizing that he might not have the character she thought he had. Through it all, D.J. handles herself with the candor and composure her readers have come to love. Written with the same skill and intelligence as her first novel, this is another Murdock winner that you won't want to put down until the very last page.
