Dairy Queen

Catherine Murdock's Dairy Queen is a novel about football, dairy farming, and family relationships. A good book for boys? No... D.J.Schwenk is a fifteen year old girl single-handedly
running her family's dairy farm and living in the shadow of two older brothers who were football all-stars. Her family has been intimately connected with high school football, and D.J. worked out with her brothers and watched their every move as they starred on the Red Bend, Wisconsin high school team.
In the summer before her junior year, Brian Nelson, the big rival school's potential quarterback, is sent by his coach to help the family out on the farm and learn what it means to really work. D.J. becomes his "trainer" and teaches him the workouts and work ethic her brothers had that made them stars. She becomes so involved in the game that she goes out for the Red Bend football team and makes it as a valuable linebacker and receiver. Her family life worries her and causes her to consider her role in the family and what her priorities should be.
Although there is no Dairy Queen ice cream, beauty pageant, or cow competition in the story, D.J. is the queen of the dairy farm by her dogged determination. Yes, she does fall in love with Brian...and weirdly finds out that her best girl friend for the last six years is actually in love with her. This seems unnecessary to the plot line but may serve to show that D.J. is all woman and longing for a relationship with her quarterback.
Four stars...