[description from goodreads]
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. When you don't talk, there's a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said. Stuff like why her best friend, Amber, isn't so friendly anymore. Or why her little brother, Curtis, never opens his mouth. Why her mom has two 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. When you don't talk, there's a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said. 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.
Review:
It's a shame that I read this book before my obsession with the show Friday Night Lights started, because I'm sure that I would have loved it even more that I already did.* If I read it during my crazy FNL watching period, now I might be saying "OMG IT REMINDED ME OF DILLON TEXAS AND AND MATT SARACEN AND AND OMG AMAZING!" But because I read it during my "I still hate everything related to football" stage, I'm more "this book is entertaining and great but football...ew." (Even though, really, this book doesn't have THAT much football in it. There are more cows.)
Dairy Queen has a whole lot going on, but it is surprisingly slow in the first few chapters. It takes DJ what seems like forever to discuss the problems mentioned in the summary because she spends so much time introducing her farm life and how Brian ended up working on the farm. She also seemed to ramble, and even though her rambles and explanations entertaining and humorous, they take a while to get used to because of her distinct way of speaking. She narrates the way she speaks- with long sentences, incorrect grammar, and with a very "Wisconsin" accent.**
However, once DJ finally starts addressing her problems, her personality shines. She reveals that she's concerned about her family's well-being, her struggles with her best friend, and her complicated, maybe-romantic-maybe-not relationship with Brian. I loved that even though she was more than annoyed, confused, and frustrated with her problems, she was still able to make them a bit funny with her blunt narration. Even when the drama wasn't huge, she made the book fun to read.
Even though it takes a while to get started and the language takes a while to get used to, Dairy Queen is sweet, funny, dramatic, and easy to relate to***, with a fantastic main character to boot.
*Although the sequel, The Off Season, is way more Friday Night Lights than this book. But still! Football!
**I don't really know what a Wisconsin accent IS, but it's like...not Southern but closeish? I DON'T KNOW.
***Even though most people probably don't play football on a dairy farm. Or just work on a dairy farm.
Book details: Graphia/Paperback/$8.99
Links: Catherine's website
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