Title: DAIRY QUEEN
Author: Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Publisher: Graphia (a Houghton Mifflin imprint)
Release Date: June 4, 2007
Number of Pages: 274
Source of Book: Paperback from my classroom library

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.

I’m not completely sure of my feelings for this book. I’d heard rave reviews of it, and being that I’m in Wisconsin where it takes place, definitely wanted to read it. I enjoyed it for the most part, but at times I was a little bored with it and felt like I was waiting for something to happen. It was a different type of book than I expected it to be. It was more of an inside look at one girl’s summer of discovering how to speak up for herself and repair her family relationships. And then there’s the football, which was great, and there was a bit of romance, but not quite as much of a focus on that as I expected, I guess. I think the beginning was a bit slow for me and I kept going because I wanted to see what everyone had liked so much, and it did get more exciting in the last part, but it’s definitely not as much of a plot-driven book as I guess I prefer.

I did enjoy DJ as a character and all of her inner conversation throughout the book and her observations about things that happened. I appreciated the way that she was so clueless and insecure about some things, and how she reacted when she figured them out. She is a flat-out honest character and a realistic portrayal of a small-town, farm-girl teen and she’s very likeable. DJ’s voice was very engaging to me the whole time also, in the way that she seemed to be talking directly to the reader, which all became clear in the very last paragraph of the book. All of the characters were intriguing, but it’s really all about DJ and
her family. The elements of the family dynamics and how things went
wrong were some of the most interesting parts of the book for me. The setting also plays an important role as the family farm is where most of the story happens because DJ has had to take over for her injured father.

Overall I’m intrigued enough to maybe read the second book in the series to see if the plotting picks up a little bit, but probably won’t make it through if I get the feeling again of waiting for things to happen. There are some strong messages in some of the major and minor stories in DAIRY QUEEN, and it was an enjoyable read, if I had been prepared ahead of time for the type of read it would be as a quieter, subtler type of book.

Title: GOLD MEDAL SUMMERAuthor: Donna Freitas
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books (a Scholastic imprint)
Release Date: June 1, 2012
Number of Pages: 240
Source of Book: ARC from publisher at NCTE

Just in time for the Olympics: A gymnastics novel to flip for!

Joey
Jordan loves gymnastics: the thrill of performing a backflip on the
beam, the cheers of the audience when she sticks a landing. But even
with all her talent and style, she’s never quite made it to that gold
medal stand.

Now big changes shake up Joey’s life in and out of
the gym. Joey wants to break out some daring new beam and floor
routines–but she’ll have to defy her strict coach to do it. Her best
friend, Alex, is thinking about quitting gymnastics for good. And an old
friend named Tanner just moved back to town, and he’s suddenly gotten
very, very cute. Can Joey handle all the challenges coming her way, and
make her gold medal summer happen at last?

Drawing on her
real-life experience as a competitive gymnast, acclaimed novelist Donna
Freitas delivers both a terrific gymnastics story and a classic novel
about stretching some limits, bending the rules, and finding your
balance.

I really enjoyed Donna Freitas’ first book, THE POSSIBILITIES OF SAINTHOOD, and I expected a similar style of a fun, contemporary, romantic book with a teen girl coming into her own and finding her own strength in becoming confident in herself. GOLD MEDAL SUMMER met that expectation in a great middle grades story that is very timely with the summer Olympics coming up this summer. This book was a quick read because it is definitely written on a level for 5th-8th grades, but it touches on a lot of themes throughout. It’s a sports story, but it’s also a story about family and friendships and young romance.

I really enjoyed the realism of the whole story. There was no unnecessary drama, it all just felt true to what these young girls would have been going through. There’s also a great guy character as the romantic interest who is just a sweetheart. The insiders view of competitive gymnastics was intriguing, and made all the more interesting by knowing that the author was a competitive gymnast herself when she was younger. I completely bought into the family dynamics in this story as well. Joey is struggling with her relationships with her older sister and both of her parents, but she is able to come to terms and deal with them in a mature way.

When I met the author at NCTE, she said that she wrote the book she would have wanted to read when she was 12. I can see how that’s true and think many other girls will feel the same way. Overall this was an enjoyable book that I will definitely be handing off to my students in the fall. I imagine the girls will be reading and passing this one on to each other.

Title: CATCHING JORDAN
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: December 1, 2011
Number of Pages: 281
Source of Book: Requested from publisher at NCTE because I loved the cover and premise and really wanted to read it.

What girl doesn’t want to
be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn’t
just surrounded by hot guys, though – she leads them as the captain and
quarterback on her high school football team. They all see her as one of
the guys, and that’s just fine. As long as she gets her athletic
scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there’s a new guy in
town who threatens her starring position on the team… and has her
suddenly wishing to be seen as more than just a teammate.

CATCHING JORDAN is a cute contemporary romance with a unique twist. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book, and Jordan is a refreshing character who tells it like it is and doesn’t put up with crap from the boys who she is surrounded by as she is the quarterback of the football team. It’s a unique setup for some high school drama, and drama definitely ensues with football and relationships and friendships and family, but it all seemed very realistic. Jordan’s relationship with her mom and brother and guys on the football team was fun to read, but there is strain with her dad, who happens to be a pro football player, but doesn’t seem to want her to play. Then there is the fact that Jordan’s only friends seem to be the guys on the team, as the cheerleaders are pretty nasty to her and she feels like she doesn’t have anything in common with other girls. The thing that was interesting about Jordan was how much she seems to be in control of everything, and is honest in her narration, but isn’t able to see what’s really in front of her. Of course, that seems to be pretty typical for teens as they are pretty much focused on themselves in their own little world. But, as Jordan grows throughout the book and starts to realize more of what’s around her, I began to like her even more. She started to realize what was really important to her and what she needed to be able to live with herself and as herself. This led her to start advocating for herself more and to her making decisions that were right for her.

As much as I enjoyed it, I had a little bit of an issue with this book because of Jordan. It’s mostly a personal preference type of thing, I think, but I had a hard time believing that this girl, who had never even kissed a boy before Ty showed up, was willing to sleep with him so quickly after they got together. I was fine with the insta-attraction (I get the crush thing) and even the love triangle element and her being clueless to part of it, but this one thing stuck with me. In her narration she gives all the guys on the team a hard time for sleeping around, and doesn’t want to get a reputation, which I completely understand, but I guess it just seemed a little bit out of character for her to go so far so quickly. It could just be me, and the fact that I’m a teacher, but I didn’t see any realistic, emotional consequences to that choice. But, they did at least use protection.

Overall, this was an enjoyable, fun, straight-forward contemporary read. I especially liked the added element of the creative writing that Jordan comes to discover she enjoys. As she starts journaling to get her feelings out since she can’t talk to anyone about them (can totally relate to that!), Miranda made the choice to include some of the poems Jordan has written in between chapters. It was a unique and interesting choice by the author to allow the reader to get more insight into Jordan’s feelings even as she was unable to tell them to use herself. I also have to add that I loved the secondary characters. The guys on the team who are her best friends are so hilarious with how they treat her, especially when she wants to talk relationships, and how protective they are of her. And I especially liked her older brother and what a great relationship they had. The ending was just perfect for this type of book with all of the elements – her dad, her choice of college, her boy situation, and her friendships – coming together as I had hoped they would.

Title: SHUT OUT
Author: Kody Keplinger
Publisher: Poppy
Release Date: September 5, 2011
Number of Pages: 273
Source of Book: ARC from Little Brown School & Library
Author’s Website: kodykeplinger.com

Goodreads Summary:
Most high school sports
teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it’s a civil
war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part,Lissa is
sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to
go pick a fight with the soccer team or to prank their locker room. And
on three separate occasions Randy’s car has been egged while he and
Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of
sweaty boys for her own boyfriend’s attention

Then Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all: She and the
other players’ girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys won’t get any
action from them until the football and soccer teams make peace. What
they don’t count on is a new sort of rivalry: an impossible
girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their
libidos first. But what Lissa never sees coming is her own sexual
tension with the leader of the boys, Cash Sterling…

*************************

OK, so the cover of this book grabbed my attention and the premise sounded intriguing to me – I love girl power books – so I knew I wanted to read this one, and I’m so glad I did. I really enjoyed this book. Yes, it has mature content, but I didn’t feel it was too overly graphic (actually less than I expected). And, yes, it was a little bit predictable at times, but, knowing the premise and type of book it is, I expected a little bit of that. This book was like comfort food – just what I was in the mood for and made me feel good. I still haven’t read Kody’s first book, THE DUFF, but now I’m going to move it up on my list. She is a great contemporary writer; this book was just an easy, enjoyable read. I had fun reading it – even literally laughing out loud at some parts!

The rivalry was dumb between the boys’ sports teams, and the way it works out in the end is entertaining, but along the way, some really important things are learned. Lissa grows quite a bit in this book into knowing herself and being stronger in order to do what’s right. Lissa’s character, and in fact some of the secondary characters as well, is pretty multi-layered. She’s dealing with the sudden death of her mother, and because of that, has some definite control issues. Cash’s character also has more to him than originally meets the eye, and I absolutely appreciate a respectful, caring, good guy character in young adult books.

Overall, I think this book can be empowering to younger readers in some ways. The way it handles the idea of girls being ashamed of, embarrassed by, afraid of, or wanting to do sexual activity is treated in such a non-preachy way. It shows that everyone feels differently, and that’s all okay. Not everyone is actually having sex or, in some cases, anything close to it. It’s ultimately about doing what’s right for you as an individual based on your feelings and beliefs, and it shouldn’t matter what other people have to say. Seems to be a pretty good message for young girls to get in my opinion. Do what’s right for you and don’t let anyone pressure you into something you’re not ready for. The boys who are pressuring girls are shown in a bad light in this book, and I’m glad that happens. When they go on the strike, and some girls mention a concern about their boyfriends cheating on them, it’s put right out there that if the guy is going to cheat on you because of this, he wasn’t a good guy to be with in the first place. There are a lot of misunderstandings and missed connections, but ultimately, the good guy with good, honorable intentions who wants to take care of the girl the right way, is noticed in the end. But, that only happens because the characters choose to finally sit down and talk with some straight-forward, honest communication with each other. It shows how much easier and less dramatic things can be if we just talk about them. The messages are all subtle, but they’re really honest too, and that’s why I think they’ll be easy for teens to accept.

One of the things I liked the most was actually the elements of the girl friendships throughout this book. As the girls spend more time getting to know each other and get more honest with each other, they realize that there’s more to each of them than they maybe had realized. The development of the friendships, and rekindling of others, and the way they stick up for and support each other is one of the most powerful parts of this book. It’s not about mean girls; it’s about girls standing up for each other and doing what’s right to help each other out. As I was reading SHUT OUT, I was reminded of two other books that would be great to hand a girl who liked this one: NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL by Siobhan Vivian and THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB by Elizabeth Eulberg.