Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Murdock, Catherine Gilbert. Dairy Queen.
Graphia. 2006.
ISBN-13 9780618863358
$8.99. Paperback. 274 pages.

Readers Annotation
DJ Schwenk knows a lot about dairy farming and football, but she doesn’t know how to talk to Brian Nelson. While she’s busy helping on the farm and training Brian to be a better quarterback for the opposing team, she’s also learning how to talk about the things that really mean something.

Plot Summary
When DJ’s dad hurts his hip using the manure spreader on the farm, it’s up to DJ and her nearly silent brother Curtis to run things. Her two older siblings Bill and Win are away at college football training camp. Life is not easy, with so much to do on the farm, and when Brian Nelson arrives to help DJ is not pleased. Brian, captain of the rival Hawley football team has been encouraged by his coach, Jimmy Ott, to ask DJ for football training. Although DJ is a girl, she has been playing football with her brothers for years. With the agreement between DJ and Brian set in place, the two begin training on the farm. As their friendship grows, both teens find that they are attracted to each other. It isn’t long before DJ acknowledges that she is in love with Brian. Between farm work and football practice, both DJ and Brian gain skill and speed. DJ’s mom is a teacher and acting principal of a local elementary school. After DJ’s dad was injured, her schoolwork suffered and she failed her English class. Mom and the English teacher set up a schedule of writing so DJ will be able to graduate. Facing school and working the farm while training Brian is overwhelming. DJ often comments on how the Schwenk’s stop talking when anything bothers them. For DJ, it means she feels like a cow on the farm, slow and stupid, chewing her cud. She is anything but stupid. DJ decides that after all the training she has endured with Brian, she wants to try out for the Red Bend football team. When she is accepted on the team it drives a wedge in her budding romance with Brian. During the first game of the practice season, DJ scores a touchdown on an interception from Brian. Her team wins the game. Surprisingly, Brian pays her a visit the next day, and although he doesn’t formally ask DJ to date him, he hints that he might want to date a football player.

Critical Evaluation
The small town setting for this novel is unlike anything I have read before. Told in the first person by DJ brings the characters to life. The characters are honestly portrayed with all their foibles. One theme of the novel -- learning to speak for oneself is one that many families face. Life on a dairy farm is described in enough detail for teens to understand the difficult work facing a family of four, with a working mother and disabled father. The family isn’t very close at the start of the novel. Mom works long hours at two jobs, and Dad decides to learn to cook since he is housebound. Younger brother Curtis speaks so rarely that DJ barely knows him. None of speaks about the disagreement that drove the two oldest brothers away from the farm. Murdock has created two teens that could not be more different. Brian is growing up in a family that always talks about their problems, and DJ’s family keeps silent. Both teens learn that there is some good in each viewpoint. Murdock’s character, Amber (DJ’s best friend), seems to be gratuitously added into the mix. We find out fairly late in the story that Amber is a lesbian and also in love with DJ. The plot line is never expanded on in this novel. This novel is the first in a trilogy. The second novel is titled Off Season, and the last novel is titled Front and Center.  I would recommend this novel to reluctant readers because of its honesty and ease of reading.

Information about the author
Catherine Gilbert Murdock was born in the mid 1960’s. She currently lives in Philadelphia with her husband and two children. She has a website, but it doesn’t include much biographical information. You can find it here: http://www.catherinemurdock.com/catherinemurdock/cgm_home.html

Genre
Contemporary issues

Curriculum ties
None

Challenge Issues
Underage drinking, homosexuality

Challenge defense ideas
· Become familiar with the book and its content.
· Refer to the collection development policy of the library.
· Refer to reviews from Booklist, School Library Journal, and Publisher’s Weekly available for viewing on amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Dairy-Queen-Catherine-Gilbert-Murdock/dp/0618863354/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_2
· Try to get reviews of the book from teens that have read it.

Booktalking Ideas
1. Discuss DJ's tomboy nature, and how she loves sports.
2. Talk about her Dad’s injury and how DJ assumes most of the work on the farm.
3. Discuss DJ and Brian’s relationship.

Reading Level/Age
Young adult. Ages 14 and up.

Why I included this title
This book is listed with the ALA 2006 Best Books for Young Adults.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.
Illustrated by Ellen Forney.
Hatchette Book Group. 2007.
ISBN 9780316013697
$8.99. Paperback. 288 pages.

Readers Annotation
Junior (Arnold Spirit) leaves the Spokane Indian reservation to attend an all-white high school. His hopes to rise above the poverty of the rez, but will his best friend ever forgive him?

Plot Summary
Junior, born with “grease” on the brain, draws because it is easier than words. He is small boy with big dreams. On his first day of high school he opens his geometry textbook only to discover that it had been his mothers. This enrages Junior, who throws the book and hits his teacher. The teacher, Mr. P. convinces Junior to take a chance and have hope for his life. Junior decides to leave the reservation school and go to the rich all white school called Reardan. This decisions sets off a chain of events at the reservation and at his new school. Members of the tribe think he is a traitor to his people. His best friend Rowdy hates him, and for the first time, Junior begins to have friends beyond his community. While Junior is enjoying his time at Reardan, his life on the rez is filled with sadness. At 14, Junior has been to 42 funerals. During his first year of high school, his grandmother is killed while walking by a drunk driver. Then his father’s best friend, Eugene is shot and killed. Finally, his big sister, Mary Ran Away (who ran away to marry), dies in a house fire. Junior nearly breaks down, he feels “helpless and stupid.” Even with all of the grief, Junior is still hopeful and hilarious. His drawing and writing help him overcome his deep grief. He even joins the Reardan basketball team, becoming a freshman starter on the varsity team. During a game with the rez team, Junior realizes that his former classmates on the Wellpinit Redskins team were in some distress. Some probably had not eaten, some had alcoholic parents, or parents in jail, and none of them were going to college. He sees the dichotomy of the two communities. Although his team wins because of his efforts, Junior realizes that he is no longer angry with his tribe. Instead, he becomes more determined to leave the reservation and attain his dreams of success.

Critical Evaluation
Sherman Alexie portrays the characters in this novel with great compassion and humor. He takes on the stereotypes of the Native American culture, and consequently informs the reader of both the truth and myths behind life on the reservation. His characterization of Junior is well rounded and superbly realized. Junior has no qualms about informing the reader that his is excellent at masturbation and cartooning, or that his best friend likes to beat people up. Junior’s perspective of life on and off the reservation is unsentimental. He wants to fit in both places, but he realizes that he must let go of his life on the reservation in order to attain his dreams. As Junior states in the novel, he feels like he is half Indian on the reservation, and half white at school. Either way, he is a lovable and believable character. The illustrations by Ellen Forney tell a story by themselves. Each cartoon depicts some aspect of Junior’s life: his hopes, dreams, and frustrations. The pencil illustrations, created to look taped into the journal, add much to the narration.

Information about the author
Sherman Alexie was born in October, 1966, on the Spokane Indian Reservation. This novel is based on his early life. This novel has won a number of awards including:

• 2007 National Book Award
• 2008 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award
• 2008 ALA Best Books for Young Adults

Genre
Multicultural Fiction

Curriculum ties
English or social studies. This is a good book for multicultural studies.

Challenge Issues
Language, sexuality, alcohol abuse

Challenge defense ideas
· Become familiar with the book and its content.
· Refer to the collection development policy of the library.
· Refer to reviews from Booklist, School Library Journal, and Publisher’s Weekly available for viewing on amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Absolutely-True-Diary-Part-Time-Indian/dp/0316013692/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258319587&sr=1-1
· Try to get reviews of the book from teens that have read it.

Booktalking Ideas
1. Discuss Junior Spirits life and his disabilities.
2. Talk about Junior’s arrival at Reardan high school.
3. Talk about Junior’s grief and his success at his new school.

Reading Level/Age
Young Adult. Age 13 and up

Why I included this title
This book is included on the 2008 ALA Best Books for Young Adults.

Boy Toy by Barry Lyga

Lyga, Barry. Boy Toy.
Houghton Mifflin. 2007.
ISBN-13: 9780547076348.
$8.99. Paperback. 409 pages.

Readers Annotation 
18-year-old Josh remembers his first sexual experience with Eve. The problem is that he was 12 and she was his teacher.

Plot
When Josh Mendel was 12 years old his life changed radically. Sexually abused by is history teacher, Evelyn (Eve) Sherman, Josh has spent the last five years avoiding contact with everyone except his best friend, Zik. Faced with the impending release of Eve from prison, Josh experiences post-traumatic flash backs of his time with his abuser. Now a high school senior, Josh is preparing for college, the biggest baseball game of the season, and the prom. Yet he can’t help recalling his first sexual encounters as he begins a tentative relationship with Rachel, who was once a good friend. Rachel won’t take no for an answer in her pursuit a reconciliation with Josh. However, Josh’s fear of reprisals and loss of control cause him to reconsider his past and present. There is much that Josh doesn’t understand about his time with Eve. Josh’s parents try to be supportive, but with their own relationship crumbling they cannot see that he needs their help. Josh feels that the entire town knows what happened to him, and they judge him for his actions. It is through his relationships with Zik and Rachel that Josh gains the courage to find Eve and confront her about her actions.

Critical Evaluation
The author, Barry Lyga, portraits the characters in this book honestly. Josh’s life changed forever after his encounters with Eve. His anger issues, and his PTSD symptoms are true for a young person who has been sexually abused. The moments of sexual pleasure are honest and straightforward, but not erotic. Lyga doesn’t pull punches in dealing with such controversial material. However, I found it difficult to believe that a young man who has been in continuing therapy for five years would not have attempted to make amends to his friend Rachel earlier. I thought that his paranoia was overplayed until Josh reveals what his baseball coach said to him. Even five years later, Josh is a powder keg waiting to explode when confronted with this part of his past. Josh’s need to escape the town he has lived in for years is exemplified in his desire to go to a college far away where he won’t be known by anyone. All of the situations Josh’s find’s himself in – choosing a college, quitting baseball, developing a healthy relationship all seem to depend on escaping home. The final chapters regarding his final confrontation with Eve are difficult to believe. Most abuse victims do not seek out their abusers, nor do they believe that they were the instigator of the crime after 5 years of therapy. I found it difficult to believe that no one ever told Josh (especially his therapist) that he was not at fault. This novel deals with heavy issues and is controversial because of it. This book won “The Cybils Award” in 2007.

Information about the author
There is little biographic data about Lyga. Wikipedia notes that he was born on September 11, 1971, and currently lives in the Southwest. You can find a little more information about him on his website at http://barrylyga.com/new/about.html. He also has a blog at http://barrylyga.com/new/671.html. You can also follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/barrylyga.

Genre
Narrative fiction, contemporary issues

Curriculum ties 
None

Challenge Issues
Sexuality, sexual abuse, violence

Challenge defense ideas
· Become familiar with the book and its content.
· Refer to the collection development policy of the library.
· Refer to reviews from Booklist, School Library Journal, and Publisher’s Weekly available for viewing on amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0064471764/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books
· Try to get reviews of the book from teens that have read it.

Booktalking Ideas
1.  Discuss how Josh is really good at math and baseball, but has trouble with relationships.
2.  Talk about how Josh blames himself for what happened with Eve and Rachel.

Reading Level/Age
Young adult. 16+.

Why I included this title
I heard many good things about this book and felt that I should read it.