Life is looking up for D.J. Schwenk. She's in eleventh grade, finally. After a rocky summer, she's reconnecting in a big way with her best friend, Amber. She's got kind of a thing going with Brian Nelson, who's cute and popular and smart but seems to like her anyway. And then there's the fact she's starting for the Red Bend High School football team--the first girl linebacker in northern Wisconsin, probably. Which just shows you can't predict the future. When something tragic happens, a season that once looked so promising, is suddenly thrown way off course and D.J. realizes her life will never be the same. This hilarious, heartbreaking and triumphant sequel to the critically acclaimed Dairy Queen takes D.J. and all the Schwenks from Labor Day to a Thanksgiving football game that you will never forget.
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"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"
— Rhonda (5 out of 5 stars)
" Just as good as, or better than, the first one. The characters are appealing. "
— Magda, 2/14/2014" This is the story of D.J. Schwenk. She is a teenage girl living on a dairy farm in northern Wisconsin with her parents and 3 brothers. She is big and plays football for her high school, as well as basketball. She gets a new boyfriend, a popular boy who goes to a different high school in another town. Things suddenly go downhill when her brother is injured and she is needed to take care of him. The narrator is very good. She has great Wisconsin accent, which must be difficult to do. "
— Frederick, 2/9/2014" good :P "
— Hannah, 2/5/2014" DJ is one of my favorite young female protagonists. Great book. "
— Rosanne, 2/2/2014" I really like this author for young adults. This is the kind of book that I hope my high school daughter would read. Strong female lead who loves her family, realizes she doesn't need a boyfriend, and learns that fitting in in high school isn't the most important thing in the world. "
— Katie, 1/18/2014" Loved it. An awesome sequel to the first book. It had me laughing out loud and crying in some parts too. Great book! "
— Rebecca, 1/16/2014" DJ breaks up with Brian, Her brother Win is hurt "
— Chi-yen, 1/15/2014" I admit I was disappointed in the ending. It was very true-to-life and there are some great lessons learned, but I kinda wanted the happily-ever-after...one of the main characters just never learns their lesson. "
— Candi, 1/10/2014" The book was really good. I liked the first book better. It is an interesting and different book, but I liked it! "
— Stephanie, 12/25/2013" D.J. sounded almost bitter about Brian at the end. :( "
— Annerooo, 12/5/2013" I read all 3 books and they are amazing, I gotta tell you. Though there's no action or suspense in it, it's a ver emotional and passionate book. Don't ask me why. It just is. "
— Jasmin, 11/30/2013Catherine Gilbert Murdock lives in Philadelphia with her husband, two brilliant, unicycling children, several cats, and a one-acre yard that she is slowly transforming into a wee but flourishing ecosystem.