The Off Season by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

May 28th, 2008 at 9:07am |

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Audience: Middle School

Rating: A-

Synopsis:

DJ’s life hasn’t gotten less complicated since the summer. Sure she’s made the football team, but that doesn’t make her life any easier, the farm work less demanding, or Brian any easier to understand. When something goes very wrong on the football field, DJ’s life is turned upside down again and even more demands are made of her. Can she handle even more responsibility and still manage to communicate her needs?

Chatter:

(Spoiler Alerts! ) I can’t tell you how excited I was to see a sequel to Dairy Queen. When I first finished Dairy Queen, I liked it, but I didn’t think I loved it. Then I couldn’t get the characters out of my head for weeks. I missed them! So when I saw that there was a sequel, it made my day!

I loved this book, and yet I was very frustrated by it too! I was disappointed that DJ had to give up football after working so hard to make the team and gain the other players’ respect. But this is just the latest in a long line of things that DJ’s had to give up; she missed basketball season the year before and she sacrifices her social life, education, and desires all the time for farm work. Just once, I’d like to see DJ get what she wants – and what she deserves.

Speaking of what she deserves – Brian Nelson stinks! But does she stink as much as DJ thinks? I can’t decide. In some ways he’s responsible for a lot of the growth she’s displayed this year. It was Brian who taught her the importance of communication, and also Brian who understood and encouraged her throughout her own shoulder injury and during her difficult time at the hospital with Win. Brian was also willing to change himself for her – becoming a more disciplined player and helping out at the farm each week. It’s not every boy who volunteers for farm labor just to spend time with a girl. It seems so strange that he’d be willing to engage in manual labor and be so supportive of DJ, but then freak out about being seen in public with her. Do you think they can work things out?

I’m not done with DJ yet, so I’m glad that Murdock isn’t either. She’s currently working on a third book (tentatively titled Front and Center). It should be out sometime next spring. That’s an awfully long time to wait and see how things turn out for Win, Amber, Brian, Curtis, and of course DJ herself. This third book centers on DJ’s basketball season. It will be interesting to see her where she really excels. She’s great at football, but even better at basketball. Hopefully she’ll actually get to play the whole season.