Description: Fine. 0618863354 Excellent condition Soft cover book, clean pages, No creases to spine, this book is Near NEW! Shop & Save With US. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Graphia Books
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9780618863358ISBN:0618863354
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Tight binding, little edge wear, clean pages. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 274 p. Audience: Children/juvenile; Young adult. read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Purchasing this book supports the King County Library System Foundation. Thriftbooks and KCLSF have partnered to help raise additional funds for the library system. Ex-Library book-will contain library markings. Book has appearance of light use with no easily noticeable wear. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Ex-Library book-will contain library markings. Book has appearance of light use with no easily noticeable wear. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Purchasing this DVD supports the North Central Regional Library. Thriftbooks and NCRL have partnered to help raise additional funds for the library system. Library ID found on DVD and case. Ex-Library book-will contain library markings. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Purchasing this book supports the King County Library System Foundation. Thriftbooks and KCLSF have partnered to help raise additional funds for the library system. Ex-Library book-will contain library markings. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Acceptable. Former Library book. Shows definite wear, and perhaps considerable marking on inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Date Published: 2006-05-22
ISBN-13:9780618683079ISBN:0618683070
Description: Like New. May be shiny, in some instances dust jackets are not included, no missing pages, no damage to binding, may have a remainder mark. read more
Description: Like New. May be shiny, in some instances dust jackets are not included, no missing pages, no damage to binding, may have a remainder mark. read more
Description: Very good. Very minimal damage to the cover (no holes or tears, only minimal scuff marks), in some instances dust jackets are not included, no missing pages, minimal to no highlighting/under. read more
Description: Good. Minimal damage to the cover, dust jacket not necessarily included minimal wear to binding, majority of pages undamaged, minimal to no highlighting/underlining of text, no missing p. read more
"I absolutely loved this book! Perfect for the "not-your-average-American-girl" girls :-)
The main character, D.J. Schwenk, is trying to balance her "normal" teenage problems (family, friends, school, romance) with the pressures of being in charge of her family's diary farm for the summer while her father recuperates from his hip-replacement surgery. Her two older brothers are off at football camps because they're both star players on sports scholarships to Big 10 schools, and her younger brother is a talented baseball player whose team is in the championship playoffs this summer. D.J. herself was a pretty good basketball player before she had to quit the team and look after the farm.
This summer she also has a special side-project: she has been "hired" to train Brian Nelson, the QB from a neighboring town. Brian is lazy and has never learned any discipline. His coach (who is also good friends with D.J.'s father) has asked D.J. to whip him into shape, teaching him the techniques that she used to help her older brothers practice all summer long.
During the training sessions with Brian, D.J. learns a lot--about coaching, about communicating, and about herself. She realizes that she really loves playing football, and she decides to try out for her own high school's team. During the last weeks of the summer, this plan becomes her most precious secret.
When Brian is ready for his school's pre-season, D.J. is ready for hers. Then, the tension rises as Brian realizes that he might have to play against D.J. on the field, as arch rivals.
A sports book for girls--this novel is a unique gem for a contemporary audience. I'm going to be picking a copy up for my own classroom's library (and reading the sequel) as soon as I can get to the bookstore!"
"I'm just finishing listening to this book now as I type this. I debated between a 3 and a 4, but decided on a 4 for a few reasons. A) I like how the audio version's narrator rocks the Wisconsin accent, B) Our heroine, D.J., is an anti-hero of sorts, she doesn't claim to be smart, good-looking, or particularly talented. What she is a hard worker who feels obligation to her family. She's 16, and she flunked sophomore English because she had to take over the regular milking and daily managing of her family's farm after her Dad gets sick. We know from the start that she's the only daughter in a football dominated family. She loves the sport. But it doesn't occur to her until halfway through telling her story that she has a shot of playing the game herself for her high school. D.J.'s too busy working and keeping her head above water -- balancing her needs against those of her family -- to even consider this individual decision. Plus, she's a girl, so there's that obstacle to contend with in present-day small-town Wisconsin. I like D.J. She's tough, and rough around the edges, but she's doing the best she can with what she has at the time. She's not dreamy-eyed about the world or her life. Sequel.. The Off Season. Looking forward to continuing her story (by audio)."
"Sixteen-year-old DJ Schwenk spends her summer vacation taking care of her family's dairy farm. DJ is responsible for the farm because there's no one else to do it. Her two older brothers had a fight with her father and won't communicate with the family. Her younger brother is in the middle of his little league season. Brian Nelson, the quarterback of her high school's rival football team is forced by his coach be help out at the farm, and worse yet, he's supposed to have DJ train him for the upcoming season. Although they can't stand each other at the beginning of the summer, DJ and Brian become friends. During the training, DJ decides that she will try out for her high school's football team, but she also decides not to tell Brian. The summer is productive for all the Schwenks: her brother, Curtis, who doesn't talk unless it is absolutely necessary, reveals his dream of becoming a dentist; DJ's dad comes to terms with the fact that he really does enjoy cooking and baking; DJ's mom has a secret correspondence going on with DJ's two older brothers who have not spoken to anyone else in the family for months. And DJ realizes that not only does she love football, but she might also love Brian. She becomes torn between the two, until realizing that she must choose one, so she picks football, and ends up picking off one of Brian's passes for a touchdown. DJ thinks that it's all over between them when Brian surprises her once more. In the end, DJ realizes that they can be friends, rivals, and possibly more all at the same time.
I don't feel that there is anything remarkable about the literary quality of this book. For the most part it is a fun story, with nicely flowing dialog, which never seems awkward or out of place. I think that the overall plot has some believability issues. Would a seventeen year old boy really agree to have a younger girl train him, regardless of who her brothers are? I don't believe that. There is one chapter that does stand out, called "That's My Ball," which I thought was really outstanding, by far the best section of the book.
I wasn't overly impressed with this book, mostly because I feel it lacks credibility. I simply do not believe the plot. I do believe that it will appeal to YAs, especially girls. It offers the tiniest hint of romance, a strong and independent female character, and the internal monologue is very engaging. I think this book would be very easy to recommend, and I would do it, even though I personally didn't enjoy the book."
"It's fair to say that I'm prejudiced toward Dairy Queen. I grew up dirt poor on a farm in the boonies, taking care of animals, fighting with my brothers, and dealing with a family in which it was verboten to talk about anything important. When the main character in DQ talks about bucking bales (picking up a 70-pound bale of hay and throwing it UP onto a hay wagon or into the back of a truck), my back aches and the calluses on my hands burn. When she talks about playing football with her brothers and being made fun of by the cheerleader crowd, I start to have flashbacks. It's fair to say that we have a lot in common and I'm a little biased. The story isn't complicated: beset by illness, the father in the family delegates the running of the farm to his 15-year-old daughter and 13-year-old son. The daughter, enamored by her football experiences with her older brothers and interested in doing something for which she gets credit, trys out for and makes the local football team. Throw in a little romance with a rival quarterback and there's your story. DQ is well-written, which is a real feat, as it's all first-person and quite authentic to the 15-year-old voice. It also has a wonderfully warm undercurrent that speaks to doing something for yourself - finding the place at the very bottom of your personality where you just won't make any more allowances for other people. That theme is at the base of both growing up and growing wise, and DQ explores it both gently and comprehensively. My only worry is about audience. I teach in an urban high school, and most of the kids here know next to nothing about farming life. The majority of the readers (and libraries) buying books today are urban (which doesn't mean that rural people don't read, it just means that not as many people live in the country as live in cities these days). I hope teachers and others see the value in this Dairy Queen and pass it around."
We guarantee every item's condition, as described on Alibris. If you are not satisfied that an item is as described, return your purchase for a refund.
rating
