The Off Season by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

I have high praise for this book because it made me run 6 miles. I listened to it on my iPod shuffle, which I only listen to while exercising, and it is only a really good book that gets me going for more than 4 miles. It had been a year since I read Dairy Queen, and this book brought back all the excitement I first felt about that book. D.J. Schwenk is rare book character—she's an athletic, dairy farming teenager with an uncommunicative family and a cool potential boyfriend. She doesn't really have anything in common with me, but Catherine Murdock gets into her head and heart and makes me care so much about her that I feel like I am her while I'm reading this book. I don't really want to give away the plot. In Dairy Queen D.J. decided to go out for her high school football team, and in the beginning she is doing just that. But a lot of changes happen in the fall that change things completely for D.J. There's humor (she's accidentally written up in People Magazine), tons of sports (football and basketball), friendship (her friend Amber has a new partner and they are friends again), romance (making out but not going out with Brian), and family (the Schwenk brothers are a big part of this book). I don't want to bore you here, just read this book. I know adults and kids of both genders who loved Dairy Queen and who will want to follow along as D.J. takes some big leaps forward in her life. As I said, this is for everyone, but is absolutely required reading for girls who are into sports. Don't miss it.