Front and Center by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

By teen lib

Front and Center by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

In this final book of the Dairy Queen trilogy, D.J. Schwenk needs to decide what happens in her life after her senior year. But all she really wants is for things to get back to normal. Her version of an okay future involves returning to high school and playing basketball after a month or so spent rehabbing with her older brother. She just wants to fade into the background. But there are others in her life that have different plans for her. Knowing that D.J.’s college plans hinge on which school gives her a free ride in exchange for basketball, D.J.’s coach begins lining up college coaches to come see her play. He also insists that D.J. take more of a leadership role with her team, something she isn’t good at and doesn’t feel comfortable doing. Leadership requires communication, and that just isn’t something that Schwenks do very well if at all. D.J. just wants to close her eyes and wish all these decisions away. But when she isn’t on the court, she’s getting harassed by her older brother, Win, who sees it as his personal mission to get her into college on a basketball scholarship. So is D.J. up to the competition at a Big Ten school, so should she just choose a smaller school where everyone’s expectations would be much lower and easier to fulfill?