Review: Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt

Jack, 12, tells the gripping story of Joseph, 14, who joins his family as a foster child. Damaged in prison, Joseph wants nothing more than to find his baby daughter, Jupiter, whom he has never seen. When Joseph has begun to believe he’ll have a future, he is confronted by demons from his past that force a tragic sacrifice.

Kindle Edition, 160 pages

Published October 6th 2015 by Clarion Books 

Genre: Young Adult/Middle Grade

Kristine's Thoughts:

** I received an advanced readers copy from the pulisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!**

This book needs to come with a warning label...seriously! It made me ugly cry. I did not expect a middle grade/young adult book that is narrated by a twelve year old and only 160 pages long to make me cry. Boy did I cry!

The story itself is simple in its writing but the content is anything but. In fact, the content is very emotional and serious. The story is told through 12 yr old Jack's eyes when Joseph comes to live with him and his parents as a Foster Child. Due to many circumstances, Joseph is alone and struggling. He is only a child himself at 14 but finds himself a parent of a baby that he has never seen. As the reader we see his struggles as interpreted through the eyes of Jack. There is an innocence and vulnerability in the story when told through his eyes. I thought it was very well done.

The story is short so it moves along quickly but at the same time there is plenty of character and story development. It didn't take me long to become invested in Joseph and Jack and to route for them along the way. It is a story of growth and friendship as well as "having someones back" as it is the story of Joseph's past. Both aspects of the story I think I liked equally which is rarely the case for me.

I'm still struggling to decide how I feel about how it ends but the fact that I was emotional means that I was obviously enjoying the story. It made me feel something which is always a good thing when it comes to books. If I wasn't enjoying the story I wouldn't have felt anything.

In the interest of honesty I have to admit that this book really surprised me. I did not expect to enjoy it to the extent that I did. Readers of all ages will be sure to enjoy it!

About the Author

Gary D. Schmidt is an American children's writer of nonfiction books and young adult novels, including two Newbery Honor books. He lives on a farm in Alto, Michigan,with his wife and six children, where he splits wood, plants gardens, writes, feeds the wild cats that drop by and wishes that sometimes the sea breeze came that far inland. He is a Professor of English at Calvin College.

Connect with Gary

Website/Goodreads