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Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt

Orbiting Jupiter

Gary D. Schmidt

HarperCollins · Hardcover · October 6, 2015

In this riveting novel, two boys discover the true meaning of family and the sacrifices it requires.

Friendship for TeensAbuse & Trauma for TeensYA Orphan & Foster StoriesYoung Adult
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Realistic FictionContemporaryMiddle GradeFamily
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Who it’s for
A stark, intimate read with the ache and pull of family trouble.
Genres
YA Orphan & Foster Stories, Friendship for Teens, Abuse & Trauma for Teens
Published
HarperCollins, October 6, 2015

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About this book

In this riveting novel, two boys discover the true meaning of family and the sacrifices it requires. Two-time Newbery Honor winner Gary D. Schmidt delivers the shattering story of Joseph, a father at thirteen, who has never seen his daughter, Jupiter. After spending time in a juvenile facility, he’s placed with a foster family on a farm in rural Maine.

Continue reading

Here Joseph, damaged and withdrawn, meets twelve-year-old Jack, who narrates the account of the troubled, passionate teen who wants to find his baby at any cost. When Jack meets his new foster brother, he knows three things about him: - Joseph almost killed a teacher. - He was incarcerated at a place called Stone Mountain. - He has a daughter. Her name is Jupiter. And he has never seen her. What Jack doesn't know, at first, is how desperate Joseph is to find his baby girl. Or how urgently he, Jack, will want to help. But the past can't be shaken off. Even as new bonds form, old wounds reopen. The search for Jupiter demands more from Jack than he can imagine. This tender, heartbreaking novel is Gary D. Schmidt at his best. He is the author of the Printz Honor and Newbery Honor Book Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy; Okay for Now, a National Book Award finalist; and The Wednesday Wars, a Newbery Honor Book, among his many acclaimed novels for young readers.

Quietly Wrenching

A stark, intimate read with the ache and pull of family trouble.

Come here for

  • young, realistic family-drama intensity
  • grief and trauma handled plainly

Expect

  • a sustained, immersive narrative
  • a YA register that stays close to the emotional weather

Where it sits

YA Orphan & Foster Stories68%
Friendship for Teens39%
Abuse & Trauma for Teens25%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • YA Stories About Boys & Men
  • YA Orphan & Foster Stories
  • Friendship for Teens
  • Abuse & Trauma for Teens
Authors
Gary D. Schmidt
Publisher
HarperCollins
Published
October 6, 2015
Format
Hardcover
Reading lane
YA Stories About Boys & Men