Teen Stuff: Orbiting Jupiter
by manz
Gary Schmidt has done it again with his latest teen novel. The acclaimed author won both a Newbery Honor and a Printz Honor for Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy as well as a Newbery Honor for the amazing The Wednesday Wars. Schmidt’s newest novel is written in the same style as The Wednesday Wars and its companion Okay For Now.
Orbiting Jupiter features 14 year old Joseph, and rumor has it that he has a baby, almost killed a teacher, and has just been released from a juvenile detention center. He moves in as a foster with 12 year old Jack and his parents on a family farm in rural Maine. Joseph is wounded, lost and longs to find his baby daughter – all while trying to ward off bullies and learn to milk a cow. The book is full of nice grown-ups, helpful teachers, and a few warm and fuzzy feelings to balance out the harsh reality that is Joseph’s life. It was great to see a brotherly relationship develop between Joseph and Jack in small tender moments amidst all the other things happening in their lives.
It’s a quick read and I really wanted more character development, and the ending happened a bit too quickly, but I am really glad I read this book. (For 7th grade and up.)
Blog Post