Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt Reviewed by Jessica Liao

 

One of the books I read during summer is Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt. This story is narrated by a 12 year old boy Jack Hurd about his foster brother Joseph Brook who is 14 years old. Joseph spent time in Adams Lake Juvenile before being taken in by Jack’s family who lives on a farm in rural Maine. He had a hard time warming up to his new foster family due to being emotionally damaged by his past. But one snowy night after skating on the farm’s frozen pond, Joseph finally opened up to Jack and his parents and told them everything. Including how he has a baby girl named Jupiter that he has never seen and never can see because laws and regulations militate against it. But there might be a slight chance for Joseph because of his determination and mindset that he would give anything to see her and at any cost.

The main character, Joseph, developed courage the most in this book. There were a few areas of the book where he showed a great extent of courage. One part was when Joseph accepted the devastating truth that he could not properly care and provide for his daughter at such a young age. Second is when Joseph’s dad threatened Jack’s family for them to hand Joseph to him. So in order to protect Jack’s family Joseph left with his dad. Another act of courage that Joseph showed is that he developed the courage to open up to his foster family.

Some books I would recommend if you like reading novels like this that are more character-driven rather than plot-driven are All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven and They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera. Those are two extremely meaningful books and if you're planning on reading it, better find something to grip on cause wow, these books sure are emotional rollercoasters. 

Orbiting Jupiter was one of the most powerful and heartbreaking books I've read. Even though this book is short and not very detailed. It was able to make as much emotional impact as a 400 page novel could. Overall, I would give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars. I wish this book could’ve been a bit longer so I could enjoy more of the authors and simple but yet powerful writing style.