Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt

What on Earth can I say about this book besides, “WOW!” I don’t often feel extreme emotions when I read but the content and the writing and the raw emotion felt like an unstoppable hurricane blasting through my heart. This novel has a little bit of everything: bullying, stereotypes, adventures on ice (not in a good way), love and romance, family, and, of course, the milking of cows. Who could possibly not want to read it!? 

I had ordered the book for all 18 of my district library’s branches because the reviews were astounding in the selection journals we subscribe to. Honestly, though, I didn’t have much interested in reading it personally. But, at a CATS (Children’s and Teen Services) upcoming book conference this week, I actually got a free copy of the title. AND!! The author spoke with us and did a reading. Maybe it was the fact that I was able to hear the background that led to the author writing Orbiting Jupiter or maybe it was because I was hearing it read exactly how Schmidt intended it. Either way, he hooked me instantly. Schmidt is a tremendous story teller and I felt every single emotion of the character Joseph as if it were my own. Not because we had been through anything similar…we hadn’t. It is simply that Schmidt can tell one hell of a tale. His words were few but exceedingly well-chosen and powerful. He gave this “throwaway” kid a second chance when most wouldn’t give him a second glance. 

Schmidt told us that he had attended a book talk for reluctant readers, but was not informed in advance that it was at a correctional facility for juvenile males. While he was there, he had the chance to get to know some of the boys and, in a non-direct way, based his latest, Orbiting Jupiter, on the experience of meeting kids that society had just thrown aside. 

Here’s what the publisher says about Orbiting Jupiter: 

The 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. Here Joseph, damaged and withdrawn, meets twelve-year-old Jack, who narrates the account of the troubled, passionate teen who wants to find his baby at any cost. In this riveting novel, two boys discover the true meaning of family and the sacrifices it requires.

I kind of think that the less you know going in, the better. Just be prepared to feel all the feels and have your tissues handy. Oh, and while the book is only 183 pages long and you’ll read it in one sitting, it’ll drain your immortal soul like a 1200 page epic. Just sayin.’ Now go get it from your local library and prepare to have your heart ripped out and stomped all over...but maybe in a good way.