Book Review: Orbiting Jupiter - Highly Recommend

I'm becoming a huge fan of two-time Newbery Honor-winning author, Gary D. Schmidt. He is a master at rendering a believable and engaging voice, presenting boy-friendly fare, creating tough characters who exude tenderness, and tapping into the depth of human experience. Moreover, you can always be assured a good laugh, sometimes immediately followed by tears.

If ever there was a book to cut through my recent reading malaise, Orbiting Jupiter fit the bill. What a profound story of the power of love! I devoured the book whole; of course, I was kind of a captive audience because we were on a car trip, but at 183 pages, the novel slips by fast. I proceeded to hand it off to my youngest, who then read it in a little over an hour. I think he was especially curious because I had been seated next to him quietly chuckling one minute and then full-out sobbing by the end.

Twelve-year-old Jack narrates the story of his parent's experience fostering 14-year-old Joseph Brook. Despite the social worker's clarification of the harsh realities (Joseph is a juvenile delinquent who almost killed a teacher and has already fathered a child), Jack's parents agree to take him on at their dairy farm. Jack doesn't expect to be sucked into Joseph's world, yet slowly begins to think of him as a brother. But can Jack's family assist Joseph in his quest to find his daughter, Jupiter?

I smiled when Sean leaned over to show me the laugh-out-loud funny bits. He knew full well what had previously tickled me. While Sean didn't cry at the ending, or think it was as phenomenal a book as I did, I know he appreciated Schmidt's ability to create characters that male readers will root for. He certainly got the message that you cannot judge a person based on a limited understanding of their past.

While some parents might hesitate to recommend this book because it treats the experience of a very young father, I believe Schmidt did a fantastic job of outlining the budding relationship that creates the child, without dwelling on sexual specifics. Moreover, just as in the previous Schmidt books I have read, he presents an edgy, rough character from a difficult background who highlights the presence of grace and redemption in the midst of the gritty realities of life. He inspires the reader to mete out forgiveness alongside responsibility and to recognize the beauty of life alongside some of the ugliness.

Here are my reviews recommending the other Gary D. Schmidt books I've read: The Wednesday Wars, Okay for Now, and Trouble. Schmidt is definitely one of my favorite authors.