Epub file on my kindle corrupted (lost old one and had to redownload everything from Amazon) so am unable to access - thank you for the opportunity.

Powerful, if highly unusual. Not easy to 'get into' - the voice is very young, but it really does grab you and is a very effective immature narrator, relating a tale he doesn't entirely understand. Beautiful and mysterious, but not a cosy read at all.

I've decided I'm going to read all eight of the titles chosen for Zoella's third book club, and thought the best place to start would be this book. At under 200 pages, it's the perfect book to read in one sitting, and that's just what I've done this morning.
This book is a perfect exploration of the importance of family, and what it truly means. Joseph isn't allowed to see his daughter, because he's only 14, but he wants to be a father to her. His father is abusive and thinks of him as property, while Joseph's foster parents - the parents of our protagonist, Jack - give him his own space, and believe in him while everyone around them warns them away.
I would have given Orbiting Jupiter 5 stars, but its short length is an issue. The ending is rushed. Though I felt emotional at the conclusion, and a lot of other reviewers have said it brought them to tears, I could rustle up that much emotion. If it had had a slower pace, rather than jerking to a sudden end, I think it would have been far more effective.

This was such a lovely yet heartbreaking story.

We follow Joseph, a 14 year old foster child who joins the family of our protagonist Jack. Joseph has had a troubled life: getting imprisoned for attacking a teacher and having a child he cannot see being just two of the things he's dealing with at the time.

Cue a heartwarming and heartbreaking story about found families, not judging people for their past actions, and how first impressions are not always correct.

This book felt like a bittersweet hug. I'd definitely recommend it.

Orbiting Jupiter is a very short book. At 183 pages, Schmidt makes every page a rollercoaster and packs as much action and feels into each chapter as he can. It's also probably one of the most moving books that I have ever read, so make sure you've got some tissues next to you when you're reading this.

Twelve-year-old Jack has a family that is caring for fourteen-year-old Joseph. Joseph is misunderstood. He was incarcerated for trying to kill a teacher. Or so the rumours say. But Jack and his family see something others in town don’t want to.

What's more, Joseph has a daughter he’s never seen. The two boys go on a journey through the bitter Maine winter to help Joseph find his baby - no matter the cost.

This is a book that packs a punch is such a short amount of time and I'm actually struggling how to categorise this book... I would say that the writing is aimed at younger audiences because there's a twelve-year-old narrator and the writing style definitely reflects this, but then there are some really dark themes that run through the book such as abuse and death. So I think I would recommend it for middle-grade children upwards.

Throughout the book, I had this idea in my head that Jupiter wasn't actually Joseph's baby and that Maddie had been abused but then Joseph had been told the baby was his - I mean, he was thirteen at the time and Joseph and Maddie's sexual activities aren't made clear at all. So yeah, I thought that the baby wasn't actually Joseph's, and I think that when I found out that it was his, I was a bit disappointed. Apart from the ending, there were no real shocks. I know that this isn't a crime/thriller book and that shocks aren't really necessary, but I think that when you are writing about a fourteen-year-old Dad, then a few shocks along the way is just realistic. I also found the ending to be tear-jerking (I genuinely cried), but then having that certain thing happen also adds emotional manipulation to the book which isn't a good thing... Younger audiences may just be moved by the ending as they may not realise that the manipulation is underlying it, but older audiences may recognise it. I feel like things happening to characters that have had a traumatic past to make the audience sad just sends the wrong message.

For a short novel, I found Schmidt's character to be very three-dimensional. It was easy to feel for them and to live their story through Schmidt's words. I especially loved Jack's parents. I thought they were just amazing; they were so supportive, protective and just always wanted to do the right things for their two sons. It was obvious that they wanted to create a warm and loving household for Joseph and just wanted him to be happy whilst he was living with them.





“You know how teachers are. If they get you to take out a book they love too, they're yours for life.”
― Gary D. Schmidt, Orbiting Jupiter





I would be quite interested to see what happens to Jupiter in the future... Schmidt, I think another 180-word book should be written, please! As aforementioned, there are some very heavy topics in this book and I think that Schmidt handles them perfectly and conveys them in a way that is understandable to the younger audience. He gives just the right amount of detail for a younger audience to know what's going on, but then it isn't too simplistic for the older audience like me.

Overall, I do think that this book is very good. It's a book that will completely move you, but it's also very heart-warming. I'm going to give it 4 stars and not 5 just because of the emotional manipulation at the end of the book - it kind of ruined it for me. However, the rest of the book was very impressive and I know it's going to be a book that I am going to re-read.

Warning: this book contains triggers for abuse and death.

Disclaimer: this book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Joseph comes with baggage. He is not a character who people find likeable...or at least not those who only look on the surface. Jack and his parents are not those people, and as Joseph relaxes around them we learn some of the horror of his life so far.
There's an awful lot packed into these pages. I wanted more, and am secretly pleased I didn't get it as I don't think I was emotionally ready for it. This was a mesmerising read.

This one surprised me a lot. Extremely tough subject matter was dealt with in a sensitive way that seemed to work and the characters deeply affected me. Made me cry buckets.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an unpaid review.

Wow, to be cliche, for such a short book this story really packs a punch. Coming in at just under 200 pages, I sat down and read this book in one sitting expecting a little light relief from my university work. Instead, what I was given was a beautifully sad story of a young boy and the family he finds. This novel not only reaffirms the idea that we have the ability to choose our family, but paints a wonderful portrait of life under unusual standards of what 'family' usually means. Told from the perspective of the young son, we learn the tale of the older boy and his complicated love for a girl.
Heartbreaking and sensitive, set in the deep winter of a small American town, I cannot recommend this book enough for younger and older readers.

I read this book in one sitting and kinda regret it because I wanted it to last for so much longer.

Jack is quiet boy who lives on a farm with his parents. His parents have just taken in a foster child called Joseph, a troublesome teen who has allegedly tried to kill a teacher. Oh yeah, and he has a child.

Orbiting Jupiter is narrated by Jack who tries to help Joseph overcome his nightmares from a children's detention centre. The story follows the boys through all the troubles Joseph gets them in, ultimately making them closer.

A dramatic ending to a short story with stark themes that would only be suitable to older children. Get the tissues ready because you'll need them.

My god, this book was so sad.

I'm not a book crier. Not really. When I say a book made me cry I usually mean that tears filled my eyes, but that's all. This book, though... I got pretty close a few times and then in the penultimate chapter, I just lost it. I actually felt my face crumple and my nose was stinging.

Now I've painted you that beautiful picture of my breakdown, I'm going to try to review this book. It's not easy. I've loved Schmidt's other YA/Middle Grade contemporary novels - Okay for Now and The Wednesday Wars - each had a sadness to it, but not quite like this one.

Orbiting Jupiter is quiet and simple for the most part, which makes it all the more devastating when the blows come. And come they do. Schmidt has a way of effortlessly drawing out emotions in every scene, without ever making you feel like you're being manipulated. This quiet sadness is more effective than any drama I could read.

The story is narrated by Jack, the 12 year old son of foster parents. When 14 year old Joseph joins their family, his life is changed in many ways and not all of them are good. It actually tells two stories - on the one hand, it's about the power of friendship and *sob* "having someone's back", on the other, it's about Joseph's backstory. I'm not sure which one elicited the greatest emotional response from me.

It made me sad and even angry at times. Joseph - we soon learn - is a 14 year old parent to a baby called Jupiter. Both naive and mature, all he wants is to be with his baby and love her. You understand why being with Joseph is not in Jupiter's best interests, whilst also being heartbroken for him. Especially after learning of his abusive, loveless upbringing.

The author's decision to narrate from Jack's POV gives the novel even more strength. We are not clouded by Joseph's blind love for his baby, but we do also see how powerless children are. We feel their frustrations and sadness.

As we reached the novel's climax, I thought I had mixed feelings about the way it was ending, but that last part completely won me over. I recommend this to everyone who enjoys contemporary YA/Middle Grade.

Orbiting Jupiter brought out emotions I didn't even know I had. It made me angry and sad. The book is quite a quick read, but it is a powerful little thing! I would find it impossible not to feel heartbroken for Joseph. The characters are so well written truly feeling like real people and not just caricatures. Love, fatherhood, and brotherhood are all explored in a poignant way. The ending is phenomenal. I wouldn't have done anything differently. I cannot recommend this enough. I dare you to pick this one up and not feel something - in fact tons of somethings. You will be in for a treat!