by Siena Oliver, ’27

Staff Writer

Orbiting Jupiter, a novel by Gary D. Schmidt, is a heartbreaking story about hard, real life problems, told from the perspective of a 12-year-old boy. This book is labeled as middle grade or young adult, and although it is only around 150 pages long, it could be enjoyed by anyone over the age of 11 or 12. Orbiting Jupiter is a short and impactful story about a teen named Joseph, but is told from the perspective of Jack, the 12 year old in his foster family. Before coming to live with Jack, Joseph had a hard life. He became a father at age 13 and then was  sent away to a correctional facility with harsh living conditions after nearly killing a teacher due to circumstances that were not directly his fault. Joseph is a damaged teenager on a journey to find himself and his daughter, who he was never allowed to meet. A book about love, loss, and a search for family, Orbiting Jupiter is an easy read for anyone who has a few hours to spare and is looking to read something sad. It falls into the rare category of books that could be considered middle grade, but are probably more enjoyable for an older high schooler due to the mature topics it discusses. Adding on to this, the protagonist of this story is not the person whose perspective it is told from, which makes for a very compelling read.