Book review - Orbiting Jupiter

Title: Orbiting Jupiter
Author: Gary D. Schmidt
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Kinda Like Brothers by Coe Booth
                     Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
Rating:

Summary: 14 year old Joseph is not easy to live with. He comes to Jack's family as a foster child, having spent time in a juvenile facility for attempting to kill a teacher while high. He doesn't like physical contact and panics when approached from behind. All of his focus is on reuniting with his baby daughter, Jupiter. As Joseph begins to adjust to his new life on a Maine farm, his father reappears and makes his life difficult.

My opinion: Gary D. Schmidt remains one of my all-time favorite authors. He's yet to write a book that I did not enjoy. He has this amazing ability to draw the reader emotionally into a story. Orbiting Jupiter is only 180 pages long and in that brief length we come to care very deeply for Jack and Joseph. It is clear from his books that Schmidt cares about kids who haven't experienced much in the way of love. Whether their parents are emotionally distant or downright abusive, these characters learn to form relationships and attachments and live full lives. A brief warning: your best bet is to budget time to read this book all in one go. Once I got started, i didn't want to put this one down.

More information: Orbiting Jupiter releases October 6.
Advance Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.