Orbiting Jupiter

My mom recommended Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt, so I got it from the library. The dust jacket reads, "When Jack meets his new foster brother, he already knows three things about him: Joseph almost killed a teacher. He was incarcerated at a place called Stone Mountain. He has a daughter. Her name is Jupiter. And he has never seen her." This book follows 13-year-old Joseph as he tries to find peace in his new foster home.

This was an engaging story that had me rooting for Joseph throughout the story. It was a really sad book all the way through, but it was pretty much unbearably sad at the end. For that reason, I don't know if I'd actually recommend it to others unless you enjoy super sad books. The author did a great job developing the characters, and I loved watching the actions of the amazing foster parents. When I talked to my mom after I finished the book, my mom said she thought this would be a great book for teens to read and then do a writing exercise afterward where they write their own ending. I completely agree because I would have chosen to end the book much differently. (Aka happily.)

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)