Orbiting Jupiter

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt, 183 pages

Jack’s new foster brother, Joseph, is a little scary.  They say he tried to kill a teacher and that he has a three month old daughter, even though he’s only thirteen.  But Jack isn’t scared of him.  When Joseph helps to milk the cows, they trust him and besides that, Jack can see something in Joseph.  He isn’t sure what, but he knows that Joseph needs a safe place.   Little by little Joseph starts to trust his new family and starts to share some of his story with them.  As Joseph’s story unfolds, Jack and his family become more determined to help him.  This is an excellent story about a pair of boys who are just trying to make their way in the world.  Teens who like realistic fiction will really like this book.