Review of Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt

Schmidt, Gary D.  Orbiting Jupiter.  Clarion, 2015.

Life has not been easy for fourteen-year-old Joseph Brook.  He has endured abuse by his alcoholic father, a placing in a group home setting, life at a juvenile detention center, and worse of all, incarceration in a high-security prison, where other inmates abused him.  As a last resort, a social worker places him with the Hurd family, who lives on a farm in Maine.  Joseph joins twelve-year-old Jack, who had been adopted by the Hurds some years previously. 

Because of what Joseph has been through, he some strange idiosyncrasies.  He won’t wear anything orange, let anyone stand behind him, let anyone touch him, go into rooms that are too small, or eat canned peaches.  And one more thing--he’s a father to a baby girl who is named Jupiter, and more than anything else in the world, he wants to find her.

Joseph has to keep overcoming obstacles and fighting back but has finally reached a point where two loving adults and a boy who “has his back” believe in him and provide a nurturing environment.  Just when things start to turn the corner, Joseph has to face his past and figure out how to protect his future.

I love male protagonists, and this novel has two outstanding ones in Jack and Joseph.  Our narrator, Jack, tells the story as only a young boy could.   He and the rest of his family are accepting, loving, down-to-earth people who truly care for Joseph.  They welcome Joseph into their family with open arms and provide the kind of family life that he has always needed.  Even when situations become rough, the family continues to lift him up.

Although Joseph has had a hard life, he has a huge heart and is unusually forgiving.  He is intelligent, has a natural ability for mathematics, and is athletically inclined.  It is through Jack’s eyes that readers learn about Joseph’s past and realize that he is wise far beyond his fourteen years.

Orbiting Jupiter is not all serious. From day one, Joseph is expected to do chores around the farm just like Jack and his dad.  Joseph learns you can tell a lot about a person the way cows acts around him.  The Hurd family cows, especially Rosie, take a shine to Joseph, but he learns that milking a cow is not as easy as it looks!

Gary Schmidt has written an endearing novel about acceptance, healing, and the ability to overcome life’s obstacles.  Make sure you have a box of tissues when you read it!  Although I highly recommend it for middle school and public libraries, older readers will also enjoy it.  I give it five out of five fleur de lis!

 

Review of Find Me by Romily Bernard

Bernard, Romily.  Find Me.  HarperTeen, 2013.

Wicket Tate and her younger sister, Lily, are living with their newest set of foster parents in an affluent neighborhood.  Lily loves her new life, but Wick is only cautiously comfortable.  She is a hacker extraordinaire, but she only hacks to keep she and Lily safe.  Besides, Wick is only helping women who have domestic problems.  If she and Lily have to leave because their dad shows up, the money will come in handy.

One morning, Wick finds her former best friend’s diary on her foster parents’ doorstep with a note that says, “Find me” attached.  Tessa committed suicide, so why would anyone need to find her?  Did the detective who keeps stalking Wick put it there?  The answer comes in the form of Tessa’s sister, Tally, who tells Wick that Tessa was raped, and Lily is the next target.  Tally wants Wick to use her hacker skills to discover who raped Tessa and to save Lily.

To complicate matters, Wick’s dad and partner are planning a con scheme and are dragging Wick into it.  Wick hoped her dad was out of her life, but he may never be.  She can’t tell her foster parents because what would they think?

Wick and her computer lab partner, Griff, work through clues to find the rapist and bring him to justice.  Will they be able to locate him in time to save Lily?

What a thrilling mystery this is!  Romily Bernard’s debut novel is filled with twists and turns to keep the pages quickly turning.  This is one of those books readers will not be able to put down. 

The two main characters, Wick and Griff, are strong and dependable.  Wick has been through so much in her life—her mom’s suicide, her dad’s brutal abuse, several foster homes—but she has not broken.  Grief and guilt over her mother can be felt pouring from her.  Griff has his own problems, but he is a stabilizing influence in Wick’s life when she finally allows him to be.  He is a loving, reassuring, and an all-around good guy.  Wick and Lily’s father and his partner are pure evil.  Wick’s dad manages to control the girls’ lives through his contacts even when he is not around.

Find Me is not for immature readers.  It is the first volume in a new series of the same name.  Remember Me, the second installment, is scheduled to debut on Sept. 24, 2014.  I highly recommend Find Me for high school and public libraries and give it five out of five fleur de lis!