I wasn't sure what to think about the continuation of what I felt like was a perfect story in Gary D. Schmidt's Orbiting Jupiter.

That said, Gary D. Schmidt delivers yet again here with Jupiter Rising: I laughed, I cried a lot, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Jack develop both as a runner and a young adult through all of these difficult circumstances.

It's been six months since I read Jupiter Rising and it's still with me. That's always a good sign in my book, and I imagine I will be recommending orbiting and rising for many more trips around our Sun.

I loved the second book to Orbiting Jupiter. My older kids told me to read this book when they were in middle school/ high school. I cried and laughed and that’s when you know you’re reading a good book. Jupiter Rising was no exception. I was so happy to meet Jupiter and to know more to the story. Thank you for writing the second book and letting me read an advanced copy. Your writing is amazing and I fall in love with your characters.

This is a lovely sequel to "Orbiting Jupiter".. It's the same wonderful characters in the same conversational style but moving forward in time. In this part of the story, Jack is still dealing with the loss of his adopted brother, Joseph, who was killed in a car accident. Joseph had been trying to get custody of his daughter and now Jupiter is living with Jack and his adopted parents. The story opens with the social worker coming to the house to tell the family that Jupiter's grandparents are seeking custody. Jack has also been running cross country and the coach has paired him up with Jay and some of his friends, who attacked Joseph in the locker room before he died. All of the stories are woven together in the most beautiful and painful way. Gary Schmidt is a genius storyteller. If you never read Orbiting Jupiter, start there and then don't miss Jupter Rising.

This was a sequel to behold. At the opening, Jupiter is in the care of the Hurds, Jack's parents, who also foster Joseph in Orbiting Jupiter. When Maddie's parents change their mind and decide they want Jupiter, Jack's whole world is turned upside down. Dealing with this is made no easier by the running partner Coach assigns him, Jay. The same Jay who jumped Joseph and who Jack shoved into a locker. Jack starts to wonder if anything will ever work out the way he wants.

This is a beautiful finish to Orbiting Jupiter. Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy!

* 3.5 stars

This wasn’t a bad book, it just didn’t compare to the first one. I love Orbiting Jupiter so much and while I loved reading about the characters again, the plot just didn’t emotionally hit the same as the first book did. Still very glad I read this one though!

Jupiter Rising is the sequel to Orbiting Jupiter. I recommend you read Orbiting Jupiter first as it follows the same characters, only a few months after the events of Orbiting Jupiter. You will better understand the why and how of Jack and Jupiter.


Joseph became a foster kid at age 13. At this very young age, he already had a daughter, Jupiter, who he wasn’t allowed to see. Jupiter’s mother is deceased and now Joseph has also died. Jack’s parents take Jupiter in as their foster child with the plan to adopt her. Jupiter has no biological living parents.

This adoption plan the family is putting into action is happening as this sequel picks up the story. Jack made a promise to Joseph before he died that he would always know where Jupiter was. This proves to be a cryptic statement.


Adorable Jupiter is a toddler and is the light and joy of this family who cannot wait to complete the adoption process. But there’s a snag and it’s her biological grandparents, who are Maddie parents, the mother of Jupiter. They have decided they want custody of her after all. Seeing as they are her biological relatives, they definitely have a strong case and this granddaughter Is the last remaining link to their dead daughter. They did let her go into foster care at first, but they claim they were too grief stricken back then. Well she’s three now so they grieved a long while before thinking about their granddaughter. The grandparents are The Joyces who aren’t painted as folks we like and Jack doesn’t like them at all. After all they are threatening to take his best friend away. Mr. Joyce seems to be a jerk, and Mrs. Joyce is a snobby rich lady who looks down on Jack’s family’s farm life. The couple have money and are used to getting what they want. But on the other hand one must see the side of a mother and father who lost their only child.

Jack, meanwhile, has been told by his PE coach he has a gift and should take up running. Jack and former enemy. Jay Perkins, start running together and are slowly becoming friends which allows Jay to spend time with Jupiter. He’s also invested in the custody case, for reasons that are revealed as the saga unfolds.

Gary D. Schmidt writes in achingly beautiful text unfolding the hard events in this coming-of-age story. My emotions were on a roller coaster ride but there was always hope and perseverance to keep looking for the positive in hard circumstances.

This is a must read for middle grade readers all the way to those in the senior years. Be sure to have tissue ready!

This may be a tough read for the more tender hearted readers.
It deals respectfully with the subjects of death, grief, death of a child, blood, hospitalization, car accident, hit and run, broken bones, custody battle, and the death of a beloved animal.

Schmidt has written an engrossing follow-up to 2015's Orbiting Jupiter. Taking place a couple of years after the first novel, readers are pulled back into the rural Maine farm life of Jack and his family, who are now fostering, and trying to adopt, three-year-old Jupiter. While this novel can stand on its own, the emotional impact will be greater for those familiar with Schmidt's first novel about Jack and his family. Guided by the coach/P.E. teacher, Jack takes up running and is forced to team up with older students who he knows to be bullies. Jack's journey as a runner unfolds alongside the conflict over whether or not his family will be able to adopt Jupiter. This novel will appeal to all kinds of readers, especially those looking for a moving plot that is not a romance. A strong coming of age tale that with have broad appeal in middle school.

I decided to re-read Orbiting Jupiter before reading this sequel, and it was just as heart-wrenching as I remembered. I recommend any reader do the same for context, but this can technically be read as a standalone since some of the background story of Jupiter’s parents is revealed. However, getting a greater sense of why Jack so desperately wants to keep Jupiter (his foster sister and Joseph’s daughter) close makes this story that much more poignant. Schmidt never shies away from highlighting how poorly children can be treated by parents who should love and protect them and how the government agencies that are supposed to safeguard abused children so often fail in their duty because of unscrupulous lawyers and the misguided idea that all efforts should be expended to keep them with their blood relatives.

In this story, Jack’s adopted parents fostered Jupiter’s father who was just 14 when she was born. Eventually, they began fostering her as well and are in the process of adopting her when her maternal grandparents, who ignored her for the first three years of her life, decide to fight for custody. At the same time Jack has to worry about losing her, he’s also paired by his coach with one of Joseph’s former bullies, Jay Perkins. As they spend every weekday afternoon running the roads of their small Maine town, they start to grudgingly build a friendship and Jack finally learns why Jay was so angry at Joseph. I couldn’t help but hope that Jack wouldn’t suffer the loss of anyone else he loves. Schmidt writes achingly beautiful coming-of-age stories that highlight just how strong young people can be when faced with some of the worst of humanity. Be sure to have tissue ready! Highly recommended!

I loved this book and enjoyed returning to Jack's world from Orbiting Jupiter. It definitely gutted me. Gary D. Schmidt captures teen voices so well. Students will appreciate this book, but it may not have the same emotional impact if they haven't read Orbiting Jupiter first. For the many Orbiting Jupiter fans at my school, they will be thrilled to read this! As always, Schmidt creates such memorable characters. In this one, you get another view of Jack and his tormentor, Jay Perkins. I loved Coach Swietck, and I loved Jupiter. So good!

Everything I have read by Gary D. Schmidt, I have enjoyed. This book was no exception. A sequel to Orbiting Jupiter. I read this book in one evening. I was vested in the story. As a licensed foster parent, currently going through the process of an adoption, I can attest to the accuracy and believability of the story.
So glad that I found this series. Would definitely pass on to a young adult in my life.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to preview this book.

Every author has a very specific voice and way of telling a story. This is hands down one of my favorites this year! This was an incredible, heartwarming, sad, uplifting story and the author told it in the most captivating way. I loved the characters, I loved the story, I loved the author. I was just riveted to this book. My emotions were on a roller coaster ride but there was always hope and perseverance to keep you going.
This is a book you must read! And I will be scouring my library and book stores for other books by this author.
Enjoy!

Synopsis:
Jack and his parents are fostering a young girl, Jupiter, and her biological grandparents come out of the woodwork and want custody of her.

My thoughts:
🤔 I totally missed that this was a sequel. I definitely would recommend reading Orbiting Jupiter first. I was pretty confused and had to piece things together.
🤔 I found this to be a very powerful story, and I very much enjoyed how everything ended up.
🤔 I think Gary D. Schmidt did a very nice job in navigating the emotional journey of the main character, Jack, in a very relatable way for middle schoolers and young adults.

Who is going to love it? Those who love….
❤ YA Realistic Fiction
❤️ Rural Settings
❤️ Cross-Country Runners

📢This one releases August 27, 2024! You can preorder now!

🥰Thank you to @HarperCollins, @clarionbooks, and @NetGalley for this gifted eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the advance Kindle copy of this 8.27.24 release. All opinions are my own.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. I have been so excited for this sequel. As usual, GDS delivered. It picks up after the events in Orbiting Jupiter. Jack and his parents are fostering Jupiter, and she is the center of their world. But then they receive the news that Madeleine’s parents, Jupiter’s parents, want custody. Throw in a former nemesis as Jack’s running partner, unexpected support on the community, and moments that brought tears, and it’s another home run. I know my students are excited about this, and I can’t wait to share it with them next month. Recommended for grades 7+.

I read Orbiting Jupiter about 7 years ago, and I fell in love with the characters. To see some of them return in Jupiter Rising is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. Jupiter is now 3, and Jack's family is raising her and in the process of adopting her as they know her father, Joseph, would have wanted. However, Jupiter's maternal grandparents now suddenly want her...even as they've not had anything to do with her over the past few years. Gary Schmidt does an excellent job at getting to the emotional meat of a story in a very middle grades friendly way. The ups and downs Jack experiences both at home and school feel very realistically portrayed. The growing friendship between Jack and Jay Perkins, who was an enemy of Jack's in Orbiting Jupiter, helps move the story along because it gives readers a chance to see Jack as a kid and how kids solve problems. Loved this book, and I anticipate purchasing a few copies for the school library.

Gary D. Schmidt is one of my favorite authors and every time I read something he has written I remember why. He has a way of telling a story that makes you fall in love with his characters and the story. I love how he plants characters from one story into the next story.

In this companion novel to" Orbiting jupiter", the reader gets to catch up with 8th grade Jack ,his parents and the effervescent Jupiter, after the death of Joseph.
The family that fostered Joseph is now fostering his daughter, Jupiter, and has taken steps to legally adopt the toddler. Their life on the family farm is tranquil and safe until the biological grandparents decide to file for full custody.
Friendships are fostered and resolve is solidified as the trusty narrator, Jack, describes the struggles his family has endured and how losing Jupiter ,and her bubbly spirit, will likely take the fresh spark and joy from the life of his family.
Through the plight Jack, matures, with help from close friends, and realizes that the biological grandparents are living with pain,too. Both parties learn to respect the other and Jupiter"s future looks to be set on firm foundation, which is truly what they all want.
A beautifully written novel on loss, pain, kindness, love and forgiveness.
If you loved Orbiting jupiter you will adore Jupiter rising!

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins for the ARC.

Get your tissues. This one tears at your heart over and over. This sequel to Orbiting Jupiter (five ⭐️, reread in preparation for this one and so glad I did) follows Jack and his family about two years after Joseph’s death. Just as the family thinks they will be able to finalize Jupiter’s adoption, her maternal grandparents step in. Jack’s school community proves a powerful support as he struggles to come to terms with the possible loss of Jupiter. Once I started this book, I couldn’t stop. Bonus: This is a great book for cross country runners. This is definitely going in my middle school and high school libraries.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Jupiter Rising is an incredible sequel, but could also easily be read as a stand alone novel. You are with Jack as he navigates the uncertainty surrounding Jupiter's adoption and the feelings that surface regarding his promise to Joseph. The relationship with Jay Perkins is authentic and the reader can see the hesitation and distrust between the two boys that, through the shared experience of running and a shared loved of Jupiter, develops into a solid friendship.

I'm not sure I'd have believed this was a YA book had I not been told up front. A poignant read which gave me lots of feels. I very much enjoyed "seeing" life from Jack's POV. His budding friendship with Jay was sweet, especially once it clicked with me that they were legitimately related. A beautiful read overall.

Schmidt has created another beautifully written book like those we have come to expect from him. This title, a companion to the masterful Orbiting Jupiter, can be read as a standalone, but when coupled with the first, is especially meaningful. No character is quite what they seem on the surface, except maybe the delightful titular Jupiter. Peeling back poignant layer after layer makes this, like it’s companion book, not easily or soon forgotten.