Reviewed by HootRated editorial · Last updated
Orbiting Jupiter
Gary D. Schmidt
The text is written at a 4th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes. Its HootRating code, ME, means moderate content, mostly emotional.
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About This Book
What would you do if you were only thirteen and already a dad who had never met his own daughter? On a quiet farm in Maine, Joseph struggles with his past and hopes to find little Jupiter. But can trust and friendship really heal old wounds?
Themes
Quick Assessment
Twelve-year-old Jack narrates the story of Joseph, a teenage father placed in his rural Maine foster home after time in a juvenile facility, as Joseph searches for the daughter he has never met. Parents should know the story addresses child abuse, past violence including an attack on a teacher, emotional trauma, and teen pregnancy, with an emphasis on emotional weight rather than graphic detail. It is a tender, heartbreaking story about friendship, family, and the sacrifices that come with both.
Why we rated Orbiting Jupiter ME (Moderate)
Orbiting Jupiter is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 183 pages. Upper Grades (Ages 13+) is the typical interest range for this book — readers in that age band have the maturity and attention span suited to the story, separate from whether they can decode the words.
We rate Orbiting Jupiter as ME (Moderate, mostly emotional) because the content sits in the "Moderate" range — moderate conflict that may involve loss, scary scenes, or interpersonal stakes. The strongest signals come from emotional weight, social complexity — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the moderate intensity score.
Thematically, Orbiting Jupiter explores child abuse, emotional problems, teenage fathers, foster home care, and friendship — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.
Good fit for
- ✓ Children in the Ages 13+ range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about child abuse, emotional problems, teenage fathers.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
For Parents
Content Intensity
ME · Moderate · EmotionalReading the HootRating code: the first letter is the content intensity (C = Gentle · L = Mild · M = Moderate · I = Intense · V = Very Intense); the second, when there is one, is the kind of content that drives it (E = Emotional · P = Physical · S = Social · T = Thematic). Reading level and age range are rated separately. How we rate
Real stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Discussion Potential
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780544462229
- Pages
- 183
- Publisher
- Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- Published
- 2015
- Type
- Fiction