Orbiting Jupiter - wikipedia Orbiting Jupiter Orbiting Jupiter Author Gary D. Schmidt Cover artist Carmen Spitznagel / Trevillion Images ( photographer ) ; Sharismar Rodriguez ( design ) Language English Genre Children 's Literature Publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publication date October 6, 2015 Media type Print ( Hardback & Paperback ) ISBN 978 - 0 - 544 - 46222 - 9 OCLC 948287511 LC Class PZ7. S3527 Or 2015 Orbiting Jupiter is a 2015 young adult fiction novel written by Gary D. Schmidt, the author of Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy and Okay for Now. The novel is set in rural Eastham, Maine during the fall and winter of an unnamed modern - day school year. Contents 1 Synopsis 2 Development 2.1 Publication history 3 Characters 4 Reception 4.1 Awards 5 See also 6 References 7 External links 7.1 Reviews Synopsis Jackson ( Jack ) Hurd narrates his experience while his family is fostering Joseph Brook, a fourteen - year - old boy who served a month 's sentence in the fictional Stone Mountain juvenile detention center. Joseph is a teenage father who signed his parental rights away to allow his daughter Jupiter to be placed for adoption. Shortly after signing away his rights, he took unmarked yellow pills and assaulted a teacher, for which he was sent to Stone Mountain. The novel begins with Mrs. Stroud, the social worker assigned to Joseph 's case, telling the Hurd family specific rules for dealing with Joseph. Development The farm owned by the Hurds is based on a real organic farm in East Sumner, Maine that welcomes foster children and encourages them to develop self - responsible habits. Schmidt based the character of Joseph on a boy he met while visiting a juvenile detention facility. He described the writing process as starting by listening for a narrator, which he found in Jack : `` Sometimes it takes longest of all, but it 's everything. So I found this naïve 12 - year - old who would grow throughout the book and has questions he 's beginning to ask for the first time. That voice, once it was there... then the book was n't too hard to write. '' Publication history -- ( 6 October 2015 ). Orbiting Jupiter ( 1st, hc ed. ). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978 - 0 - 544 - 46222 - 9. Retrieved 14 May 2018. -- ( 2015 ). Orbiting Jupiter ( eBook ed. ). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978 - 0 - 544 - 46264 - 9. access - date = requires url = ( help ) -- ( December 2015 ). Orbiting Jupiter ( 1st UK ed. ). Andersen Press. ISBN 978 - 1783443949. access - date = requires url = ( help ) Characters Key children Joseph Brook -- 14 - year - old father, served time in Stone Mountain after his conviction for assaulting a teacher, and child fostered by the Hurd family Jackson ( Jack ) Hurd -- 12 - year - old child, narrator Madeline Joyce -- 13 - year - old ( when she met Joseph ) mother of Jupiter, attends school in Andover Jupiter Joyce -- daughter of Joseph and Madeline Adults Mr. Brook -- Joseph 's father Mr. and Mrs. Hurd -- Jackson 's parents and foster parents to other children Mrs. Stroud -- social worker Hurd farm animals Dahlia -- cow Quintus Sertorius -- horse Rosie -- Joseph 's favorite cow Eastham Middle School adults Mr. Canton -- Vice-principal Mr. Collum -- 8th Grade Science Mr. D'Ulney -- 6th / 7th / 8th Grade Mathematics ( pre-Algebra ) Mrs. Halloway -- 6th Grade Language Arts Mr. Haskell -- bus driver Mr. Oates -- 6th Grade Social Studies teacher Coach Swieteck -- Physical Education. `` Coach had lost both his legs to a land mine in Vietnam a long time ago '', matching the description of Doug Swieteck 's oldest brother Lucas in Schmidt 's previous novel Okay for Now. Eastham Middle School students Brian Boss -- 8th Grade bully Ernie Hupfer -- 6th grade rider of Haskell 's bus Danny Nations -- 6th grade rider of Haskell 's bus Jay Perkins -- 8th Grade bully Nick Porter -- 8th Grade bully John Wall -- 6th grade rider of Haskell 's bus Reception Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews both gave the novel starred reviews. Jeff Giles, reviewing for The New York Times, called the novel warm and reassuring `` though it has its share of tragedy ''. Awards Orbiting Jupiter was placed on the longlist for the Carnegie Medal in 2017. See also The Great Gilly Hopkins ( by Katherine Paterson, 1978 ) Jacob Have I Loved ( by Katherine Paterson, 1980 ) Flour Babies ( by Anne Fine, 1992 ) The Tent ( by Gary Paulsen, 1995 ) References Jump up ^ Gary D. Schmidt ( 13 July 2017 ). `` Tales Q&A with Gary D. Schmidt ''. Tales of Yesterday ( Interview ). Interview with Michelle Toy. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Jump up ^ Gary D. Schmidt ( 9 October 2015 ). `` Gary D. Schmidt, author of Orbiting Jupiter '' ( Interview ). Interview with Lora Shinn. Kirkus. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Jump up ^ Schmidt, Gary D. ( 6 October 2015 ). Orbiting Jupiter ( 1st, hc ed. ). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978 - 0 - 544 - 46222 - 9. Retrieved 4 May 2018. ^ Jump up to : `` Orbiting Jupiter ''. Kirkus. 23 June 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2018. Jump up ^ `` Orbiting Jupiter ''. Publishers Weekly. 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2018. Jump up ^ Giles, Jeff ( 6 November 2015 ). `` ' The Trouble in Me ' and ' Orbiting Jupiter ' ''. The New York Times. Retrieved 14 May 2018. Jump up ^ `` 2017 Longlists for prestigious CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway medals announced '' ( Press release ). The CILIP Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Children 's Book Awards. 16 February 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2018. External links Children 's literature portal Orbiting Jupiter : A Conversation with Author Gary Schmidt on YouTube Reviews MacGregor, Amanda ( 13 October 2015 ). `` Book Review : Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt ''. Teen Librarian Toolbox. School Library Journal. Retrieved 14 May 2018. Hunt, Jonathan ( 23 November 2015 ). `` Orbiting Jupiter ''. Heavy Medal : A Mock Newbery Blog. School Library Journal. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Leach, Stephen ( December 2015 ). `` Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D Schmidt ''. The Bookbag. Retrieved 14 May 2018. Bloom, Sam ( 15 December 2015 ). `` Review of Orbiting Jupiter ''. The Horn Book. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Works by Gary D. Schmidt The Sin Eater ( 1996 ) William Bradford : Plymouth 's Faithful Pilgrim ( 1999 ) Anson 's Way ( 1999 ) Ciaran : The Tale of a Saint of Ireland ( 2000 ) Mara 's Stories ( 2001 ) Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy ( 2004 ) In God 's Hands ( 2005 ) First Boy ( 2005 ) The Wednesday Wars ( 2007 ) Trouble ( 2008 ) Okay for Now ( 2011 ) What Came from the Stars ( 2012 ) Orbiting Jupiter ( 2015 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Orbiting_Jupiter&oldid=841900936 '' Categories : 2015 American novels 2015 children 's books American young adult novels Maine in fiction Novels set in schools Hidden categories : Pages to import images to Wikidata Pages using citations with accessdate and no URL Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 18 May 2018, at 20 : 23. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who is the main character in orbiting jupiter
Answer: Jackson (Jack) Hurd