Books like Orbiting Jupiter

Looking for books like Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt (Realistic Fiction · grades 7–10)? It’s most often read for its themes of fatherhood, loss, and compassion. The 10 titlesbelow are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, genre, and reading level, and each linked to the curricula, states, and grades where it’s assigned, with primary sources.

These are reading-level matches, not just topical ones — so the picks stay grade-appropriate for a grades 7–10 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Orbiting Jupiter

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Why each is a match

Amal Unboundgrades 5–8
Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s).
Drums, Girls & Dangerous Piegrades 6–9
Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2010s).
Front Desk640L
Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (2010s).
Ghost730L
Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s).
Ghost Boys360L
Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s).
Long Way Down720L
Shares themes of loss and overlapping grades (7–12).
Look Both Waysgrades 5–8
Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s).
Mick Harte Was Heregrades 5–8
Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s).
Pax760L
Shares themes of loss and overlapping grades (4–7).
Postedgrades 6–9
Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2010s).

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