What books are similar to Orbiting Jupiter?

The 10 closest matches to Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt on ReadingList include Long Way Down, Stargirl, Scythe, Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie, and Posted. Each is scored on shared themes (fatherhood, loss, and compassion), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 7–10), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Orbiting Jupiter reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 7–10), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.

How does ReadingList choose similar books?

Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Books like Orbiting Jupiter

If you liked Orbiting Jupiter, read Long Way Down, Stargirl, or Scythe — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds — shares loss

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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 titles below are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, shared award lists, 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.

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Why each is a match

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Long Way Down720L: Shares themes of loss, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, and overlapping grades (7–12). Amazon → books like this →
Stargirlgrades 6–9: Both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
Scythegrades 7–12: Both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (7–12), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Drums, Girls & Dangerous Piegrades 6–9: Both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
Postedgrades 6–9: Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
The Hunger Games810L: Both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+3 more shared lists) and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
Okay for Nowgrades 3–10: Is by Gary D. Schmidt, the same author, overlapping grades (3–10), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Refugee800L: Both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (5–9), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
The Book Thief730L: Shares themes of loss and overlapping grades (8–11). Amazon → books like this →
Divergentgrades 8–12: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (8–12), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Orbiting Jupiter for younger readers (K–2)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps K–2— same scoring, different audience.

Can I Be Your Dog? by Troy Cummings · grades K–3 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Cat Secrets by Jef Czekaj · grades K–3 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk · grades K–3 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton · grades K–3 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).

Books like Orbiting Jupiter for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— same scoring, different audience.

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo · 610L — Shares themes of loss and both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+2 more shared lists).
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of loss and both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list).
A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold · grades 3–5 — Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger · grades 4–6 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor · 890L — Both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+3 more shared lists) and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Books like Orbiting Jupiter for middle school (grades 6–8)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of loss and both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list).
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger · grades 4–6 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor · 890L — Both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+3 more shared lists) and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Superfudge by Judy Blume · grades 3–6 — Both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+3 more shared lists) and the same era (2010s).
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein · grades 4–6 — Both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+2 more shared lists) and the same era (2010s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Orbiting Jupiter?: The 10 closest matches to Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt on ReadingList include Long Way Down, Stargirl, Scythe, Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie, and Posted. Each is scored on shared themes (fatherhood, loss, and compassion), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 7–10), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Orbiting Jupiter reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 7–10), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.
How does ReadingList choose similar books?: Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Book data last updated 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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