Books like 'Orbiting Jupiter'
Readers who enjoyed Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary mystery realistic family coming-of-age friendship sad grief bullying children
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Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsJuliet Young always writes letters to her mother, a world-traveling photojournalist. Even after her mother's death, she leaves letters at her grave. It's the only way Juliet can cope.Declan Murphy isn't the sort of guy you want to cross. In the midst of his court-ordered community service at the local cemetery, he's trying to escape the demons of his past... -
![Il tuo meraviglioso silenzio by Katja Millay]()
Il tuo meraviglioso silenzio by Katja Millay
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsI live in a world without magic or miracles. A place where there are no clairvoyants or shapeshifters, no angels or superhuman boys to save you. A place where people die and music disintegrates and things suck. I am pressed so hard against the earth by the weight of reality that some days I wonder how I am still able to lift my feet to walk... -
![More Than We Can Tell by Brigid Kemmerer]()
More Than We Can Tell by Brigid Kemmerer
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsRev Fletcher is battling the demons of his past. But with loving adoptive parents by his side, he’s managed to keep them at bay...until he gets a letter from his abusive father and the trauma of his childhood comes hurtling back.Emma Blue spends her time perfecting the computer game she built from scratch, rather than facing her parents’ crumbling marriage... -
![Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling]()
Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratings“High School. Two words that struck fear into the heart of every armless middle schooler I knew. Which was me. And like two people online.” The sequel to the critically acclaimed Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus follows Aven Green as she confronts yet another challenge: high school... -
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![You'd Be Home Now by Kathleen Glasgow]()
You'd Be Home Now by Kathleen Glasgow
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFrom the New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces comes a breathtaking story about a town, its tragedies, and the quiet beauty of everyday life.For all of Emory's life she's been told who she is. In town she's the rich one--the great-great-granddaughter of the mill's founder. At school she's hot Maddie Ward's younger sister... -
![A List of Cages by Robin Roe]()
A List of Cages by Robin Roe
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsWhen Adam Blake lands the best elective ever in his senior year, serving as an aide to the school psychologist, he thinks he’s got it made. Sure, it means a lot of sitting around, which isn’t easy for a guy with ADHD, but he can’t complain, since he gets to spend the period texting all his friends... -
![Restart by Gordon Korman]()
Restart by Gordon Korman
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThe amazing New York Times bestseller about what you can do when life gives you a second chance.Chase's memory just went out the window.Chase doesn't remember falling off the roof. He doesn't remember hitting his head. He doesn't, in fact, remember anything. He wakes up in a hospital room and suddenly has to learn his whole life all over again . . . starting with his own name.He knows he's Chase... -
![All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook by Leslie Connor]()
All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook by Leslie Connor
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsJunior Library Guild Selection * Kids’ Indie Next List PickFrom Leslie Connor, award-winning author of Waiting for Normal and Crunch, comes a soaring and heartfelt story about love, forgiveness, and how innocence makes us all rise up. All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook is a powerful story, perfect for fans of Wonder and When You Reach Me... -
![Heroine by Mindy McGinnis, Brittany Pressley]()
Heroine by Mindy McGinnis, Brittany Pressley
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsA captivating and powerful exploration of the opioid crisis—the deadliest drug epidemic in American history—through the eyes of a college-bound softball star. Edgar Award-winning author Mindy McGinnis delivers a visceral and necessary novel about addiction, family, friendship, and hope... -
![The Ethan I Was Before by Ali Standish]()
The Ethan I Was Before by Ali Standish
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsEthan had been many things. He was always ready for adventure and always willing to accept a dare, especially from his best friend, Kacey. But that was before. Before the accident that took Kacey from him. Before his family moved from Boston to the small town of Palm Knot, Georgia.Palm Knot may be tiny, but it’s the home of possibility and second chances... -
![Unforgivably Broken by Maegan Abel]()
Unforgivably Broken by Maegan Abel
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratings**This is a New Adult Romance with dark themes intended for readers 18 years and up** It took a near-tragedy for Zane and Lili to admit their feelings for one another. If they could survive that explosion, wading through the debris left behind should be a breeze, right? Lili has spent years hiding from her past. Now, she's being forced to admit her mistakes and make a decision... -
![Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult]()
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 43 ratingsIn nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn, color your hair, watch a third of a hockey game. In nineteen minutes, you can bake scones or get a tooth filled by a dentist; you can fold laundry for a family of five....In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world, or you can just jump off it. In nineteen minutes, you can get revenge... -
![Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur]()
Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA beautifully written and deeply moving middle-grade novel with characters to cherish and a story that deals with tragedy and loss in a fresh way. Aubrey has suffered an unbelievable loss, and goes to live with her grandmother in Vermont in order to heal. There she makes new friends, learns to cope with what has happened, and begins to figure out how to move on... -
![Amelia Unabridged by Ashley Schumacher]()
Amelia Unabridged by Ashley Schumacher
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsSparks fly between two teens as they grapple with grief, love, and the future.Eighteen-year-old Amelia Griffin is obsessed with the famous Orman Chronicles, written by the young and reclusive prodigy N. E. Endsley. They’re the books that brought her and her best friend Jenna together after Amelia’s father left and her family imploded... -
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![Moonrise by Sarah Crossan]()
Moonrise by Sarah Crossan
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSeventeen-year-old Joe hasn't seen his brother in ten years. Ed didn't walk out on the family, not exactly. It's something more brutal.Ed's locked up -- on death row.Now his execution date has been set, and the clock is ticking. Joe is determined to spend those last weeks with his brother, no matter what other people think ... and no matter whether Ed committed the crime... -
![Lost and Found by Anne Schraff]()
Lost and Found by Anne Schraff
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWelcome to Bluford High. This widely acclaimed teen series set in an urban high school features engaging, accessible writing and appealing, contemporary storylines.Darcy Wills is in big trouble. And she does not know where to turn for help. First there was the mysterious stranger who started following her. Then there was the threatening note left on her desk at Bluford High School... -
![Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner]()
Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsWhat if you could spend one last day with someone you lost?One day Carver Briggs had it all—three best friends, a supportive family, and a reputation as a talented writer at his high school, Nashville Academy for the Arts.The next day he lost it all when he sent a simple text to his friend Mars, right before Mars, Eli, and Blake were killed in a car crash... -
![The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin]()
The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsThis stunning debut novel about grief and wonder was an instant New York Times bestseller and captured widespread critical acclaim, including selection as a 2015 National Book Award finalist! After her best friend dies in a drowning accident, Suzy is convinced that the true cause of the tragedy must have been a rare jellyfish sting--things don't just happen for no reason... -
![What They Don't Know by Nicole Maggi]()
What They Don't Know by Nicole Maggi
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThree secrets. One decision. A friendship that will change everything.Mellie has always been the reliable friend, the good student, the doting daughter. But when an unspeakable act leads her to withdraw from everyone she loves, she is faced with a life-altering choice―a choice she must face alone.Lise stands up―and speaks out―for what she believes in... -
![Tonight We Rule the World by Zack Smedley]()
Tonight We Rule the World by Zack Smedley
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIncludes an exclusive reader's guide from Zack SmedleyFrom the critically acclaimed author of Deposing Nathan comes an explosive examination of identity, voice, and the indelible ways our stories are rewritten by others.In the beginning, Owen’s story was blank . . . then he was befriended by Lily, the aspiring author who helped him find his voice... -
![Stone Girl by Eleni Hale]()
Stone Girl by Eleni Hale
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsI’m at the police station. There’s blood splattered across my face and clothes. In this tiny room with walls the colour of winter sky I hug a black backpack full of treasures. Only one thing is certain . . . no one can ever forgive me for what I’ve done.An unspeakable event changes everything. No more Mum, school or bed of her own... -
![You Don't Even Know by Sue Lawson]()
You Don't Even Know by Sue Lawson
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAlex Hudson is a good guy. He plays water polo. He has a part-time job. He’s doing okay at school.Then the thing that anchors Alex is ripped away and his life seems pointless... -
![Playing With Fire by Emily Blake]()
Playing With Fire by Emily Blake
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsOne family. Two sides. A whole town caught in between. In this soap-opera series, the twists keep coming--and no secrets are safe.Hidden Pasts. Unexpected Betrayals.Twisted Friendships.Sweet Revenge. Her mother's in jail. Her best friend betrayed her. Who can Alison trust? Backstabber Kelly has the world at her feet... -
![Freeze Frame by Heidi Ayarbe]()
Freeze Frame by Heidi Ayarbe
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsNo matter how many times Kyle rewrites the scene, he can't get it right. He tries it in the style of Hitchcock, Tarantino, Eastwood, all of his favorite directors—but regardless of the style, he can't remember what happened that day in the shed. The day Jason died... -
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![Dime by E.R. Frank]()
Dime by E.R. Frank
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe startling realities of teen prostitution are revealed in this eye-opening, heartbreaking story from the author of "America," which "Booklist "called a piercing, unforgettable novel and "Kirkus Reviews "deemed a work of sublime humanity. As a teen girl in Newark, New Jersey, lost in the foster care system, Dime just wants someone to care about her, to love her. A family... -
![Invisible by Jeff Erno]()
Invisible by Jeff Erno
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsChase Devereaux is a fifteen year old boy under a great deal of stress. He has to give a speech today for his Oral Communications class, and he's terrified of public speaking. Worse yet, he's being bullied by one of the most popular kids at school. He just has to make it through his third-hour gym class and then give his speech, and everything will be all right... -
![Faker by Gordon Korman]()
Faker by Gordon Korman
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe story of a family of liars... and the son who wants to break the family tradition.Trey knows the routine. His dad gets him into a school full of kids with rich parents. Trey makes friends, and his dad makes connections. Soon, there's the con, where Trey's dad suckers the other parents into investing in one of his schemes... -
![Aftermath by Kelley Armstrong]()
Aftermath by Kelley Armstrong
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThree years after losing her brother Luka in a school shooting, Skye Gilchrist is moving home. But there's no sympathy for Skye and her family because Luka wasn't a victim; he was a shooter. Jesse Mandal knows all too well that the scars of the past don't heal easily. The shooting cost Jesse his brother and his best friend--Skye... -
![We Were Here by Matt de la Peña]()
We Were Here by Matt de la Peña
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe story of one boy and his journey to find himself.When it happened, Miguel was sent to Juvi. The judge gave him a year in a group home—said he had to write in a journal so some counselor could try to figure out how he thinks. The judge had no idea that he actually did Miguel a favor. Ever since it happened, his mom can’t even look at him in the face... -
![Skin Deep by Laura Jarratt]()
Skin Deep by Laura Jarratt
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAn against-the-odds love story at the heart of a book for teens about prejudice, courage, and a dark, compelling mystery—shortlisted for a Romantic Novelists Association AwardUgly people don’t have feelings. They’re not like everyone else. They don’t notice if you stare at them and turn away. And if they did notice, it wouldn’t hurt them. They’re not like real people... -
![The Lying Woods by Ashley Elston]()
The Lying Woods by Ashley Elston
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsOwen Foster has never wanted for anything. Then his mother shows up at his elite New Orleans boarding school cradling a bombshell: his privileged life has been funded by stolen money... -
![The Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander]()
The Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe humor of Diary of a Wimpy Kid meets a Godfather-like tale of crime and betrayal in this first book in Chris Rylander's The Fourth Stall Saga.Do you need something? Mac can get it for you. He and his best friend and business manager, Vince... -
![What I Lost by Alexandra Ballard]()
What I Lost by Alexandra Ballard
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsA searing yet ultimately uplifting young adult novel about a teenage girl's recovery from anorexia.Sixteen-year-old Elizabeth has honed a dangerous skill: starving herself. Even when her parents send her to a treatment center, she can't stop. Then she begins receiving packages from someone she doesn't know... -
![Hate List by Jennifer Brown]()
Hate List by Jennifer Brown
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsFive months ago, Valerie Leftman's boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Shot trying to stop him, Valerie inadvertently saved the life of a classmate, but was implicated in the shootings because of the list she helped create. A list of people and things she and Nick hated. The list he used to pick his targets... -
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![Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles]()
Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsNothing has been the same since Caleb Becker left a party drunk, got behind the wheel, and hit Maggie Armstrong. Even after months of painful physical therapy, Maggie walks with a limp. Her social life is nil and a scholarship to study abroad—her chance to escape everyone and their pitying stares—has been canceled.After a year in juvenile jail, Caleb’s free . . -
![Ungifted by Gordon Korman]()
Ungifted by Gordon Korman
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsThe word gifted has never been applied to a kid like Donovan Curtis. It's usually more like Don't try this at home. So when the troublemaker pulls a major prank at his middle school, he thinks he's finally gone too far... -
![What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum]()
What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsTwo struggling teenagers find an unexpected connection just when they need it most.Sometimes a new perspective is all that is needed to make sense of the world.KIT: I don’t know why I decide not to sit with Annie and Violet at lunch. It feels like no one here gets what I’m going through. How could they? I don’t even understand... -
![Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer, Christopher Ragland]()
Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer, Christopher Ragland
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsWhen his dad is caught embezzling funds from half the town, Rob goes from popular lacrosse player to social pariah. Even worse, his father’s failed suicide attempt leaves Rob and his mother responsible for his care.Everyone thinks of Maegan as a typical overachiever, but she has a secret of her own after the pressure got to her last year... -
![Right Behind You by Gail Giles]()
Right Behind You by Gail Giles
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWhen he was nine, Kip set another child on fire. Now, after years in a juvenile ward, he is ready for a fresh start. But the ghosts of his past soon demand justice, and he must reveal his painful secret... -
![The Survival Kit by Donna Freitas]()
The Survival Kit by Donna Freitas
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWhen Rose’s mom dies, she leaves behind a brown paper bag labeled Rose’s Survival Kit. Inside the bag, Rose finds an iPod, with a to-be-determined playlist; a picture of peonies, for growing; a crystal heart, for loving; a paper star, for making a wish; and a paper kite, for letting go... -
![The Night Bus Hero by Onjali Q. Raúf]()
The Night Bus Hero by Onjali Q. Raúf
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFrom Onjali Q. Rauf, the award-winning and best-selling author of The Boy at the Back of the Class , comes another incredible story, told with humour and heart.'The boy's an absolute menace.''He's a bully. A lost cause!''Why can't he be more like his sister?'I've been getting into trouble for as long I can remember... -
![Aftermath by Clara Kensie]()
Aftermath by Clara Kensie
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCharlotte survived four long years as a prisoner in the attic of her kidnapper, sustained only by dreams of her loving family. The chance to escape suddenly arrives, and Charlotte fights her way to freedom. But an answered prayer turns into heartbreak. Losing her has torn her family apart... -
![Rape Girl by Alina Klein]()
Rape Girl by Alina Klein
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsValerie always wanted to be the smart girl. The pretty girl. The popular girl.But not the rape girl.That’s who she is now. Rape Girl. Because everyone seems to think they know the truth about what happened with Adam that day, and they don’t think Valerie’s telling it.Before, she had a best friend, a crush, and a close-knit family... -
![Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson]()
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Rated: 3.99 of 5 stars · 83 ratingsMelinda Sordino busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops. Now her old friends won't talk to her, and people she doesn't even know hate her from a distance. The safest place to be is alone, inside her own head. But even that's not safe... -
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![All This Time by Mikki Daughtry, Rachael Lippincott]()
All This Time by Mikki Daughtry, Rachael Lippincott
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsKyle and Kimberly have been the perfect couple all through high school, but when Kimberly breaks up with him on the night of their graduation party, Kyle’s entire world upends—literally. Their car crashes and when he awakes, he has a brain injury. Kimberly is dead. And no one in his life could possibly understand.Until Marley. Marley is suffering from her own loss, a loss she thinks was her fault... -
![The Orphans of Race Point: A Novel by Patry Francis]()
The Orphans of Race Point: A Novel by Patry Francis
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSet on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, a suspenseful page-turning saga of love, murder, and the true meaning of faith from the author of the acclaimed The Liar’s Diary... -
![How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon]()
How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA 2015 Coretta Scott King Author Honor BookWhen sixteen-year-old Tariq Johnson dies from two gunshot wounds, his community is thrown into an uproar. Tariq was black. The shooter, Jack Franklin, is white.In the aftermath of Tariq's death, everyone has something to say, but no two accounts of the events line up. Day by day, new twists further obscure the truth... -
![A Soft Place to Land by Janae Marks]()
A Soft Place to Land by Janae Marks
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFollow a young girl reshaping her meaning of home.Joy Taylor has always believed home is the house she lived in her entire life. But then her dad lost his job, and suddenly, home becomes a tiny apartment with thin walls, shared bedrooms, and a place for tense arguments between Mom and Dad. Hardest of all, Joy doesn't have her music to escape through anymore... -
![Bang by Barry Lyga]()
Bang by Barry Lyga
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA chunk of old memory, adrift in a pool of blood.Sebastian Cody did something horrible, something no one--not even Sebastian himself--can forgive. At the age of four, he accidentally shot and killed his infant sister with his father's gun.Now, ten years later, Sebastian has lived with the guilt and horror for his entire life... -
![Lasi maitoa, kiitos by Herbjørg Wassmo, Katriina Huttunen]()
Lasi maitoa, kiitos by Herbjørg Wassmo, Katriina Huttunen
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe Finnish version of "Et glass melk takk".Kymmenen yli viisi. Se ei ainakaan ollut oikein. Dorte riisuu isän kellon kädestään. Ehkä Jumala oli päättänyt ettei tätä osaa elämästä mitattaisi? Kohta hän lähtisi kotiin. Syömään äidin tulikuumaa borssikeittoa. Mutta ensin hän tarvitsisi rahat kotimatkaa varten. Ja passinsa.Tätä kirjaa et unohda ikinä...
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