Orbiting Jupiter and Jupiter Rising: The Unparalleled Work of Gary D. Schmidt The Importance of Book Dealing

Without question Susan Densmore-James is one of the most enthusiastic supports of Young Adult Literature. As a teacher and now as a teacher educator she has "pushed" books into the hands of her students that one of them named her the bookdealer. Well, for my money there are worse things you can be called in the world of education. 

Susan remains and important advocate for students and for authors. Many authors who she reads and supports feel like they have found a personal champion in Susan. I have personally started to read the work of several authors  on Susan robust recommendation. Take a few minutes to read Susan's comments on two books by Gary Schmidt.

Orbiting Jupiter and Jupiter Rising: The Unparalleled Work of Gary D. Schmidt
The Importance of Book Dealing by Susan Densmore-James The Book Dealer

If I were in charge of the world (nod to author and poet Judith Viorst), I would have every human read the body of work created by Gary Schmidt. Coming from a woman who has read thousands and thousands of books and reserves the honor of “Author Study Worthy” for a tiny population of authors, I hope this bold statement about Gary’s books will entice others to explore his stunning work.
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The story of how I came upon Gary’s work was a time in my 35-year career when I had the most profound paradigm shift related to the teaching of literature after reading just one of his books. This shift (which involved the simple formula of 1. reading aloud to start and end each class period, 2. allowing choice in what students read, and 3. talking books with students daily) is what led me to be named “The Book Dealer” by one of my students and eventually led to my second career in academia working with children’s and YA authors.

The truth is this:  I should not be the educator who is named “The Book Dealer,” as that title should be bestowed upon a retired middle school science teacher. Moosa Shah, 7th grade teacher in Fairfax County, Virginia, is the greatest example of a “Book Dealer” I have ever witnessed working book magic.  And I have been in hundreds of classrooms.  It was Moosa who first texted me the title of Gary’s award-winning book The Wednesday Wars and emphatically told me it was a must-read.
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My Book Dealer was 100% correct; after reading The Wednesday Wars, I feverishly read several of Gary’s other titles, starting with the companion book Okay for Now then immediately reading the truly life-changing book Orbiting Jupiter. There are only a handful of books I have read that garnered the same reaction as I had while reading Orbiting Jupiter.  I can still remember where I was seated, what I was wearing, what year I read it, what day it was, and my emotional reaction. I liken this to days I experienced meeting an impactful person or witnessing a historical event that forever changed my life.  I had never read a book quite like this one.  Schmidt has a keen ability to create characters who stay with the reader for a lifetime.  Although I have fallen in love with characters in each of Schmidt’s books, Jack and Joseph, the two main characters in Orbiting Jupiter, will forever have a place in my heart and soul.  Luckily for any reader of this book, there are two novels that contain Jack and Joseph.

​The first book, Orbiting Jupiter, deals with heavy but realistic topics of teenage pregnancy and foster care, and it does so in a way that teaches these realities with sensitivity and depth. The story follows Jack, who gains a new foster brother; this new addition to the family has an extremely troubling past. He has been through more than most adults in his short lifetime, and Jack eventually comes to understand his new brother and the life he left behind.  This life includes his daughter, a newborn named Jupiter. Schmidt’s portrayal of Joseph’s struggles and Jack’s empathy creates a powerful narrative about finding family, loving family unconditionally, and the importance of feeling a sense of belonging. The ending leaves the reader breathless (no exaggeration here). 

​In the follow-up book entitled Jupiter Rising, Jack's P.E. coach pairs him with Jay Perkins for the cross-country team, much to Jack’s chagrin. Jack is dealing with the adjustment of Jupiter being added to his family’s life, so having to deal with the bully in the form of Jay Perkins is more than overwhelming. This is the same guy who once jumped Joseph in the locker room, so both Jack and Jay have a bad taste in their mouths for one another. Slowly, Jack comes to realize that Jay is not what he seems.  He finds Jay to be amazingly gentle with Jupiter and a big inspiration to his running routine. His life is seemingly falling back into place (no spoilers here from Orbiting Jupiter), until the unthinkable happens. A traumatic event impedes Jack’s life in many ways, and Jay is also a victim of this hurt. This touching and powerful companion to Orbiting Jupiter is Schmidt at his best (yes, I find myself saying this with each book of Gary’s that I read).

Recently, my undergraduate English and history methods course engaged in a study of the work of Schmidt, and it ignited an interest and a passion in my students for the power of his books and the connection they have with middle (and even high school) students. The comments I received acknowledged Schmidt writes books that are both equally funny and heartbreaking. What impressed my future history teachers was the content Gary adds that is historically grounded while still being engaging. Studying Schmidt’s work helped my students see how connecting (dealing books) to their students can create what I call a “book pipeline” for our youth, which often, in turn, creates a lifelong love for reading. This is the best endorsement a class of college twenty-somethings has ever given regarding the authors I have introduced during class. This speaks volumes, as many of them admitted they stopped reading after elementary school.

As for Moosa Shah, the true Book Dealer? He is happily retired in Virginia, still reading the work of middle-grade authors. As a thanks to Moosa for the thousands of books he has shared with kids, I asked Gary Schmidt to email him the weekend of his retirement.  As I fully predicted, the humble and gracious Schmidt thanked Moosa for a “faithful career” of teaching. He went on to share his gladness to hear that “a teacher in the sciences has shown such a commitment to reading and to literature,” and commented that this was truly one of Shah’s “lasting achievements.” No truer words have ever been spoken.  A teacher who leads youth to the fountain of reading has given one of life’s greatest gifts.
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As a final reminder, it does not matter what discipline you teach: sharing books with our youth can have a lifetime impact. Moosa Shah has proven that, and Gary Schmidt has written an entire shelf of those “just-right” books to entice all readers.