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.

When he was thirteen, Joseph fell in love in Madeleine Joyce, the young daughter of wealthy lawyers, whom he met when his plumber father had a job at their house.

Months later, Madeleine died from complications giving birth to their daughter Jupiter (named after their favorite planet) and Joseph was forced to sign away his parental rights under threat of prosecution from the Joyces.

Mrs. Stroud says that since Joseph is a minor, his father claims he actually has the parental rights to Jupiter and now is refusing to give them up unless he receives money from the Joyces.

After weeks of waiting, Joseph is still unable to see Jupiter in spite of support from the Hurds and his teachers, only learning that she is staying with a foster family in Brunswick.

Jack and the librarian drive back to her house where she gives Joseph a new picture of Jupiter, promising to remain in contact with him.

True to her word, Jupiter's foster mother sends weekly letters to Joseph updating him on his daughter's growth and he finally begins to settle in to his new home and school.

One day in February his father, having finally been paid by Joyces and given up his rights to Jupiter, shows up at the farm and takes Joseph away at gunpoint.

On what would have been Joseph's sixteenth birthday, Mrs. Stroud returns to the Hurd farm and drops off a now toddler-age Jupiter, who is now their adopted daughter.