Planet Jupiter
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
Jupiter is used to being a planet of one, and she likes it that way. But then a cousin, who Jupiter never even knew existed, comes from Ethiopia to stay for the summer, and Jupiter is put in charge of taking care of her. A lyrical and memorable story of family, friendship, and community—perfect for fans of Katherine Hannigan’s Ida B and Holly Goldberg Sloan’s Counting by 7s.
Jupiter and her family have spent their lives on the road, moving from town to town in a trusty old van and earning their living by playing music for tourists. But when their van breaks down, Jupiter’s mother rents an actual house in Portland for the summer so Jupiter’s annoying cousin Edom, recently adopted from Ethiopia, can stay with them. Luckily, Edom doesn’t want to be in Portland any more than Jupiter wants her there, and the two hatch a Grand Plan to send Edom back to her mother. In the process, Jupiter learns that community and family aren’t always what you expect them to be.
A sweet, genuine story with themes of community, immigration, finances, family, and taking care of the environment that will appeal to fans of Cynthia Lord and Lynda Mullaly Hunt.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Fifth-grader Jupiter identifies with her "rolling stone" father, who left three years earlier and sends occasional postcards, and with the planet for which she was named; she longs for a wide orbit in which to travel and have adventures. In a playful yet introspective narrative, Jupiter shares her frustration at being stuck on an Oregon farm when she'd rather be living an itinerant life, busking for tourists with her cellist mother and her older brother, Orion. The unexpected arrival of seven-year-old Edom, the adopted Ethiopian daughter of Jupiter's ailing aunt Amy, spurs Jupiter's mother to move everyone from Rainbow Farm to a vacant house in Portland; there, Jupiter and Edom secretly plot to get Edom back to her mother in California. Through themes of gardening and foraging, Kurtz (Anna Was Here) subtly conveys the girls' underlying fears of abandonment, as well as the idiosyncratic but determined efforts of Jupiter's mother and her friend Topher to provide a "forever family" for the children. A host of quirky and appealing supporting characters rounds out this engaging, empathic story. Ages 8 12.
