characters
This quiet, troubled boy moves in with the Hurd family at the beginning of the novel.
Who is Joseph Brook?
In the beginning of the story, why is Joseph not allowed to ride the school bus?
Because the principal thinks it isn’t safe/doesn’t want him to ride with the other kids
The main part of the story takes place in this U.S. state, where the Hurd farm is.
What is Maine?
This theme is shown when the Hurd family chooses to take Joseph in despite the rumors about him.
What is second chances?
Joseph refuses to smile in his school photo. What does this detail show about how he feels?
What is that he’s guarded, unhappy, or doesn’t trust anyone yet?
This character is the narrator and Joseph's foster brother.
Who is Jack Hurd?
Joseph first meets Jack when Jack and his father do this farm chore together.
What is milking the cows (or feeding the cows / working in the barn)?
This setting, where Joseph lives with Jack’s family, represents warmth, safety, and second chances.
What is the Hurd family farm?
This theme is shown in Jack and Joseph’s growing friendship and brotherhood.
What is the importance of friendship/family/love?
Jack says that Joseph “wasn’t dangerous, not the way they thought.” What does this reveal about Jack?
What is that Jack understands Joseph and sees the real him / he doesn’t believe the rumors?
These are the names of Jack's parents, who decide to take Joseph in.
Who are Mr. and Mrs. Hurd
Joseph was sent to this place after his time in juvenile detention because of his violent outburst.
What is Stone Mountain (the juvenile facility)?
The freezing temperatures, snow, and icy river in the story symbolize this feeling in Joseph’s life.
What are danger, loneliness, or emotional coldness?
Joseph’s determination to see his daughter again supports this theme about parents.
What is the power of a parent’s love / a father’s love?
Joseph always asks about Jupiter and counts how many days old she is. What does this show about him?
What is that he loves her deeply, thinks about her constantly, and is determined to be her father?
This girl is Joseph's daughter, the baby he desperately wants to find.
Who is Jupiter?
Joseph got in trouble at his old school for doing this to a teacher.
What is trying to strangle/choke his teacher?
Joseph says he feels like he is “orbiting Jupiter.” What is Jupiter actually, in his life?
What is his daughter / the baby he loves but cannot reach?
Adults in Joseph’s life often fail to protect him. This highlights what theme about the world?
What is that the world can be unfair/cruel to kids, or that adults don’t always do the right thing?
Joseph has nightmares and wakes up screaming “Jupiter.” What two things does this detail show (name at least one)?
What are: he is traumatized by his past, he is terrified of losing his daughter, or he feels guilty and afraid?
This adult figure fails Joseph and is connected to his painful past at home.
2. Who is Mr. Canton?
(both work)
Joseph runs away from the Hurds’ farm to try to do this important task.
What is find his daughter, Jupiter?
Orbiting is moving around something without reaching it. What does Joseph “orbiting” Jupiter symbolize in the story?
What is how he loves his daughter but is kept away from her / he can’t be with her?
Even though the ending is tragic, Joseph leaves a strong impact on Jack. What theme do we see in how Jack remembers him?
What is that love and memory can outlast loss / people live on in our memories?
At the end, Jack looks at Jupiter and remembers Joseph. What is one important meaning of this final image?
What is that Joseph’s love lives on through Jupiter and Jack / Jack will carry Joseph’s story forward?