Written by Robin Stevenson
Kids Can Press
978-1525313028
220 pp.
Ages 10–14
June 2026
Thirteen-year-old Ara lives with Father Jupiter, Mothers Io, Amalthea, Callisto, Elara, and Dia, and more than half a dozen Star Children at Jupiter Station. When three auspicious things happen, Father Jupiter takes it as a sign. First, it is Ara's birthday. Secondly, Mother Io becomes stardust, the first of their "family" to Ascend to Jupiter. Third, baby Nova is born to new member Dia, whom Father Jupiter had brought from the city. To honour this trifecta, Father Jupiter gives Ara baby Nova to care for. Ara takes this honour very seriously, believing that Father Jupiter is wise and wants to ensure they all Ascend.
But then Ara's brother Leo expresses Doubts—capitalized because of their significance—to her, remembering things before they came to Jupiter Station. And then Ara, who often skirts the outside of their rural property, meets a girl, Hazel, who is visiting her grandfather across the river. She knows she shouldn't engage with Hazel but, with Leo questioning their lives at Jupiter Station, Ara is ready to divulge all to Father Jupiter. But then they are told that Leo has Ascended. Leo was only 16. This raises more Questions for Ara, and Questions are verboten.
When Ara finds a letter from Leo, she learns some uncomfortable truths. Now she must decide whether she should question Father Jupiter about his decisions and teachings from the Book of Jupiter, or whether she will continue to accept his words as truth and authority and remain within a community that may not be what it purports to be.
A story based in a cult has the potential to be disquieting at best or frightening at worst. But Robin Stevenson, who can tell any story with nuance—from YA stories of mental health (e.g., The World Without Us, 2015), to middle-grade stories of grief (e.g., Record Breaker, 2013), and even non-fiction about LGBTQ+ activism (e.g., Queer History A to Z: 100 Years of LGBTQ+ Activism, 2024)—tells the story of Jupiter Station with sensitivity. From Ara's perspective, Jupiter Station is home. It is where she lives with her brother, their father (and other fathers), mothers, and children, and she receives food and shelter. For many children, this would be more than enough. But perception is everything, and when Leo tells her stuff that they'd been cautioned to never speak of, and Ara has her own Questions and Doubts, her perspective is affected. For Ara, the story becomes a coming-of-age story, as she transitions from blind obedience to attentiveness and finally enlightenment. She begins to truly see. And Ara sees with a good heart, ensuring that she will protect others as she challenges what she is living.
The Book of Jupiter, currently a nominee for the Forest of Reading's Red Maple readers' choice book award, is a story about a girl who happily lives within a familial construct until she sees something different there. Her loyalty to her brother and her consideration of what she feels and see and hears give her the courage to face what was always there. Ara can't deal with the megalomaniac himself—nor should she—but she can step outside the familiar to do what is right for herself and others. As such, Robin Stevenson gives us a happy-enough ending, showing that Ara ascended in her own maturity and personal growth, far better than becoming stardust.
