ORCHARDS By: Holly Thompson, Young Adult Literature

ORCHARDS By: Holly Thompson

After a classmate commits suicide, Kana Goldberg is caught up in a world of trouble. She and her friends had said some, kind of, awful things to the girl and are being blamed for her death. But, whatever, it's not like they knew she was bipolar. It's not like they told her to hang herself. It's not Kana's fault that the girl died, but no one really seems to care. Instead, they send her off to Japan to spend the summer with their strict, orange picking relatives. At first Kana finds it hard to fit in with her grandparents and cousins, bitter over having to spend so much time away from her friends. But as the summer unfolds, Kana gets to know her relatives, travels through Japan, and learns about her village's culture, and she begins to process the pain and guilt she feels about the tragedy back home. Then, just as her life seems to be back to normal, terrible news comes from home, sending her world spinning out of orbit all over again. Ages 12 and up. Delacorte Press $17.99 Reviewed by Maggie age 16