{"product_id":"orchards-isbn-9780385739788","title":"Orchards","description":"\u003cb\u003eWinner of the APALA Asian\/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature\u003cbr\u003eAn ALA-YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Book\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter a classmate commits suicide, Kana Goldberg—a half-Japanese, half-Jewish American—wonders who is responsible. She and her cliquey friends said some thoughtless things to the girl. Hoping that Kana will reflect on her behavior, her parents pack her off to her mother's ancestral home in Japan for the summer. There Kana spends hours under the hot sun tending to her family's \u003ci\u003emikan\u003c\/i\u003e orange groves.\u003cbr\u003eKana's mixed heritage makes it hard to fit in at first, especially under the critical eye of her traditional grandmother, who has never accepted Kana's father. But as the summer unfolds, Kana gets to know her relatives, Japan, and village culture, and she begins to process the pain and guilt she feels about the tragedy back home. Then news about a friend sends her world spinning out of orbit all over again.\u003cb\u003eStarred Review, \u003cu\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/u\u003e, March 2011:\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"Thompson has crafted an exquisite, thought-provoking story of grief and healing that will resonate with teen readers and give them much to discuss.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview, \u003cu\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/u\u003e, January 3, 2011:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Eloquently captures a teenager’s anger, guilt, and sorrow after a classmate takes her own life. . . . Understated yet potent verse.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview, \u003cu\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/u\u003e, January 1, 2011:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A fast-paced page-turner that explores the rippling effects of suicide.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview, \u003cu\u003eBooklist\u003c\/u\u003e, January 1, 2011:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Readers will want to talk about the big issues, especially the guilt of doing nothing.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview, \u003cu\u003eVOYA\u003c\/u\u003e, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Compelling. . . . Teens who enjoy learning about other cultures will relish Thompson’s ability to evoke the sights, smells, and tastes of Japan, while poetry fans will enjoy the novel’s unique format.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview, \u003cu\u003eThe Winston-Salem Journal\u003c\/u\u003e, March 20, 2011:\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"This lyrical look at bullying and the afterschocks of suicide may be gut-wrenching, but \u003ci\u003eOrchards \u003c\/i\u003eis crafted with a sensitive beauty.\"HOLLY THOMPSON was raised in New England, earned her B.A. in biology from Mount Holyoke College and her M.A. in English from New York University. A long-time resident of Japan, she teaches creative writing at Yokohama City University.Chapter One\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBecause of You\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOne week after\u003cbr\u003eyou stuffed a coil of rope\u003cbr\u003einto your backpack\u003cbr\u003eand walked uphill into\u003cbr\u003eOsgoods' orchard \u003cbr\u003ewhere blooms were still closed fists\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003emy father looked up\u003cbr\u003esummer airfares\u003cbr\u003eto Tokyo\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ewhy?\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eI protested\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eit wasn't my fault\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eI didn't do anything!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eexactly!\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003emy mother hissed\u003cbr\u003eand made the call\u003cbr\u003eto her older sister\u003cbr\u003emy aunt\u003cbr\u003ein Shizuoka\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003enothing would change\u003cbr\u003etheir minds\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eall my mother\u003cbr\u003ewould say\u003cbr\u003eas I followed her\u003cbr\u003ethrough garden beds\u003cbr\u003etransplanting cubes of seedlings \u003cbr\u003eshe'd grown under lights \u003cbr\u003ein hothouses\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eall she'd say \u003cbr\u003erow after row \u003cbr\u003ein tight-lipped \u003cbr\u003etalk-down \u003cbr\u003edo-as-I-say \u003cbr\u003eJapanese \u003cbr\u003ewas \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eyou can reflect \u003cbr\u003ein the presence of your ancestors\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003enot that I'm alone \u003cbr\u003ein being sent away-- \u003cbr\u003eLisa's off to summer school \u003cbr\u003eBecca to Bible camp \u003cbr\u003eMona to cousins in Quebec \u003cbr\u003eEmily to help in her uncle's store \u003cbr\u003eErin to math camp \u003cbr\u003eAbby to some adventure program \u003cbr\u003eNoelle to her father's \u003cbr\u003eGina to her mother's \u003cbr\u003eNamita to New Jersey . . . \u003cbr\u003eall twenty-nine \u003cbr\u003eeighth-grade girls \u003cbr\u003escattered, as Gina said, \u003cbr\u003elike beads \u003cbr\u003efrom a necklace \u003cbr\u003esnapped\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ebut we weren't a necklace \u003cbr\u003estrung in a circle \u003cbr\u003ewe were more \u003cbr\u003ean atom: \u003cbr\u003eelectrons \u003cbr\u003earranged in shells \u003cbr\u003earound Lisa, \u003cbr\u003eBecca and Mona\u003cbr\u003e first shell solid, \u003cbr\u003ethe rest of us \u003cbr\u003ein orbitals farther out \u003cbr\u003eless bound \u003cbr\u003eless stable \u003cbr\u003eand you-- \u003cbr\u003ein the least stable \u003cbr\u003emost vulnerable \u003cbr\u003eoutermost shell\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eyou sometimes \u003cbr\u003ehovered near \u003cbr\u003esometimes drifted off \u003cbr\u003esome days were hurled far \u003cbr\u003efrom Lisa \u003cbr\u003eour nucleus \u003cbr\u003ewhose biting wit made us \u003cbr\u003elaugh \u003cbr\u003e           spin \u003cbr\u003e                     revolve \u003cbr\u003earound her \u003cbr\u003ealways close to her \u003cbr\u003eindifferent to orbits \u003cbr\u003elike yours \u003cbr\u003efarther out than \u003cbr\u003eours\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eafter you were \u003cbr\u003efound in the grove \u003cbr\u003eof Macs and Cortlands \u003cbr\u003ethat were still tight fists \u003cbr\u003eof not-yet-bloom \u003cbr\u003eand the note was found \u003cbr\u003eon your dresser \u003cbr\u003eby your mother \u003cbr\u003ewho brought it to the principal \u003cbr\u003ewho shared it with police \u003cbr\u003ewho called for an investigation \u003cbr\u003eand pulled in counselors \u003cbr\u003efrom all over the district\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eword got around\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eand people in town \u003cbr\u003ebegan to stare \u003cbr\u003eand talk \u003cbr\u003eand text \u003cbr\u003eabout our uncaring \u003cbr\u003egeneration\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003estill \u003cbr\u003eI don't think I \u003cbr\u003epersonally \u003cbr\u003edid anything to drive you \u003cbr\u003eto perfect slipknots \u003cbr\u003eor learn to tie a noose . . . \u003cbr\u003ewith what? \u003cbr\u003eI wonder \u003cbr\u003eshoelaces? \u003cbr\u003ebackpack cords? \u003cbr\u003edrawstrings in your gym shorts \u003cbr\u003eas you waited for your turn \u003cbr\u003eat the softball bat?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ebecause of you, Ruth, \u003cbr\u003eI'm exiled \u003cbr\u003eto my maternal grandmother, Baachan, \u003cbr\u003eto the ancestors at the altar \u003cbr\u003eand to Uncle, Aunt and cousins \u003cbr\u003eI haven't seen in three years-- \u003cbr\u003enot since our last trip back \u003cbr\u003efor Jiichan's funeral \u003cbr\u003ewhen Baachan \u003cbr\u003etold my sister Emi \u003cbr\u003eshe was just right \u003cbr\u003ebut told me \u003cbr\u003eI was fat \u003cbr\u003eshould eat \u003cbr\u003eless \u003cbr\u003efill myself eighty percent \u003cbr\u003eno more \u003cbr\u003eeach meal\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ebut then I was small \u003cbr\u003ethen I didn't have hips \u003cbr\u003ethen was before this bottom \u003cbr\u003einherited from my father's \u003cbr\u003eRussian Jewish mother\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003emy mother was \u003cbr\u003eyoungest \u003cbr\u003eof four children born \u003cbr\u003eto my grandparents \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003emikan\u003c\/i\u003e orange farmers \u003cbr\u003ein a Shizuoka village of sixty households \u003cbr\u003ewhere eldest son \u003cbr\u003einherits all\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ebut there were \u003cbr\u003eno sons \u003cbr\u003ein her generation \u003cbr\u003eso my aunt \u003cbr\u003eeldest daughter \u003cbr\u003etook in a husband who \u003cbr\u003etook on the Mano name \u003cbr\u003etook over the Mano holdings \u003cbr\u003ebecame sole heir \u003cbr\u003ehead of household \u003cbr\u003emy uncle\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003einto my suitcase \u003cbr\u003emy mother has stuffed \u003cbr\u003egifts-- \u003cbr\u003esocks \u003cbr\u003edish towels \u003cbr\u003eframed photos of Emi and me \u003cbr\u003elast year's raspberry jam \u003cbr\u003epancake mix \u003cbr\u003emaple syrup-- \u003cbr\u003eand ten books for me to finish \u003cbr\u003eby September\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ebooks she didn't pick \u003cbr\u003eI know \u003cbr\u003ebecause she only reads novels \u003cbr\u003ein Japanese \u003cbr\u003eand these ten are \u003cbr\u003ein English-- \u003cbr\u003ebooks chosen by a librarian \u003cbr\u003eor teacher \u003cbr\u003eor other mother \u003cbr\u003ewith themes of \u003cbr\u003e         responsibility \u003cbr\u003e         self-discovery \u003cbr\u003e         coming-of-age \u003cbr\u003e         reaching out \u003cbr\u003eI GET IT \u003cbr\u003eI want to shout \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eshe also changed dollars \u003cbr\u003einto yen \u003cbr\u003eand divided bills \u003cbr\u003einto three envelopes \u003cbr\u003elabeled in Japanese-- \u003cbr\u003eone for spending \u003cbr\u003eone for transportation and school fees \u003cbr\u003eone with gift money for Buddhist ceremonies \u003cbr\u003eto honor her father--my Jiichan, \u003cbr\u003ethis third summer \u003cbr\u003esince the year \u003cbr\u003eof his passing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ethe nonstop flight to Narita \u003cbr\u003eis thirteen hours \u003cbr\u003ebut \u003cbr\u003edoor to door \u003cbr\u003emy home in New York \u003cbr\u003eto theirs in Shizuoka \u003cbr\u003eis a full twenty-four\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eon the plane there is \u003cbr\u003etime . . . \u003cbr\u003efor movies \u003cbr\u003ebooks \u003cbr\u003ejournal entries \u003cbr\u003emeals \u003cbr\u003emagazines \u003cbr\u003emovies \u003cbr\u003esleep \u003cbr\u003emeals \u003cbr\u003emagazines \u003cbr\u003esleep \u003cbr\u003eboredom \u003cbr\u003eapprehension\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI have never been to \u003cbr\u003eJapan alone \u003cbr\u003enever traveled anywhere alone \u003cbr\u003eexcept sleepovers \u003cbr\u003eand overnight camp \u003cbr\u003efor a week in Vermont\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eon the plane \u003cbr\u003eflight attendants chat with me \u003cbr\u003eunaccompanied minor \u003cbr\u003epraise my language abilities \u003cbr\u003eassume it's a \u003cbr\u003ehappy occasion \u003cbr\u003emy returning \u003cbr\u003eto the village of my mother's childhood \u003cbr\u003efor the summer\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ebut they don't know \u003cbr\u003ewhat I know, Ruth-- \u003cbr\u003ethat it's all \u003cbr\u003ebecause of you","brand":"Ember","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302032101605,"sku":"NP9780385739788","price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780385739788.jpg?v=1767734253","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/orchards-isbn-9780385739788","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}