After a classmate commits suicide, Kana Goldberg—a half-Japanese, half-Jewish American—wonders who is responsible. She and her cliquey ...
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Jun 20, 2011
Marriah
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Kana is sent to live in Japan for the summer with her family there after one of her classmates, Ruth, commits suicide. During the school year, her and her "cliquey friends" had said some careless things about Ruth. Her parents hope this trip will force Kana to reflect on her behavior as she labors for hours in the hot, Japanese sun, tending to her family's mikan orange groves. With her half-Japanese, half-Jewish American heritage , Kana learns how hard it is to fit in as she is crit
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Feb 01, 2012
Jules
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Hmm. I should start by saying that I'm not generally a big fan of verse novels, so this was never going to be a huge hit with me. I felt like it was pretty solid, and there was some absolutely beautiful imagery. Plot-wise, I felt like everything wrapped up REALLY quickly; the last few developments were crammed into twenty or thirty pages, which threw me off after the more careful, slow-burning pace the rest of the book maintained. Most books dealing with the topic of suicide and mental illness t
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Aug 11, 2011
Barbara
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When Ruth, a troubled eighth grade classmate, kills herself in part because of her treatment at the hands of some of her classmates, Kana Goldberg--half-Japanese and half-Jewish--is sent to her mother's family where she spends the summer working in an orchard and trying to come to terms with her own actions or lack of actions regarding Ruth. Some of her other classmates have been sent to summer school or to family or friends as well as the school community tries to come to terms with this suicid
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Apr 26, 2011
the golden witch.
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When I saw this book at the library, I knew I just had to read it. I love fiction that’s written in free verse (“Sharp Teeth” would be the best example of this that I’ve encountered so far) – it’s rare to find, but even rarer to find within the confines of YA fiction alone. “Sharp Teeth”, meet your new rival, “Orchards”.
This book deals with several issues all at once – being bicultural, bullying, suicide, and death. And I usually try to avoid books like these because there is rarely More...
This book deals with several issues all at once – being bicultural, bullying, suicide, and death. And I usually try to avoid books like these because there is rarely More...
Apr 04, 2011
Kristin
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Orchards is a book about a group of middle school girls who contribute to a classmate's decision to commit suicide. The girls bully and ostracize her, and the ring leader, Lisa, gives Ruth a note stating, "I hope you die." Ruth then walks to her friend's family's orchard, where she hangs herself from an apple tree. None of this is a surprise - the reader goes into this novel-in-poems knowing that Ruth has killed herself. The story is told from Kana's point of view. Kana was part of th
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Feb 19, 2011
Ken
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Mar 30, 2011
Melody
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I remember seeing Orchards by Holly Thompson on a few blogs I followed. Attracted by the lovely cover but more so intrigued by the plot, I decided to get a copy. When my copy arrived, I was a little surprised to find that it was written in free verse instead of a novel format. Since I have never read a book written in free verse (well they remind me of poetry, kind of) and given that the book I was reading then didn't intrigue me much, I decided to jump into it.
Half-Japanese and hal More...
Half-Japanese and hal More...
Nov 10, 2011
Rachel
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One of the reasons I like free-verse is that it gives the opportunity for the reader/writer to discuss topics that would otherwise be difficult to put across in a normal fiction novel, like the Holocaust and teenage suicide. Orchards is about an eighth grade girl named Kana (half Jewish/half Japanese)and her friends who unwittingly caused the suicide of a classmate by being mean. Kana is sent away to Japan, to her mother's family to work in their orchard for the summer. Kana learns that working
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Oct 23, 2011
Lessa
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A book about difficult topics -- bullying, suicide, mental illness, being biracial -- and it tackled them all in a very well thought out, particular, sympathetic manner. The biracialness, I feel, was an add-on and due to the weight of the other topics didn't receive that much attention, but it was good to note its presence, and that, in the midst of all that is going on, a fat ass from the non-asian side can still be a hinderance.
Written in verse, I was a little cautious at first, and More...
Written in verse, I was a little cautious at first, and More...
Feb 21, 2011
Laura
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I haven't heard very much about this novel, until I won it off Random Buzzers. I was excited to see that it was written in verse and that the book was filled with beautiful illustrations. It was a very quick read, and it was different from anything else i've ever read.
This Story was about a girl named Kana Goldberg, who after the suicide of a schoolmate is sent to her relatives in Japan. Kana feels guilty about Ruth's suicide due too some things that were said by her friends to Ruth, More...
This Story was about a girl named Kana Goldberg, who after the suicide of a schoolmate is sent to her relatives in Japan. Kana feels guilty about Ruth's suicide due too some things that were said by her friends to Ruth, More...
May 30, 2011
Book Twirps
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After a bi-polar classmate’s suicide caused by bullying, Kana is sent to live in Japan for the summer with her mother’s relatives. It was Kana’s friend Lisa that did a majority of the bullying, but Kana never did anything to stop is and it is weighing on her. While in Japan, she is to attend summer school, read a stack of books her mother sent with her, and help her mother’s family tend to their mikan orange groves. Kana is half Jewish and half Japanese and quickly finds herself an outsider in h
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Feb 22, 2011
Jenny
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Orchards is an amazing little book about guilt, healing, family, and life, among other things. It is written entirely in free verse, so it reads quickly and easily even though it touches on some heavy subjects such as suicide and body image.
Kana is an easily likable and sympathetic character. In the aftermath of a classmate's suicide, she feels guilt for things that she didn't do, things she didn't know, things that in hindsight she feels that she should have done or known. But at t More...
Kana is an easily likable and sympathetic character. In the aftermath of a classmate's suicide, she feels guilt for things that she didn't do, things she didn't know, things that in hindsight she feels that she should have done or known. But at t More...
Feb 07, 2012
Christiane
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I admit sometimes I feel novels in verse are overdone in teen literature. And so are books about teen suicide. What set this book apart for me was the unfamiliar setting. Kana is a half-Japanese, half-Jewish American eighth grader who, after a classmate’s suicide, is sent to stay with her mother's traditional family in Japan. The family grows orange trees and Kana has to help out. I really loved this peek into Japanese culture. The book is also filled with beautiful black and white line dra
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Jun 29, 2011
Jill
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Published- New York : Delacorte Press, c2011.
ISBN- 978-0-385-73977-1
Genre: Fable
Reading Level: 8th-12th grade
This was an amazing book about a young Japenese American girl who experiences how bullying affects the lives of others. Her eight grade year her and her friends torment a girl into commiting suicide. This book, written in prose, is her reflective thoughts on this as well as the culture of her extended Japanese family she is sent to live with to "get away" More...
ISBN- 978-0-385-73977-1
Genre: Fable
Reading Level: 8th-12th grade
This was an amazing book about a young Japenese American girl who experiences how bullying affects the lives of others. Her eight grade year her and her friends torment a girl into commiting suicide. This book, written in prose, is her reflective thoughts on this as well as the culture of her extended Japanese family she is sent to live with to "get away" More...
Mar 17, 2011
Kat
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This is one of the best poetic verse novels I have read in a very long time. I love the way the book is written and the message that it sends out I think is a great one. It talks about suicide and how it affects everyone that was connected to the person committing suicide. I really liked the characters as well.
Kana has just experienced a traumatic event and blames herself and her friends for that experience. There are many things that happen. Her parents send her to Japan to live with her g More...
Kana has just experienced a traumatic event and blames herself and her friends for that experience. There are many things that happen. Her parents send her to Japan to live with her g More...
Apr 18, 2011
Bethany
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After Kana’s classmate Ruth kills herself, Kana’s parents decide to send her to Japan to spend the summer with her mother’s family. Kana –who is half Russian Jew and half Japanese – resents being sent away. She does not feel that she is to blame for Ruth’s death. Ruth had gotten on the wrong side of Lisa – the most popular girl in the eighth grade – and soon the rumors and hateful remarks began to fly amongst the rest of the eighth grade girls. While in Japan, Kana must figure out how she fi
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Apr 17, 2011
Cathy
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There is much to love in this novel in verse: Kana's journey through grief and guilt to understanding and acceptance; the secondary characters painted deftly in the sparse, poetic language; the value of hard, physical labor in aiding with emotional healing. Over all of this, though, is the setting, so beautifully and lovingly drawn. It is difficult not to think of this a novel of "before" - before earthquakes and tsunamis and nuclear crisis. The hope Thompson leaves the reader with is
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Nov 13, 2011
Kate
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Orchards
Characters: Kana, her friends her family Kana is an 8th grade girl who is sent away because of the suicide of a classmate that one of her friends supposedly caused she is punished and sent to japan. All the characters are flat at times it was hard to remember who her friends were when one of there names would pop up or even what her name was. Random characters would be named out of no where random crushes and friends which really did nothing for the story. What pulled the More...
Characters: Kana, her friends her family Kana is an 8th grade girl who is sent away because of the suicide of a classmate that one of her friends supposedly caused she is punished and sent to japan. All the characters are flat at times it was hard to remember who her friends were when one of there names would pop up or even what her name was. Random characters would be named out of no where random crushes and friends which really did nothing for the story. What pulled the More...
Aug 11, 2011
Jeanna
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Kana goes through a hard time after a student at her school commits suicide. When she is sent to Japan to live with her relatives, she realizes a few things about herself and others along the way.
I enjoyed Orchards. It was a fast read, mostly because it was a verse novel. I was surprised that a verse novel was able to hold such emotion and feeling into so few words. It was remarkable how the book talked about bullying and suicide and didn't make it seem like too much More...
I enjoyed Orchards. It was a fast read, mostly because it was a verse novel. I was surprised that a verse novel was able to hold such emotion and feeling into so few words. It was remarkable how the book talked about bullying and suicide and didn't make it seem like too much More...
Mar 07, 2011
Stories & Sweeties {Becky}
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This is my first foray into the world of books written in verse. I admit, I was a little hesitant at first. But as far as Orchards is concerned, it was amazing. The rhythm of the words fit the subject and tone this story was trying to get across just perfectly. This book is described as being written in spare yet evocative verse, and they weren't kidding. There was, on average, about twenty lines of verse on each page. With this writing method, you seem to get more of a "feel" for what
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Aug 22, 2011
Ari
rated it:
3.5/5
I think the free verse format of the book kept me from better visualizing the countryside of Japan. I've got the travel bug so I wanted way more details than were provided. Kana does spend a lot of time describing food which was yummy to read about (this coming from someone whose never had Japanese food) but I wanted her to describe the differences in schooling, what do the teenagers in Japan do for fun, etc. Instead Kana is a loner in Japan except for cousins a few years older More...
I think the free verse format of the book kept me from better visualizing the countryside of Japan. I've got the travel bug so I wanted way more details than were provided. Kana does spend a lot of time describing food which was yummy to read about (this coming from someone whose never had Japanese food) but I wanted her to describe the differences in schooling, what do the teenagers in Japan do for fun, etc. Instead Kana is a loner in Japan except for cousins a few years older More...
Jun 02, 2011
Bria
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I'm usually a fan of novels in verse but I really don't think that it worked for this book. I was drawn to the book because the main character is biracial and goes to Japan for the summer to stay with relatives. I guess I just wanted that to be the main theme of the book and explored in more depth. The reason she was sent to Japan got in the way of the part of the story that I was more interested in and the sparse writing meant that I didn't get the detail that I would have preferred.
Apr 17, 2011
Alicia
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This whole book is written in the form of poems. It was quite different to get used to it, but once I did it was quite enjoyable. It also makes for a very quick read because there was very little on each page. And amazingly enough there was plenty of story to it. I assumed that you could loose a lot that way, but the author did an amazing job of bringing emotions and content across in a few short words.
I enjoyed the story even though the whole book was based on very sad circumstances.
I enjoyed the story even though the whole book was based on very sad circumstances.
Aug 12, 2011
Laura
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Kana Goldberg is sent to spend the summer with her Japanese relatives after a friend's suicide. Thompson's verse captures Kana's confusion, hope for recovery, and love for her friends and family. I really enjoyed this quick read and think that it will appeal to a wide YA audience.
Thompson is also the author of The Wakame Gatherers, a picture book that I read a few weeks ago. Both books touch on the themes of acceptance and family support.
Thompson is also the author of The Wakame Gatherers, a picture book that I read a few weeks ago. Both books touch on the themes of acceptance and family support.
Apr 26, 2011
Danie
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High book discussion potential with the serious topic of suicide as the main topic. Kana is sent to Japan to spend the summer with her Grandmother after an 8th grade girl in her class commits suicide after being bullied.
Kana didn't have anything to do with the suicide but she feels she did nothing to prevent it either.
The story is told from Kana's first person dialogue written in prose.
Kana didn't have anything to do with the suicide but she feels she did nothing to prevent it either.
The story is told from Kana's first person dialogue written in prose.
Jun 05, 2011
Jennifer
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After a classmate commits suicide, Kana's family sends her to stay with her relatives in Japan. There she tends the satsuma orchards, attends summer school, and learns to deal with her part in the tragedy.
Beautiful, haunting, and full of imagery, Kana's story is one of unexpected grief and quiet discovery. I learned a lot from this book. And all of it is told in lyrical verse, descriptive snapshots of a quiet and proud family and the girl who must come to understand them, and herself
Beautiful, haunting, and full of imagery, Kana's story is one of unexpected grief and quiet discovery. I learned a lot from this book. And all of it is told in lyrical verse, descriptive snapshots of a quiet and proud family and the girl who must come to understand them, and herself
May 24, 2011
Karen
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Timely tale of bullying told from a bully's point of view. Kana - half-Japanese, half-Jewish, is sent to Japan to live with family for the summer after the suicide of a classmate who she had a hand in ostracizing. I felt like the sparse prose was a great way to handle Kana's fluctuating feelings after her classmate's death and the subsequent repercussions. I thought the story had a slow start - if it had not, I probably would have given it 4 stars.
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Jul 07, 2011
Ginny
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I really enjoyed this book. Not only was the subject matter dealt with in a good way, but it was well written. I also found it fascinating to read about the Japanese culture in which Kana, a half Jewish, half Japanese girl, is sent to live in for the summer. She spends the summer with her relatives to help her process and heal after her part in the tragedy at home.
Jan 02, 2012
Hailey
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Although it wasn't the best book that I have read, it still was very good. It's written in poetry and tells the story of an 8th grade girl who is going through many tough situations, so her mother sends the girl to Japan, to live with extended family for the summer. She has a bad attitude at first, but she grows to love japan.
Apr 04, 2011
Christie
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This is a beautiful story of healing and working through the grief, confusion, and guilt of a classmate's suicide. Kana's mother sends her to stay with her maternal relatives in Japan over the summer after the tragedy. The extended family and work in the orchard provide her the sustenance she needs to learn how to go forward. I think the story was better suited to prose, or the poetry format just didn't completely work.
