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Orchards by Holly Thompson (Delacorte Books for Young Readers)

After 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 mikan orange groves.

Kana'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.
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Comments

  1. dementedchrisFebruary 25, 2011 at 4:59 PM

    I've always been fascinated with Japanese culture so this one has definitely piqued my interest! Thanks for sharing, Tarie!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tarie SabidoFebruary 25, 2011 at 8:02 PM

    And really, how many Japanese/Jewish American protagonists are out there?! =D

    ReplyDelete
  3. dementedchrisFebruary 28, 2011 at 9:56 PM

    Haha, good point! That certainly introduces a fresh and interesting perspective. XP How is thesis revision going?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Tarie SabidoMarch 1, 2011 at 2:14 AM

    Thesis revision? . . . *runs away screaming*

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousMarch 3, 2011 at 6:14 AM

    Sounds interesting. I'm going to look it up.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Tarie SabidoMarch 3, 2011 at 6:26 AM

    @Medeia: Yay! :o)

    ReplyDelete

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