Orchards

Orchards by Holly Thompson (2011) is a heart-wrenching story about a young girl’s struggle to make sense of the world after her classmate Ruth commits suicide. Kana and the other eighth grade girls are sent across the country—and the world—to think about what happened, heal, and get ready to face another school year. Kana is sent to her mother’s ancestral home in Japan, where she not only has to deal with Ruth’s death (and her own guilt), but also cultural differences and finding a place to belong in her extended family.