Holly Thompson

Orchards
Delacorte/Random House, February 2011

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.

This novel in verse gives voice to the complex emotions of a girl whose anger, confusion, and regret transform into newfound compassion and a sense of purpose.

Published by Delacorte/Random House February 2011

2012 APALA Asian/Pacific Award for Literature

A YALSA 2012 Best Fiction for Young Adults title

Shortlisted for a Red Dot Book Award 2011-2012

Shortlisted for a Sakura Medal Award 2012

*STARRED REVIEW* "The narrative is rich in authentic cultural detail and is complemented by attractive woodcut illustrations of Japanese imagery to evoke the story’s setting. Thompson has crafted an exquisite, thought-provoking story of grief and healing that will resonate with teen readers and give them much to discuss." --School Library Journal

“A fast-paced page-turner that explores the rippling effects of suicide.” --Kirkus Reviews

“Eloquently captures a teenager's anger, guilt, and sorrow after a classmate takes her own life. . . . Understated yet potent verse.” --Publishers Weekly

“Readers will want to talk about the big issues, especially the guilt of doing nothing.” --Booklist

"Thompson expertly depicts the dualism in Kana.... Teens who enjoy learning about other cultures will relish Thompson's ability to evoke the sights, smells, an tastes of Japan, while poetry fans will enjoy the novel's unique format." --VOYA

"A true achievement. Stunning storytelling wrapped in remarkable poetry. Beautiful." --Ellen Hopkins, author of Crank and Fallout

*****

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Tomo: Friendship Through Fiction--An Anthology of Japan Teen Stories
Tomo (meaning “friend” in Japanese) is an anthology of young adult short fiction in prose,
verse and graphic art set in or related to Japan. This collection for readers age 12 and up
features thirty-six stories—including ten in translation and two graphic narratives—
contributed by authors and artists from around the world, all of whom share a connection
to Japan. English-language readers will be able to connect with Japan through a wide
variety of unique stories, including tales of friendship, mystery, fantasy, science fiction and
history.

By sharing “friendship through fiction,” Tomo aims to bring Japan stories to readers
worldwide, and in doing so, to help support young people affected or displaced by the
March 11, 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami disasters. Proceeds from the sales of this book will go directly toward long-term relief efforts for teens in Tohoku, the area most affected by the disasters, in the northeast region of Japan’s main island, Honshu. To begin with, Tomo fund donations will go to the Japan-based NPO Hope for Tomorrow (hopetomorrow.jp), which in addition to providing educational expenses (including university entrance exam fees, travel costs to exam centers, etc.) also provides mentoring, tutoring, and foreign language support to high school
students in hard-hit areas of Tohoku.

Edited and with a Foreword by Holly Thompson, Tomo contributing authors and artists include Andrew Fukuda (Crossing), Liza Dalby (The Tale of Murasaki), Tak Toyoshima (Secret Asian Man syndicated comic), Alan Gratz (The Brooklyn Nine), Wendy Nelson Tokunaga (Love in Translation), Deni Y. Béchard (Vandal Love), Debbie Ridpath Ohi (illustrator of I’m Bored), Graham Salisbury (Under the Blood-Red Sun), Naoko Awa (The Fox’s Window and Other Stories), Suzanne Kamata (The Beautiful One Has Come) and Shogo Oketani (J-Boys), among others. Visit the Tomo Blog Tomo to stay updated on book events, read interviews with the contributors, learn how proceeds from the sales of the book will be used to help teens in Japan and more.

The Wakame Gatherers
Shen's Books, October 2007.

Bicultural Nanami goes wakame seaweed gathering with her Japanese and American grandmothers. Nanami must serve as translator for the two women, whom she comes to understand were at war when they were her age. Included after the story are an author’s note about wakame, a glossary of Japanese words used, and recipes for wakame by Nanami and each of her grandmothers.

"A Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People 2009" selected by the National Council for the Social Studies in cooperation with the Children's Book Council

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Ash - A Novel
Stonebridge Press, 2001

Caitlin Ober is back in Japan teaching English in remote Kagoshima, opposite the increasingly active volcano Sakurajima. Beneath ominous clouds of ash, Caitlin travels her school rounds with waning enthusiasm. After hours she swims intently, hangs with a group of windsurfers, and attempts to keep her boyfriend, Hiroshi, at bay. She concocts lies and self-deceptions to prevent a tragic childhood incident in Kyoto from intruding on her present. But, like the ash that veils the city, guilt obscures her path. Then, in an ash-coated garden, Caitlin encounters a half-Japanese teenager, Naomi, wrangling with her double identity. Naomi seems to require Caitlin’s rescue, and by degrees the two swap morsels of self-truths. Ultimately they travel to Kyoto during the summer festival of O-Bon, when the spirits of the dead revisit the living. There, amid bonfires, temple rites, and ghostly memories, Caitlin bravely begins to embrace her future.

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Short Stories, Poems, Articles, Essays
Short fiction, poems, essays and articles by Holly Thompson