"Orchards" by Holly Thompson

This isn't so much an old story re-told as a contemporary story re-envisioned.  Cyber-bullying resulting in suicide has been all over the media of late.  What is different here is that this tale is told from the point of view of one of the perpetrators, and it is told in verse.  This has several advantages.  First, we see the many complexities of this current trend -- noting that perhaps the biggest problem is our inability to see the point of view of others.  Second, the choice to make this a verse novel fits well with the emotional tone of the book -- with the lead character struggling, often, to form sentences as she works through the events that took place at the end of her 8th grade year.  Kana Goldberg is an Asian/Jewish girl sent off to relatives in Japan for the summer to escape the swirling allegations in her suburban town of "who did what to who."  While the book is called "Orchards", it could easily have been called "Because of You" -- the title of the first chapter.  As Kana makes her internal and external journey forward, she is perpetually haunted by the ghost of "Ruth" -- the victim.  Much of the story is told in second person, with Kana framing her comments directly towards Ruth.  Every action, every thought -- anger, empathy, sadness, is grounded in her constant sense of loss surrounding Ruth's death.  Arranged in short chapters, the book is beautifully illustrated and very "Japanese" in its simplicity.  In many ways, Kana's journey is a spiritual one as she works to make sense of it all.  Like most verse novels, it could be a fast read, but the weight of what you are reading requires you to pause and reflect.  Lovely and to-the-point without hitting you over the head, it is a worthwhile selection.