Cascadia book 1

Grieving the recent loss of her father and home in New England, fourteen-year-old, Ari, struggles to fit in with her invasive and unfamiliar

extended Indian family, with its own strong culture, community, and religion that she only half relates to. Angry and rebellious, Ari steals her

mother’s necklace and escapes to the nearby Forest Park, where she accidently plunges into a terrifying world of bird warfare in Cascadia, a hidden

world rooted in the underbelly of Portland’s trails.

Ari finds herself in the midst of a murder mystery as the Chickadees blame their recent mass deaths on a rival Junco city. Only the Chickadee

leader ignores the gossip: he has seen in a vision Ari and her special necklace will bring truth and justice to the grieving flock and prevent a bloody

war of the birds. Ari grapples with this call for her help as she attempts to engage with bird communities warped by rumor and gossip—causing

confusion and misinformation to all of Cascadia.

Despite the risks—at any moment, a Hawk could eat her or she could be enslaved by the Queen of the Flickers—Ari realizes that she must

undertake the adventure. While navigating the cruel and ruthless forest, with the help of her new friend, Sky, a budding journalist bird outcast by

her Stellar Jay family, Ari realizes there is even more at stake in this world Small humanoids living in the forest have a second class of citizens,

called Das, who are on the brink of rebellion. She wonders if she is strong enough to break free from her black cloud of doubts that hold her back

and find her own voice within the wild birds of Cascadia. Will she be able to broker peace, and find her way home? And where exactly is home

when all she wants to do is run away?

In Cascadia, author Neha N. Hewitt gives readers a compassionate glimpse of a diverse world caught in conflict. She brings an inclusive cast of

characters to life, within nontraditional family and societal class structures, managing disability or disease, or otherwise representing a broad

spectrum of lived experiences.

Written for readers aged 9 to 14, Ari’s inspiring journey shows the power of a girl finding her voice and calling out misinformation, providing a

safe space to initiate deeper conversations around identity, including race, religion, class, government, and gender. Ari will also help young readers

recognize the interdependence of the natural world, and human ability to help the environment as well as destroy it, while exploring ever-changing

dynamics of climate and community, and how to belong when all you do is stand out.