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Cascadia's Call
by Neha Hewitt
Pub Date
Jul 22 2025
| Archive Date
Jul 05 2025
Description
Still grieving her father's recent death and the loss of her comfortable biracial nuclear American family life, fourteen-year-old Ari struggles to adjust to her new life in Portland, Oregon, with a loving but unfamiliar extended Indian family. When Ari steals her mother's necklace and escapes to the forest, she accidentally plunges into a terrifying world of wild birds in the underbelly of Portland's Forest Park trails.
Ari soon realizes that more than her return home is at stake: Birds are mysteriously dying, threatening a war between species-and her necklace is the only thing protecting her. Can Ari bring peace to the forest and find her way home? And where exactly is home when all she wants to do is run away?
A middle-grade coming-of-age story, Cascadia's Call is about finding your voice and learning how to belong when all you do is stand out.
Still grieving her father's recent death and the loss of her comfortable biracial nuclear American family life, fourteen-year-old Ari struggles to adjust to her new life in Portland, Oregon, with a...
Description
Still grieving her father's recent death and the loss of her comfortable biracial nuclear American family life, fourteen-year-old Ari struggles to adjust to her new life in Portland, Oregon, with a loving but unfamiliar extended Indian family. When Ari steals her mother's necklace and escapes to the forest, she accidentally plunges into a terrifying world of wild birds in the underbelly of Portland's Forest Park trails.
Ari soon realizes that more than her return home is at stake: Birds are mysteriously dying, threatening a war between species-and her necklace is the only thing protecting her. Can Ari bring peace to the forest and find her way home? And where exactly is home when all she wants to do is run away?
A middle-grade coming-of-age story, Cascadia's Call is about finding your voice and learning how to belong when all you do is stand out.
A Note From the Publisher
NEHA N. HEWITT is a first-generation Indian American, mother, lawyer, writer, and leader of various book clubs. She earned a bachelor of arts in international affairs from the George Washington University and a juris doctor from American University's Washington College of Law. A civil rights lawyer for twenty years, Neha is dedicated to promoting diverse stories for youth audiences and for children with dyslexia and other disabilities. A set of her poems on yoga and social justice have been published in the online journal Mindful Word.Neha currently resides in Portland, Oregon, with her husband, two teenage daughters, and two Siberian cats. You can find her most days after work either frantically driving to soccer practice or collapsing on the couch with chocolate and tea, devouring her most recent book club pick. Cascadia's Call is her first novel.
NEHA N. HEWITT is a first-generation Indian American, mother, lawyer, writer, and leader of various book clubs. She earned a bachelor of arts in international affairs from the George Washington...
A Note From the Publisher
NEHA N. HEWITT is a first-generation Indian American, mother, lawyer, writer, and leader of various book clubs. She earned a bachelor of arts in international affairs from the George Washington University and a juris doctor from American University's Washington College of Law. A civil rights lawyer for twenty years, Neha is dedicated to promoting diverse stories for youth audiences and for children with dyslexia and other disabilities. A set of her poems on yoga and social justice have been published in the online journal Mindful Word.Neha currently resides in Portland, Oregon, with her husband, two teenage daughters, and two Siberian cats. You can find her most days after work either frantically driving to soccer practice or collapsing on the couch with chocolate and tea, devouring her most recent book club pick. Cascadia's Call is her first novel.
Available Editions
| EDITION |
Paperback |
| ISBN |
9798888247747 |
| PRICE |
$18.95 (USD)
|
| PAGES |
240
|
Available on NetGalley
NetGalley Reader (PDF)
NetGalley Shelf App (PDF)
Send to Kindle (PDF)
Download (PDF)
Additional Information
Available Editions
| EDITION |
Paperback |
| ISBN |
9798888247747 |
| PRICE |
$18.95 (USD)
|
| PAGES |
240
|
Available on NetGalley
NetGalley Reader (PDF)
NetGalley Shelf App (PDF)
Send to Kindle (PDF)
Download (PDF)
Average rating from 1 member
Featured Reviews
Sarah J, Reviewer
Review: Cascadia’s Call by Neha Hewitt
🌲 Overview
Cascadia’s Call is a stirring blend of ecological urgency and lyrical storytelling, set against the backdrop of the Pacific Northwest’s untamed landscapes. Neha Hewitt weaves a narrative that is part environmental manifesto, part love letter to a region on the precipice of change—where ancient forests, tectonic tensions, and human resilience collide.
🔍 Key Strengths
🌿 Vivid Sense of Place – Hewitt’s prose immerses readers in Cascadia’s misty forests and rugged coastlines, making the land itself a central character.
⚡ Timely Themes – Explores climate activism, indigenous wisdom, and the fragile balance between progress and preservation with nuance and passion.
📖 Hybrid Narrative – Blends memoir, reportage, and speculative elements, offering a fresh take on environmental literature.
💔 Emotional Depth – The book doesn’t shy away from grief for what’s lost but also sparks hope through stories of grassroots resistance.
⚠️ Considerations
🔄 Pacing Shifts – The structure oscillates between contemplative and urgent, which may disorient some readers.
🌐 Niche Appeal – Those unfamiliar with Cascadia’s cultural or ecological significance might crave more context.
⭐ Score Breakdown (0–5 Stars)
✍️ Writing Style → ★★★★☆ (4.5/5)
🌎 Thematic Resonance → ★★★★★ (5/5)
📚 Narrative Cohesion → ★★★★☆ (4/5)
💡 Originality → ★★★★☆ (4.5/5)
Overall: ★★★★☆ (4.5/5)
A thunderous whisper from the land—equal parts warning and wonder.
🎯 Perfect For Readers Who Love
🌲 Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
🌊 The Overstory by Richard Powers
🗻 Eco-fiction with a pulse, like The End of Nature by Bill McKibben
🙏 Gratitude
Thank you to NetGalley and Neha Hewitt for the advance review copy. Cascadia’s Call is a haunting reminder that the land has a voice—if we’re willing to listen.
(Note: Review based on an uncorrected proof; final publication may vary.)
Featured Reviews
Sarah J, Reviewer
Review: Cascadia’s Call by Neha Hewitt
🌲 Overview
Cascadia’s Call is a stirring blend of ecological urgency and lyrical storytelling, set against the backdrop of the Pacific Northwest’s untamed landscapes. Neha Hewitt weaves a narrative that is part environmental manifesto, part love letter to a region on the precipice of change—where ancient forests, tectonic tensions, and human resilience collide.
🔍 Key Strengths
🌿 Vivid Sense of Place – Hewitt’s prose immerses readers in Cascadia’s misty forests and rugged coastlines, making the land itself a central character.
⚡ Timely Themes – Explores climate activism, indigenous wisdom, and the fragile balance between progress and preservation with nuance and passion.
📖 Hybrid Narrative – Blends memoir, reportage, and speculative elements, offering a fresh take on environmental literature.
💔 Emotional Depth – The book doesn’t shy away from grief for what’s lost but also sparks hope through stories of grassroots resistance.
⚠️ Considerations
🔄 Pacing Shifts – The structure oscillates between contemplative and urgent, which may disorient some readers.
🌐 Niche Appeal – Those unfamiliar with Cascadia’s cultural or ecological significance might crave more context.
⭐ Score Breakdown (0–5 Stars)
✍️ Writing Style → ★★★★☆ (4.5/5)
🌎 Thematic Resonance → ★★★★★ (5/5)
📚 Narrative Cohesion → ★★★★☆ (4/5)
💡 Originality → ★★★★☆ (4.5/5)
Overall: ★★★★☆ (4.5/5)
A thunderous whisper from the land—equal parts warning and wonder.
🎯 Perfect For Readers Who Love
🌲 Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
🌊 The Overstory by Richard Powers
🗻 Eco-fiction with a pulse, like The End of Nature by Bill McKibben
🙏 Gratitude
Thank you to NetGalley and Neha Hewitt for the advance review copy. Cascadia’s Call is a haunting reminder that the land has a voice—if we’re willing to listen.
(Note: Review based on an uncorrected proof; final publication may vary.)
