A Promise to Protect - Nikki Bergstresser

Thirteen-year-old Sidney finds purpose and healing following the death of her aunt when she joins an effort to save an old-growth forest.While Sidney grieves the loss of her beloved aunt, she discovers that the old-grown forest along her Pacific Northwest coastal town is at risk of being destroyed. Losing Aunt Jess has created a hole in the heart of her family, and Sidney doesn’t want to imagine the possibility of also losing the place that meant so much to both of them. Yet, she feels as though her parents ready to give up on the forest without a fight, and the only member of her family that cares as much as Sidney is her youngest brother, Riley. Just when things start to seem hopeless, a class project provides Sidney, her best friend, and an unexpected ally with the chance to bring awareness to the importance of Cedar Grove’s old-growth forest. With the help of Elders in the community, the trio relies on stories from the past to bring memories to the present, in hopes of protecting the future. But will it all be enough to save the forest and keep Sidney from losing what matters most?