A captivating coming-of-age novel about survival and redemption, set in the rural beauty of the Pacific Northwest.

NORTHWEST WASHINGTON STATE, 1985

For years, Harris Hayes has taught his daughter, Aggie, the ways of the northern woods, where she sketches nests of wild birds as an antidote to sadness. Then her depressed, unpredictable mother forbids her to climb the trees that give her sanctuary and comfort. Angry, ten-year-old Aggie accidentally lights a tragic fire and flees downriver. She lands her boat near untamed forest, then hides among trees and creatures she believes are her only friends—determined to remain undiscovered.

A search party gathers hours after Celia arrives at her grandmother’s nearby farm. Hurting from her parents’ breakup, she also plans to run. But when she joins the hunt for Aggie, she meets two irresistible young men who compel her to stay. One is autistic; the other, dangerous.

Ideal for fans of Under the Magnolias by T.I. Lowe, Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, and The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah, Sugar Birds is a layered, riveting contemporary story set in the breathtaking natural world—where characters encounter the mending power of forgiveness, for themselves and for those who have failed them.

“A true page-turner . . . An engrossing tale.” – Kirkus Reviews

• 2022 CHRISTIANITY TODAY’S BOOK AWARDS: Award of Merit – Fiction
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