Ann Dallman

Cady and the Bear Necklace Ann Dallman

2020 Midwest Book Award Winner for Young Adult Fiction

Cady, a 13-year-old girl of Native American heritage, has experienced big changes in the past year--her father's marriage to a much younger woman, a new baby brother, and a move from Minnesota to Michigan where she is attending a reservation school for the first time in her life. One day at school Cady finds an eagle feather on the hallway floor and reports it to the principal. He thanks her for this act of honor and tells her that a mystery might soon appear in her life.

Not long after, Cady discovers an antique Indian beaded necklace hidden under the floor of her bedroom closet. She knows she's found it for a reason but what is the reason? Is this the mystery the principal predicted might appear? She consults with the elders who tell her it is her "job" to find out why. In the process of solving this mystery Cady's home life calms down and she draws closer to the teachings and traditions of her culture. Helping her are new friends Irish, John Ray Chicaug, and a crazy talking blue jay.