The Barren Grounds

The Misewa Saga #1

by David Alexander Robertson

Morgan and Eli, two Indigenous children forced away from their families and communities, are brought together in a foster home in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They each feel disconnected, from their culture and each other, and struggle to fit in at school and at their new home -- until they find a secret place, walled off in an unfinished attic bedroom. A portal opens to another reality, Askí, bringing them onto frozen, barren grounds, where they meet Ochek (Fisher). The only hunter supporting his starving community, Misewa, Ochek welcomes the human children, teaching them traditional ways to survive. But as the need for food becomes desperate, they embark on a dangerous mission. Accompanied by Arik, a sassy Squirrel they catch stealing from the trapline, they try to save Misewa before the icy grip of winter freezes everything -- including them.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Indigenous, Fiction, Young Adult, Canada, Adventure

247 pages, Hardcover

First published September 8, 2020

About the author

DAVID A. ROBERTSON is a two-time winner of the Governor General's Literary Award, has won the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, as well as the Writer's Union of Canada Freedom to Read award. He has received several other accolades for his work as a writer for children and adults, podcaster, public speaker, and social advocate. He was honoured with a Doctor of Letters by the University of Manitoba for outstanding contributions in the arts and distinguished achievements in 2023. He is a member of Norway House Cree Nation and lives in Winnipeg.

Reviews

[Lindsi (Do You Dog-ear?) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"When you take more than the land can provide, it stops giving."

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

I really wanted to love this book, but everything that happened in The Barren Grounds was just way too convenient. I had to suspend my disbelief often. Morgan would yell and lose her temper, only to realize seconds later that she was wrong and projecting her feelings of anger, insecurity, and fear onto others. Her emotions would "boil" and "bubble" inside of her until she exploded, but an outburst never lasted long. I don't think a thirteen-year-old is that in control of themselves. I'm thirty-one and even I can't be fuming one second and easily rationalize my anger the next. It takes time.

The other characters were the same way - - everyone was just so understanding. Fisher would get worked up, yell, and then immediately apologize for his behavior. He would even concede that someone else was right, and that he had been in the wrong. People rarely do that! It made everyone's actions feel fake and nearly impossible to relate to. In a perfect world, yes, people would instantly apologize for any and every transgression, and they would see where they were wrong. However, this isn't a perfect world, and children don't have that much self-awareness (at least not in my experience).

I also wasn't a fan of how easy everything was for the characters. They had to travel across a permanent winter wasteland, yet they encountered very few problems. When they did, those problems resolved themselves almost as quickly as they appeared. A solution would just fall out of the sky, or someone would have a change of heart. It wasn't believable. The characters should have struggled more to save the world and learn life-changing lessons.

Morgan's dreams, visions, memories - - whatever they were - - weren't explained very well and made little to no sense. Sure, they were able to help Morgan come to terms with her current situation (the fact that she was in foster care, not that she fell into a magical world). Additionally, her anger seemed to evaporate without really being addressed. I'm not sure how less than a week in Misewa was able to change her personality so drastically, but she was downright bubbly after a few days. She learned how to live off the land (sort of), understand a mom she doesn't remember (sort of), and save people she initially didn't care a about (sort of).

Other things that bugged me:

1) Morgan's teacher told her that her poem was good, but refused to grade it because it lacked "heart." I'm sure Morgan's poem was better than some of the others in her class, and she actually spent a lot of time on it. The teacher's response was dumb. Then she tells Morgan to redo her poem (in a single day), and her reaction to Morgan's revision was equally as frustrating.

2) "When she got to the other side, she let out a huge breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding."

3) A "bad guy" told them that he was going to kill them after x happened, and they apparently forgot all about his warning despite it being a BIG DEAL. They were so surprised when x actually happened, but didn't think to have someone keep watch? Ochek kept a midnight vigil earlier in the book for no real reason, so his lack of a defense was baffling and unbelievable. Ochek is also super good with traps, so why didn't he set one?

4) The way the animals talked, the information they knew, how their world worked - - confusing. It was poorly explained, and rarely elaborated on. Someone from Misewa would say something super vague, and then tell the kids not to worry about it. What?? You have to elaborate when you're describing a fantasy world! Details and the inner-workings are important! Also, what they knew about humans versus what they didn't was super convoluted.

5) Maybe the most important of them all: The animals have been living in an endless winter - - dying from the cold, hunger, etc. - - and the solution was just over a mountain? It took them like two days to get there. Why didn't they band together when it first happened and send scouts in all directions? They would have been better equipped, had more numbers and resources, and probably had fewer problems overall. They've never had to defend or protect themselves before?

That brings me to the conclusion of the book: It was unsatisfying and came together way too easily. The "final confrontation" was worse than some of the fights my three-year-old's have with each other. Basically, it was people yelling nonsense on repeat. I'm sure the author was trying to make a point about people taking more than they should (something that was repeated multiple times throughout the book - - we get it), but the Villain was ridiculous. It was also WAY TOO EASY for them to "fix" everything. Nothing was heavily guarded or patrolled, and their thought-of-it-on-the-spot plan was laughable. I was expecting more after all of the build up.

There's a death in the book that should have gutted me, but I honestly didn't care. Their death was a waste and totally avoidable. Pretty much every issue they had was preventable, if they'd just thought through what they were going to do beforehand. Poor planning and sloppy execution were their downfall. Besides, what they needed to retrieve would have been dead long before they'd arrived, if they'd really been kept in those conditions. Also, no explanations whatsoever (other than the greed of humans and what have you).

Morgan's lack of self-preservation was also noticeable, and her bravado unconvincing. Her lackluster everything didn't make her a very likable or relatable character. Eli, Ochek, and Arik were better, but not by much. The animals knew some human expressions but not others, and it all just felt weird and off. We also don't learn why Morgan or Eli were in foster care to begin with, or why Eli has such a violent, knee-jerk reaction to a wolf.

Okay, so things I did like:

1) The book focuses on Indigenous children!

2) Foster care!

3) The foster parents weren't monsters (although Morgan does talk about previous bad experiences), and they tried to incorporate the children's culture into their home to make it feel more welcoming. They accepted the children and didn't want to change them into some cookie cutter version they had in their heads.

4) The book discuses respite care (an aspect of foster care), which isn't something I've seen before in books.

5) I love that there was Cree (an Indigenous language) peppered in throughout the book. Most of the words and phrases were explained, and others I understood based on the context.

6) The story is based on traditional Indigenous stories, but with a modern twist.

7) Misewa was a really interesting (albeit confusing) place, and I only wish it had been better explained and explored.

I know The Barren Grounds is meant for a younger audience, but I felt like I was reading the bones of the book. Like, the author hadn't yet added all of the fleshy bits needed for it to function properly. Maybe the finished product will have more substance and hardship, because I do think this book has a lot of potential. It's unique despite clearly being inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia. Everything just happened too easily, the impossible was accepted with hardly any pushback, and important elements were left unaddressed. (★★★⋆☆)

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[Maxwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

[3.5 stars]

Pitched as a cross between The Chronicles of Narnia and Indigenous folklore, The Barren Grounds tells the story of Morgan and Eli, two children who happen upon a magical world in the attic of their foster home.

I don't normally read much middle grade—not because I have anything against it but because I am not usually seeking it out in my reading life. However, when I stumbled upon this book in a little free library near my home it immediately caught my attention. I do plan to return this one to the Little Free Library, not because I disliked it but in the hopes that another reader will be able to experience it for themselves, especially a young reader! Because ultimately this book is definitely for young readers and I don't want to judge it too harshly for that as an adult who rarely reads MG/YA.

What I really liked about this book was how it incorporated Cree legends into the story, as well as including Cree language at times, and allowed the main characters to learn more about themselves and their culture in the process. Morgan is very disconnected from her Indigenous identity because she's been in a foster home since she was three years old; Eli, however, has only recently entered the foster system and has a lot of Indigenous knowledge to offer Morgan. I thought the idea of a younger sibling who has a more calm demeanor being able to, at times, lead an old, more hot-headed sibling was really unique and enjoyable to read about. Their dynamic was probably the sweetest part of the novel, and Morgan goes on a journey of personal growth in a relatively short time span that still felt natural. She's in quite heightened circumstances, so of course her maturation is accelerated.

The journey itself was a bit simplistic. I think that the world-building and writing could have been stronger. This isn't a criticism based on my more mature reading preferences; there were many times, however, the word choice was a bit awkward or clumsy that took me out of the story. It's never difficult to return back to the narrative, but a bit more editing would have made this a much stronger novel. He relies on filler words like "really" and "just" too much, not in a teenager's dialect but in the prose itself where it sticks out. There are also a lot of sentence fragments that don't always immediately connect to what came before, so it required re-reading a sentence or two prior to make the connection.

Overall, this is a fun, quick read that I hope the right readers find because it is a unique take on portal fantasy. Morgan herself is a fan of fantasy novels that I'm sure a lot of young readers can identify with. It's refreshing to read a book for young readers focused on Indigenous culture written by an Indigenous author.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book because my mother was born in Winnipeg and spent her first eight and a half years there, and also I love orphan stories foster kids stories, Native stories, school stories, and children’s literature.

It pains me to rate this with only 3 stars and I even considered it rating it with only 2 stars. Parts of the story and especially the characters were 4 and even 5 star worthy from me but not the book as a whole. A book that should have taken me only one or two days to read took me five. I wanted to finish it but I didn’t usually feel eager to pick it up and read.

I thoroughly enjoyed Morgan, Eli, Katie & James the foster parents, a teacher named Mrs. Edwards, but mostly the two kids.

I even enjoyed some of the fantasy characters.

However; I liked the realistic parts the best and the fantasy and adventure parts I could have done without and I hated yet another book with the wolf being the aggressor even though there was a reason and they all were at times and there was a welcome change. I still wish it could have been another animal in that role.

I loved the included Cree words, at least I assume they were real words from that language.

There is a good environmental message though I was tired of all the meat even though it had its place in that setting. That was realistic within the fantasy section. I don’t do well with killing animals and then thanking them for their sacrifice. For me there was way too much spirituality though it was sort of cool to follow a story and get to a part that is obviously the inception of a new folktale and/or myth.

I still prefer the realistic section. This book was saved by the personalities of the characters especially Morgan but also Eli.

I know it might be interesting to go forward but I don’t plan to read the sequels. I’ll bet the majority of the action takes place in the fantasy world.

I tried to read it thinking of me at ages 9-10 and I think I would have enjoyed the fantasy aspect back then. I would have likely given it 4 stars If I’d read it at the target age.

There was a fun map included but even though I bookmarked the three pages it was on I rarely went back to it. If I’d been reading a paper edition I’m sure I’d have referred to it more often.

A couple of quotes that I liked:

“Stories always lead people somewhere…To a place, to a memory.”

“Humans…The land provides everything that anybody would need. If you take only what you need, the land renews itself so that it can provide more. Medicines, water, plants, meat. In exchange, because we don’t really have anything the land wants, we honor it for what it gives us…When you take more than the land can provide, it stops giving. It can’t give. That’s what’s happened here. That’s what happens with humans.”

[Jaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Provided gratis in exchange for honest feedback.

So.... I have mixed feelings about this one.
I loved the setting and I loved the story. I genuinely enjoyed the dream-like state of everything: the Narnia of it all.

I liked most of the characters (be warned: Morgan is very Book-5-Harry-Potter or maybe Edmund Pevensie is a better analog).

I did read the book in one sitting and in just a couple of hours. The writing consistently pulled me out of the story, but I always -- always -- dove right back in. It never occurred to me to stop or DNF this one.

Talking about the writing...
I was not a fan of the writing style to include both narrative and dialogue. It was incredibly, badly distracting. "Jarringly out of sync," is not an overstatement.

There were times when the characters' voices or the narrative seemed so at odds with what we'd seen of them/the author thus far and/or what would be expected from a character of that type (e.g., teenage girl in the foster system).

Before the first few chapters were finished I had a few notes:
(1) "Then it dawned on her: the crunching sound had been in time with her heartbeat."
-- Wait, her pulse on her pillow is so loud that it manifests in her dreams? How the f--k does she sleep at night?

(2) There's a whole passage at the beginning about how Morgan wants to "escape" and go to school early. We're talking several pages of her getting dressed and opening the door and sneaking down the hall... but we never got the why of this. Why was she trying to leave/escape?

((Also, complete side note: is a door at the top of second story/attic stairs a normal thing? Nowhere I've ever lived had stairs and then a door at the top of them.))

(3) Morgan writes a poem for a class, but her teacher refuses to grade the assignment, because the teacher thinks Morgan can do better. Okay, so
(a) this isn't college. High school teachers grade what you give them and if it's not good enough, they just grade it accordingly, and
(b) that poem was fucking amazing, especially for a high school student.
(c) "But, Morgan, writing is about heart, and I'm not feeling that here." It is an unrealistic expectation for a high school teacher to believe that all of her students are going to bare their souls in poetry assignments -- and since Morgan is the only one kept back, we assume that n-1 students did so. That's... no. Just no.

This is all before location 240/2385 or 10% of the way through -- and they are BY NO MEANS the only three instances that I noted, just the ones that moved me to make a note. So when I say there's a lot, I mean... there's a lot.

So overall...

Know that it's got some stutters, but (in my opinion) the story is worth dealing with them. Making fun of them, but also dealing with them.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional middle-grade novel. I’m considering adopting it as a whole-class readaloud.

[theliterateleprechaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

“A story brought us here, you know. A picture.”

I grew up on purely escapist stories featuring portal fantasy adventures such as Alice in Wonderland and The Chronicles of Narnia. Somehow, this genre got ignored as I grew up. I don’t know why, but I’m sure glad I’m returning to rediscover why I liked falling into a story so much. I’d classify this one as a new breed of portal fantasy.

The book features two Indigenous children who’ve been forced away from their families and meet each other in a supportive foster home in Winnipeg, Canada. They struggle with a feeling of disconnect and struggle to fit in … until they find a secret place that opens up to another reality.

I’d previously loved All The Little Monsters and attended a book talk by the author, so when a friend suggested I try this Middle Grade series, I agreed. The title refers to the land through the portal in Eli’s sketch. I loved Robertson’s portrayal of tweens, the message that sometimes it takes going far away in order to feel close again, and Mrs. Edwards’ insight and teaching style!

My cherished and apropos takeaways:
(1) There’s joy in finding ourselves again after we’ve forgotten who we are.
(2) ‘Kiskisitotaso’ = Don’t forget about who you are.

[Monte Price]

I am so far removed from the target demographic and have read so few works for a middle grade audience that it feels wrong to give this any kind of rating.

Overall I enjoyed the story, and I liked getting to see Morgan have this little character arc and be with her as she sent on this journey. I like to think that this is the kind of series that could get better as it goes, that this book did a lot to establish what would happen going forward and that after this things might pick up a little.

To me this read slow, and while I was never bored I wasn't actively engaged a ton while reading this either. Again, I think it's more me not being the right reader for this book than anything Robertson did in particular. Mayhaps one day I'll return to these characters with a new found appreciation but for now I'm just happy that other readers have been able to connect with this book on a level that I wasn't able to.

More thoughts found in my reading vlog.

[Katy O. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Middle grade Indigenous adventure / fantasy MAGIC. A fellow reader recommended this as a perfect swap for, or comparison to, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and that was spot on. The messages in this story about the horrors inflicted by Whites upon Indigenous peoples in Canada, as well as the horrors inflicted upon the natural world by Whites, are blatant but expertly woven into a riveting story of an attic portal into a different dimension. I can’t wait to see what Robertson does next in this series. LIBRARIAN NOTE: required purchase for all elementary and middle school collections. Highly recommend as a read aloud for grades 3-8. One of the few stories that can hit such a wide range.

[Jenna (Falling Letters) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review originally published 4 Sept. 2020 at Falling Letters.

I first encountered Robertson’s work about eight years ago, during my undergrad uni days studying children’s literature. Courses with topics such as graphic novels and Indigenous literature highlighted his work.. At that time, Robertson was making an impression in the local comics scene. Since then, he’s reached various ages via various formats, with titles such as the Governor General award-winning picture book When We Were Alone , the young adult speculative fiction trilogy The Reckoner (which serves as the origin story for an upcoming superhero graphic novel), and the recently reissued adult fiction novel The Evolution of Alice .

Also since then, I’ve become a keen reader of middle grade fantasy. With the span of genres Robertson had written in, I hoped it was only a matter of time before he penned a middle grade novel. I definitely took note when he started to mention on Twitter that he was working on something. Now that something is here!

Not a standalone, The Barren Grounds is book one of the Misewa Saga. It’s being marketed as “Narnia meets traditional Indigenous stories”. I would call that an apt description. Like the Pevensies, Morgan and Eli’s adventure begins when they find themselves uncomfortably placed in a stranger’s home. Their circumstances, however, differ vastly from the child evacuees of World War II. Morgan has been in foster care her entire life; Eli has recently been removed from his family. The reader experiences the story primarily through Morgan’s eyes, getting to know her better than the initially closed off Eli. Eli was raised in a Cree community. He helps Morgan learn about the culture she’s been cut off from as they journey through Askî. The fantasy narrative offers a unique way to both celebrate Cree culture and stories while also addressing the painful impacts of colonialism.

The realm of Askî also shares some obvious similarities with Narnia. The land, populated by what appear to be talking animals, has been transformed into frozen ‘barren grounds’ by an usurper. The story that takes place in this world is, again, unique from the stories you find in Narnia. The Barren Grounds offers a narrative based in traditional Cree stories of the sky and stars, while also (as I noted above) incorporating the contemporary effects of colonialism.

Introducing new characters and a new fantasy world could easily result in a book crammed with information, but Robertson offers a tightly focused story that allows the reader to ease into the world. While it does read almost like a prologue, I appreciate that the story doesn’t immediately run into a grand, dramatic action-adventure narrative. (The story does have tense moments of action but it’s not non-stop.) Instead, it focuses on a particular quest (end the winter before Misewa starves) carried out by a handful of characters who engage with a few others. I had a lot of questions by the end (NOT because of cliffhangers) – but they just left me eager for book two!

The Bottom Line 💭: I’ll certainly be recommending The Barren Grounds as a readalike for Narnia or Riordan Presents, but the book stands well enough on its own without comparison. I applaud Robertson for giving voice, in this introduction to the Misewa Saga, to Cree youth and Cree stories in this much-needed addition to the genre of middle grade fantasy.

An #ownvoices book tour of this book will take place next month. I encourage you to keep an eye out for such reviews. I'll update this with links when available. EDIT: Here's an overview of the posts on the tour.

Pre-pub thoughts (Jan. 8 2020): Robertson has successfully written adult fiction, young adult speculative fiction, a picture book, and plenty of graphic novels - I’m ready and excited for him to tackle middle grade!

[Darla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finding a portal into another world is the dream of every kid. For Morgan and Eli, a well-drawn sketch of the Barren Lands transports the two into a parallel world in need of their help. The Barren Lands are in perpetual winter and its walking, talking animals are running out of food. Morgan and Eli stay to help find the Green Time and return the birds who were taken by the last human visitor. The promise of a Narnia-level allegory just did not come through in my opinion. This is most certainly a promising start to a new series. I would love to have Eli's story developed further and perhaps we will see that in Book 2. We also need to find out why Morgan was taken from her mother at the age of 3.

Thank you to Penguin Random House for a paperback ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Read by Curtis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love The Barren Grounds, but I can honestly say that it was, at best, okay. Here's what I liked:
Local author, with several references to Winnipeg and Winnipeg locations. Go Winnipeg!
The main characters are foster children (all students deserve to see themselves represented in literature);
The story uses (and makes light reference to) the Narnia plot structure, and retells an Indigenous legend...all very meta;
The main characters are Indigenous (again, representation matters);
The foster parents are well-meaning white folks who aren't evil nor perfect.


What I didn't like:
The characters seemed flat and hard to love, like boring adults;
The characters' motivations seemed suspiciously convenient, in terms of the fact that they served the plot if not the characterization;
The climax was anti-climactic. I believe the words "You suck," were used in a verbal attack with the antagonist;
This one is really stupid, but...the students use cell phones, but their teachers show videos on TVs on carts. I know it's nitpicky, but I would argue that cell phones and TV carts never existed in the same junior high classroom.

Lots of Winnipeg educators are giving this book five star reviews, and I can't help but wonder if I'm too critical or if they're apple-polishing. Either way, I thought the book was okay enough that I'd give the second book in this proposed saga a chance.

[Erin || erins_library · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Gifted by Puffin books and Netgalley)

I adored this middle grade book by David Alexander Robertson (Norway House Cree Nation). It’s the first book in a series and is being compared to the Chronicles of Narnia. And there are definitely similar elements (portal to another world with talking animals, endless winter, orphaned children, etc.), but I think the story itself had different themes and messages. I love that Robertson made a couple of Narnia jokes in the story, and in a way addressing it. The book follows two young foster children living with non-Native foster parents. Eli has grown up in his community, so he has memories of his language and traditions. Morgan was taken from her mother as a baby, and feels disconnected from her people. It broke my heart that she didn’t feel she was Indigenous enough, especially compared to Eli. And Eli was dealing with the forced removal from his community. It was a good look into how foster care can deeply effect the children in the system. And this is layered with Native children being placed in non-Native households.

I loved seeing how their relationship as siblings developed throughout the book, and the levels of communication that began between Morgan and her foster parents. It was also a story about the reciprocity between humans, animals, and the land. The importance of balance and not taking more than you need. If you’re looking for an adventure with a lot of heart, I recommend The Barren Grounds.

[Mir]

Don't let my dnf stop anyone from trying this portal fantasy. I actually quite liked it at the start. But I've gotten to page 146 of 260 and our protagonists are only just setting out on their quest. We haven't met the antagonist yet, or has the wolf pictured on the cover appeared in the story.

I'm grumpy about this trend for stretching every book into a series. There's nothing wrong with a 350 page standalone novel (except, I suppose from the publisher's perspective, that it's one sale instead of multiple). Move tf along with the plot already.

[Joseph · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly this book was horrible the characters are awful like Morgan's a little bitch and it's like the Walmart version of Narnia

[s · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75
read this for school
im just glad my teacher didnt choose a book written by a cis white man lmaoo 😓😌🙏
way too cliché, but i do see the dialogue being funny to others. i feel like kids younger would definitely enjoy all the humour and stuff ykyk but it just wasnt for me sorry luvs
the last bit went too fast; everything was just crammed into 40-or-so pages. the whole book was anticlimactic too 😿😞
the self discovery and all was okay tho its been a while since ive read a book w/o romance and it lowkey feels refreshing 🤭🤭
was partially fun to read djdjjd
i loved learning about the Indigenous cultures and traditions, and bits of the Cree language.
quite educational on the topic of human greed and climate change, slayed 😻🤞🤞

[Wendy Bamber · Rating 5 out of 5]

My new favourite book of the year! Morgan is an indigenous Canadian teenager trying to settle into her 8th foster home, along with new younger foster brother Eli. Her temper flares at the drop of a hat and she gets angry with herself for rebuffing attempts made by her lovely new foster parents to be kind and help her settle. Eli finds solace in drawing, and when one of his incredible drawings starts to invite the possibility that his fantasy world is in fact a real place, Morgan and Eli are drawn into a battle for survival alongside indigenous creatures of this world. I love the icy north Canadian setting, the native language and the talking animals that walk on two legs which reminded me of Rocket from Guardians of the Galaxy. Epic. It calls itself book one of the Misewa Saga so I really hope book 2 follows soon.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so beautiful and, despite its extreme wintery setting, filled with so much warmth. While very Narnia-like, it felt as if there was more meaning, more heart, behind this story, thanks to a very powerful mix of hope and urgency, and a message we not only need to learn or re-learn, but respect.

I read this sitting by a fireplace, a dog curled in my lap, and although I could have done without the snow coming down outside, this book wisely reminded me that we can’t steal and keep summer to ourselves twelve months of the year. Looking forward to more adventures in Misewa with these beautiful characters - seriously loved every one of them. Such a special book!!

[Annie Palumbo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really important representation buried inside of a sub-par story.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

"When you take more than the land can provide, it stops giving. It can't give." p.190

"Stories always lead people somewhere..." p.232

[Nicole Wagner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an Indigenous fable sandwiched by an after-school special about Indigenous foster kids.

This novel has been compared to the Narnia as well as the Redwall books. The Narnia books were, for me, powerfully written allegories. They made me laugh and cry. I had a hard time, on the other hand, making it through any of the Redwall books. I love animals, and I love talking animals, and I love fantasy, but the Redwall books for me were a bit shallow and quaint. Talking animals doesn't make a story gripping. This novel had more in common with the latter, unfortunately. I liked it, I finished it, but it won't stick with me. It's probably good for 3rd graders on up to 7th graders or so, depending on their maturity and reading level.

The part of the story in which the two foster children are painfully developing their relationships in school and with their foster families was the best part, by far. I think what the book got right was the thorny, gruff exterior that kids can develop when they've lost faith in the adults around them and have been hurt. They refuse to be vulnerable. If something stings them, they want to retaliate in self-defense. The slow thawing out of one of these kids was truly heartwarming to read.

The talking animals, on the other hand, were inconsistent in their presentations. And I was left with many questions at the end. Sure, they might be answered in later books in this series, but I'm not thinking I'll read those.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I heard about The Barren Grounds, I was beyond intrigued. The publisher described this as, "Narnia meets traditional Indigenous stories of the sky and constellations." As a child, I grew up listening to C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia, and so I was extremely interested to see what this story would be like.

Listening to The Barren Grounds as an audiobook was a mesmerizing experience full of symbolism and adventure that I listened almost straight through. It's a story I won't soon forget, and I can't wait to read the next book in the Saga when it arrives!

[Bavina · Rating 1 out of 5]

THIS BOOK IS SHIT, MORGAN IS SUCH A BORING CHARACTER. WE HAD TO READ IT FOR CLASS AND IT WAS HORRIBLE. DONT READ!

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” has always been a favourite of mine, and this book has many similarities (and even makes a few references to Narnia). My husband taught Grade 6 and his students loved this book. It’s not merely a retelling of the Narnia story though. Both are wonderful imaginations of a world that can only be accessed by a magical portal, and both have an added layer of deeper meaning (Christianity in one, and Indigenous culture in the other). In Narnia, the Christian context could be overlooked if you wanted - for example, when I read it as a kid I enjoyed the magic and adventure with no notion of the allegory to Christianity, whereas when I read it in university it was like a whole new layer had been added. In this book, the children learn about their Cree roots as the adventure unfolds, and the importance of it is very much intertwined with the story. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I can understand why my husband’s students loved it too.

[the.unexpected.reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh gosh, this book is so amazing! I have so much to say, but I don’t think I could ever do it justice. Iam beyond words.

This is the story of Morgan and Eli, First Nation teenagers living in a foster home. Morgan is thirteen, angry and frustrated most of the time; she’s not afraid to let’s her thoughts and opinions known. Eli is twelve and is new to the foster home and to the school; he is quiet by nature and a talented artist.

Katie and James are their new foster parents. They seem like good people and are trying to learn and understand the background of their First Nation foster kids.

Although, Morgan and Eli have great foster parents, they still feel empty and lonely. Missing their blood family or missing the idea of them. They have no real friends, and are usually left to rely on each other.

While hiding out in a secret space in the attic, they discover a portal that takes them to Aski. In Aski they meet hind leg walking and human talking animals. But they also meet humans. Together they form friendships and fight for survival on this frozen barren land.

The Barren Grounds is the first book of the Misewa series. Although, intended for the MG individuals, I found that this book could easily grab the attention to anyone 9 and up. Publicized as “Narnia meets Indigenous stories" it is all that and more.

So now for the personal side of my review. You see for me, this book makes my heart hurt, but maybe it shouldn’t. My First Nations father was also raised in the foster care system. He too, like Morgan, went from foster home to foster home -always a stranger in whatever small community he was taken to, always a stranger in whatever new school he was enrolled in. What would he have given to find a secret potal to a far off land. Would being in Aski be the adventure he needed, would it have been the place where he felt he belonged. Would the struggle in Aski out weight the struggle of real life? Yes, my father had a hard life. But my fathers story would end up better than most, arriving in his final foster home at the age of sixteen and having a good 30+ year relationship with his foster parents until their passing. I was proud of him and with the peace he made. My father was lucky. Unfortunately, not too many First Nation foster kids were.

The Barren Grounds is the type of book I would love to see read in all North American schools. I’m sure there are many First Nation and Non-First Nation kids who could relate to this story or to learn something new from it.

With tears in my eyes, I would like to thank David A. Robertson for writing this amazing book and I look forward to the next one.

[Fish · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this for school but um, it wasn’t my favourite. Maybe it’s because I was forced to read it, but I didn’t feel any connection with the characters. They felt a bit two dimensional and bland. We don’t know enough about them and we didn’t get any “bonding time” in order for us to care about them.

It also felt really predictable at times and since it’s a kids book, we know it’ll have a happy ending.

The book also felt uneventful. The only times where anything interesting would happen was when their lives were in danger. That also wasn’t very interesting since if their lives were in danger, why would I care, I didn’t have any connection with them so it felt like a little bloop in the book.

The villain of the book was just a middle aged white man who stole some birds. That’s basically all we know about him. We only know that he was selfish, but we don’t get to understand him as a person. That’s why we only cared about one thing, his death… That’s not really what you want in a villain, that character was really just made to die.

I understand that this book was supposed to focus on the whole bravery, coming of age, and accepting yourself for who you are type thing. It did an okay job at doing that, I also learnt new things which makes it good for a school book. If this was a book I chose on my own, I would have put it down very quickly or not even pick it up. It all really depends on your opinion and what you like.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the middle grade+ portal fantasy we need right now. Morgan and Eli, Cree teens, reconnect with their culture and stories through a portal in the attic of their foster home. They enter Aski, the Barren Grounds, and set out on a danger-fraught quest with hind legs walking and talking creatures. The adventure follows the story of the Fisher and creation of what I previously only knew as the Big Dipper constellation. “The wind was hard and strong, the grass and leaves were covered with snow, and the waters were frozen in place as though stuck in time. The weather wasn’t new to us, but there had always been a cycle. The birds would travel across this place and distribute their warmth. The Green Time lead to the Dying Season, which lead to the White Time, which lead to the Birthing Season.” With great dialogue and some comic relief, especially from Arik, Robertson keeps the story moving without too much time spent in world building. For me, who doesn’t read a lot of fantasy, I appreciated that. We are so lucky to have David A Robertson’s story telling and I look forward to more of Aski being explored in the continuation of this series.

[Tiffanie Dang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for sending me an ARC to review!

I haven’t read many books by Canadian authors, especially about Indigenous characters, but I can definitely say that I’ll be reading more from this author! I felt the Narnia vibes throughout this entire book and really enjoyed the interwoven Cree Nation stories about the sky and constellations in this fun middle-grade adventure. Although Morgan is an angry girl for most of the beginning of the book, she does start to thaw, which also in a way foreshadows the fate of Misewa too. The beginning was a bit slow and things didn’t start to pick up until chapter 10, when Morgan and Eli go to the frozen land of Misewa, but things start to snowball (haha) after that. All in all, I did enjoy this book and would recommend it to anyone, especially reluctant readers! :)

I have a spoiler-free review video for this on my BookTube channel: https://youtu.be/tiDEgOO8uNg

[Kathie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

This is the type of book I've been waiting to read. It's an ownvoices story by a Canadian Indigenous writer that's inspired by Narnia but based on traditional stories. It's humorous while still dealing with issues such as the foster system, identity, and the consequences of taking something that doesn't belong to you. It's a deep and meaningful story but doesn't come across as overly heavy. Writing this story as a fantasy is a unique way to communicate the racism and colonialism that Indigenous people face in Canada, and I think using it in a classroom would be extremely valuable.

I will definitely be adding this book to my collection, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

[Alice · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book in school and everyone in my class including me absolutely hated it. The author did a zoom call with my school and he said his high school English teacher said that his work (in high school) wasn’t very good or original, and that is how I feel about this book. He basically took the whole premise of The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe; They had to save a place from eternal winter. He also had no creativity in naming the characters.

[Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Narnia meets traditional indigenous stories from the First Nations of Canada.