Robertson is such a great writer.

I love the way that he melds the tropes of MY fantasy, like Narina and Indigenous legend. I also so greatly appreciate how his #ownvoices work tells Indigenous story, lifts Indigenous voice and shines a light on Indigenous issues without focusing on trauma.

This book was magical and a perfect example
of why it is so important that own voices tell the sorties that weave their culture into a book in an authentic and meaningful way. We are using this for a novel study and it’s also being borrowed by students who are Cree and very happy to see themselves in a book.

This book was fantastic! As a child that adored portal fantasy growing up I definitely would have loved to have read this one when I was younger. I characters are great. I especially love Arik. Morgan's emotions are so rich and real and Eli is just adorable. I'd definitely recommend this book to fantasy lovers, especially those that like animals.

A unique middle grade fantasy that pays homage to The Chronicles of Narnia while building a strong, authentic indigenous voice.  I liked how Robertson showed that the trauma Morgan experienced was being taken from her mother and her culture; it didn't have to come from having horrific, abusive foster situations after that (although many had not been pleasant.)  I also liked the subtle way he presents the challenges faced by Katie and James, her current foster parents, who are loving and trying to do their best and are still taking so many missteps.  And most of all, I loved Eli, her foster brother, and the characters in Aski, the North Country.  I do hope we get to join them for further adventures.

THE BARREN GROUNDS is a story that brings me back to when I was a child when I had dreams of venturing into a fantastical land. Narina was a place of myth and intrigue, and a place I wanted to see. The magic of being pulled into a world that allows you to become a “better” you always intrigued me. Well, in THE BARREN LANDS, Morgan and Eli are two children that are pulled into a place called Askí. And, let me tell you, an amazing place indeed! David A. Robertson has a way of writing prose that really places  you in a place. My attention was held the entire time. I was filled with awe and wonder much like when I was ten years old. 

The characters, Morgan and Eli, so well written that at times, I thought I was thinking of a childhood friend and/or sibling. Their relationship seemed tested at times, but nonetheless…I won’t spoil it! 

THERE ARE TALKING ANIMALS!!!!! COME ON NARINA! Seriously, this novel is full of nostalgia! OMG!!!! I was living a full on childhood fantasy. The spinner is that the nuance is unlike any other MG story I’ve read in a while. THE BARREN GROUNDS is being marketed as Narnia meets Indigenous stories. I would say that is very well stated. I love everything about the nuances of the story. I could hardly put it down! Don’t be surprised if you see images of Narnia in my mood board! 

I loved the story so much that I had moments of jumping up and down…yelling…rooting…overall, I proudly give THE BARREN GROUNDS a 5/5 rating! And want to know what’s better? It’s only book 1! It’s book 1 of the Misewa Saga!!!!!!! 

All the characters, and  yes, there’s a special squirrel, truly have a place that makes sense. Throughout the entire story, the puzzle pieces come together right when they need to. THE BARREN GROUNDS truly is an art piece unlike many books. 

It doesn’t disappoint!!!!! The links are below for the book, and I hope you get yourself a copy.

Loved this book! So many important topics packaged in a middle grade novel: the emotional toll of children in foster care, First Nations main characters, family and community. I can’t wait to read the rest of this series

"On the barren grounds
It took facing my worse fears
Stepping out into the night
To find that I was brave enough
Before I found the light

It took stars within the sky
To guide my way back home
That I'll always know the way
Wherever I might roam"

Thank you so much Netgalley, author David Alexander Robertson, Hear our voices tours for this E-ARC.

When I read the synopsis, this book had me intrigued. Narnia meets traditional indigenous stories of the sky and constellations? Count me in. Also, the cover was beautiful. I haven't read much about Canada or any native Canadian authors, this was also one of the reasons I picked up this book.

These two indigenous children Morgan and Eli enter into this parallel world of Aski... how? Read the book to find out.

The pace of the book was fast at first and then it slowed down later on. So overall, my own reading pace got affected. I have mixed feelings about this book because at a certain point I felt like the story lost its track and got bland...you know what I mean? Or maybe that was me? Since I've been in a weird headspace these past months. Anyways, the author's usage of words from another language was epic and even the descriptions were in detail. I could really imagine these barren grounds with snow and blizzard. The talking animals too. I loved how he mixed the whole indigenous culture into this magical story.

I honestly recommend this book to young children.

The Barren Grounds by David A. Robertson was a treat. It is obviously giving nods to Narnia, but is still distinct as its own portal fantasy. The main characters are Indigenous with one who is in touch with his culture and the other who has been cut off from her family and history so long she doesn't know her past. It's beautiful and I can't wait for the rest of the series.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC for review.

This was an enchanting journey with Morgan and Eli in the realm of Askî. Although the secret way to this snowy realm seemed similar to Narnia, the mixture of Indigenous culture and new strange creatures like the Fisher made it this story unique in its own way.
A great escapism for fantasy lovers and young readers.

A remarkable piece of storytelling that had my students enthralled. It was an excellent resource for their own exploration of imaginative writing and enabled long discussions on creating atmospheric settings and characters that a reader truly wants to build a friendship with. Would highly recommend for every classroom library.

I agree with the statement that this feels very Narnia-esque and here's why:

We follow Morgan, that lives in a foster house with Katie and James and Eli, the other foster kid. Morgan seems to be a very angry and disconnected-from-her-origins type of kid. She seems to be unhappy and not very friendly, even to Eli.
On the way to school one day Morgan decides to start talking with Eli and find out more about him. For example, why is he always caring a drawing pad with him to which he answers that it was a gift from his father. And the drawing pad is the start of their adventure.
I feel like the beginning of the book drags quite a lot and the real adventure/story only starts 2/3 into the book but when it picks up it get's really good. 
Now back to the drawing pad! Unfortunately the one gifted by Eli's father gets ruined and Morgan decides to gift him a new one to cheer him up. When they get back home, Eli, starts drawing right away and he draws a snowy landscape that magically comes to life one night.
So when Eli decides to visit this new land, Morgan has no other option but to go too and get him back.
In this strange land they meet Ochek, a fisher and various other two-legged animals such as talking bears, owls, foxes and others. Another really important character is Arik, that later on joins the trio on their quest.
Ochek tells them they they are in the land of Askí more specifically Misewa. And in this strange land is always winter or the White Time like they like to call it. Ochek explains to the kids that the reason for this is because the Man stole the summer birds and they are stuck in the winter forever and that to get back the Green Time they need to get those birds back.. 
And so Morgan and Eli decide to help Ochek and therefore the rest of the village, that were dying of hunger, in this great new adventure.

This is the book I've been waiting for. Recent years have given us many heartbreaking stories about the residential school system and how that affected our indigenous population - this story gives you a glimpse in what life was like in the aftermath. 
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. 
The well-intentioned attempts of the (white) foster parents to connect the children with their indigenous heritage are uncomfortable, but they should be. This is a very difficult topic and does provide cringe-worthy scenes, all while showing some of the fascinating culture in Aski. I can't wait for book 2!

An intriguing introduction into the world of Askí, which is inspired by the author's Indigenous background. Reminiscent of the Narnia trope of going through a doorway into another world, the two children in "The Barren Grounds" must set out to rescue the Summer Birds from captivity. Absolutely loved the world building in this book. The author has done a fabulous job setting up the premise and I can't wait to read book 2 of this series!

This book was such a cosy read that shows how kids too have to grapple with the issues adults tackle too; belonging and community. Especially when you come from a minority culture.

It follows Morgan and Eli, two indigenous kids in Canada living with their white foster parents. Morgan, who is a few years older than Eli, has been in the foster system ever since she can remember. This makes her feel disconnected from her community and she is always angry as a result. Where does she belong? Does she even belong anywhere? Meanwhile, Eli has the memories of his community always with him as he ended up in the foster system much later in life. He can speak Cree. But he is always sad as he misses his community desperately. Morgan envies him, though because she feels he is more connected with their people than she is.

Eli, who is an artist, unknowingly opens a portal to another world, Askí where animals can talk. They cross over into this parallel universe where time moves much faster than it does here on earth and meet a hunter, Ocheck, who tells them that his village, Misewa, has been cursed for the past few years and now it is always winter. They agree to help Ocheck and the other Misewans vanquish the perpetual winter. This leads them on an adventure that will give them both closure on what it means to belong with their community.

The book gave me such a warm buzz with its callbacks to The Chronicles of Narnia, which is one of my favourite series' of all time. I was a young kid again, following Morgan and Eli as they helped save a world, and helped heal themselves too. I also learned a lot about the culture of the Indigenous community in Canada. 

The poem at the end is so beautiful! It will linger in my mind for a while...

Some of my favourite quotes include:

"Say it again, like you remember it," Eli said. "Like you can speak it. Like you've always spoken it."

"In the books she read, it would exist only because of magic, but while there were talking animals on Askí, she was pretty sure there were no ice queens sleighing around, manifesting Turkish delights to tempt little boys."

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

"Nobody's really gone if they aren't forgotten."

I don’t often read middle-grade for no particular reason. There are a number of books on my TBR that actually happen to be middle-grade but for whatever reason, I’ve continually put off reading them. The Barren Grounds quickly reminded me how great these books can be, even if they’re intended for an audience much younger than myself. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and am going to get the negative out of the way by saying there is none. This is an amazing book, with amazing character development and world-building. It also serves as an introduction to indigenous culture for those who may not as familiar with it. This book had me in tears at one point, and I was so invested in the world. The books does have some similarities to the classic Chronicles of Narnia, but I personally found this much more interesting and engaging.  

I learned some new things about indigenous culture from this book that sparked an internet deep-dive into the history of many First Nations people, their beliefs and cultural practices. I found my eyes opened to a culture, that I was aware of but never truly saw. This book opens the readers to a fantasy world, yes, but it also opens a part of our world so often forgotten or overlooked. I want everyone to read this book, be moved by the story, and be inspired to learn more. I recommend reading this book, and then going out and finding out more about the beautiful stories that inspired this one.

This book was so much fun and so amazing! For anyone looking for a fast paced read with adventure and storytelling, this is the book for you! The description is perfect, Narnia meets Indigenous stories, and that's exactly how it feels.

I loved Morgan's character, I liked how her anger felt real and didn't feel forced throughout the story. There are some people who just find it easier to be angry than feel all their other emotions and Morgan was this character. I appreciated her, even as an adult I find myself just being angry because it's easier. Than on the flipside you have Eli. Who I would really describe as cool, calm, and collected, so basically the opposite of Morgan. But the two of them together made for an amazing story.  They had this natural protectiveness of each other in totally different ways. Morgan protected him like he was her younger brother, and Eli protected her from herself. It was a nice insight to see Eli basically calling her out on her wrongs, but in a nice way.

The world itself seemed very simplistic, but it was appreciated for a middle grade novel. Some YA or adult fantasy can go on and on about the worldbuilding, but for a middle grade novel, it was kept to the point. I loved the story and the conflict that the characters are facing. I can't go too much into detail without giving the entire book away, but it was done in such a way that didn't just seem like another fantasy novel. There are many similarities between Narnia and this book, such as portal to another world, talking animals, magic, and even the time halting. But I really liked that it didn't completely feel like a fantasy novel.


Either way, I cannot wait for the next book to be out and be able to read the rest of the series! I'm excited to see how it all comes together.

Morgan and Eli are Indigenous foster children who live in the same foster house in Winnipeg. Eli has just moved in, and even though Morgan moved in two months before, she doesn’t feel comfortable yet because she hasn’t ever had a comfortable long term home. Their foster parents try to make the children feel more at home by bringing in Indigenous traditions, but it only pushes them away further. One night, Morgan and Eli sneak up to the attic and discover a portal into Misewa, a land with talking animals. Misewa has become barren, with a winter that has lasted years. Morgan and Eli have to help their new friend, Ochek the fisher, bring the green time back to their land while also learning about their Indigenous heritage.

This story reminded me of the Chronicles Narnia, but with Indigenous roots. The land that they travel to has talking animals who walk on two legs and speak Cree. This story had some creative aspects because Morgan is a writer and Eli is an artist. It is through Eli’s drawing that they find the mysterious land. As a writer, I liked how these creative arts connected that world with ours.

Though Morgan is from an Indigenous background, she doesn’t know their traditions. She has been in foster care for as long as she can remember, so she doesn’t feel a connection to her heritage. When her foster parents bring in Indigenous food and moccasins for her to wear in an attempt to get closer to her, it pushes her further away because she doesn’t have that connection to her heritage. This reminded me of the residential schools in Canada. Years ago, Indigenous children were taken from their homes and sent to residential schools to remove their traditions and cultural history. The way that Morgan didn’t know her own background reminded me of that because she had also been removed from her family and heritage. However, this wasn’t quite as devastating for Morgan as it was for the children who were sent to residential schools because she was able to learn some of her Indigenous heritage on their trip to Misewa.

This is a beautiful middle grade story. I can’t wait to read the next one!

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, this #ownvoices middle grade fantasy book about two Indigenous kids in Winnipeg, Manitoba coming together and going on an epic adventure is so beautifully written and such a great addition to the middle grade fantasy genre! It's the first book I've read by David Alexander Robertson but I definitely want to read more! It's about adventure, discovery and family. I related so much to Morgan and her smart banter was so refreshing and fun to read! Eli is also an amazing character and a sweet, sensitive balance to Morgan's sharp and edgy wit. This book is definitely compared to the Chronicles of Narnia but with traditional Indigenous stories. I would definitely recommend a re-read of Narnia just to see if it stood up to time and how an #ownvoices also stands up to a classic. I would also recommend This Tender Land which also has elements of children on an adventure and family that is created but it does not have a fantasy element to it and it's not middle grade. But adult readers who loved this might love This Tender Land as I did. I also would say it could lead to a reading of A Wrinkle in Time as it also has some fantasy and travel in it. It's also a great book for kids who had enjoyed The Magic Treehouse series as a younger reader and want to try a middle grade book that has the same elements of adventure and travel.

An exciting start to a series. The information on indigenous ways of being is skilfully tied into a strong story, without too much of an information dump.  Undoubtedly Morgan is the most deftly drawn character, her emotions and emotional journey are evocatively described. Ochek, , Arik Eli and the others have interesting characteristics as well, but we don’t really get into their heads as much. As it is a series, there may be time and space in future books to journey from another character's perspectives. While this journey and plot were quite satisfying, there are so many worthy elements about the past and future of Aski, its connection to our earth left unanswered, that readers have a lot to look forward to.

I love it I love it I just love it! I have not read much middle-grade fantasy books but this one is definitely one of the bests out there.

Morgan has been living in foster homes from a young age and whenever she felt attached to the family, they left her out, but, the new foster parents she has been living with are trying to be good and trying to make her feel at home. But, Morgan does not wish to get attached to them either. School is not a better place for her either, she likes to be alone most of the time.
For Eli, it is the first foster home he is in, and he does not feel like talking or making friends with anyone. He only loves to draw.
One day, they find a secret room in the attic which leads to another world. A world where everything is frozen and only hunter of the place, Ochek (fisher), welcomes the kids and support them as well. But, when Arik (squirrel) gives them some information, the four are set on a mission full of adventure and action. The mission to save Misewa. 

The storyline is beautiful and the emotions are touching. When the hearts of Eli and Morgan are described in the book, it can make one exceptionally emotional. The characters are constructed amazingly and they blend in well with the background. 

Morgan is a very understanding girl but she does not like anyone interfering with her life choices. She cares for Eli as she knows what he would be going through being thrown out of his community and so she tries her best to help him any way possible. Eli too has a soft spot for Morgan who is the only one with whom he shares the things he wishes to. The relationship that grows slowly between them is great, it shows how much it takes for someone to trust another one.

Askî is a world full of animals walking on two legs. There are a lot of details about Misewa and Askî present in the book (a lot of detailings, lots of love!). The story first is in the human world and then there are further developments that lead to the other world. It is beautiful to see this slow pace, not boring at all! 

I do not wish to compare this book to any others as this is beautiful in itself. Roberston has done a great job in setting up the beautiful world and I would definitely recommend this to ages 8 and up! Haul this book up! You will love it!!