Morgan and Eli are brought together in a foster home in Winnipeg only to find a secret sort of Narnia door in the attic closet and go on an adventure. This book was so sooo sooooooo good. I loved everything about it. The way David looks at the Child and Family system in Manitoba and how it affects kids and families. The way he touched on racism and ignorance from foster parents who, while they believe are doing good can actually be contributing to harm these kids face. He looks at disconnection from community and culture. We get Indigenous culture and ideas throughout and the learning experience was intense and fun. I was holding my breath and rooting for these kids and their companions. I love the way this younger reader book tackles big issues and can still be enjoyed by adults.

Beautifully written and an essential series for middle graders and everyone to read. I definitely want to read the rest of the series.

Loved the setting and loved the story, but the writing style was a little difficult to follow, but the characters didn't seem to quite match their ages/roles. A lot of the motivations also seemed "convenient" in the fact that pieces seemed to fall too perfectly together.

5 stars for the Native rep and for the characters. 2 stars for the plot and the writing. It felt unfinished and justkind of stagnant

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.

This is an accessible and beautiful foray into Native American (or, since it's Canadian, First Nations) mythology and identity. Part fantasy, part middle-grades-coming-of-age, part celebration of native voices

. Thank you to hearourvoicestours for sending me the e-arc.

Book: The Barren Grounds(Book #1: Misewa Saga)
Author: Robert Davidson
Publisher: Puffin Canada
Release date: September 8,2020
Genre: Middle grade fantasy

Synopsis:
Eli and Morgan , indigenous kids who have been allocated to a foster home at Winnipeg stumbles into a path of self discovery , when they accidentally discover a secret portal in their attic. The portal opens into another parallel world, Aski.

In the land of Misewa, abode of walking and talking animals, time has come to a standstill- Green time was ages ago and White time is on the run. Eli and Morgan has no other way, but to bring back the green time , lest Misewa should stay frozen and it's inhabitants die of starvation.

The good and the bad:
Robert Davidson has successfully merged fantasy and Cree folklore, which keeps the readers hooked till the end. This book gave me Narnia and Golden Compass vibes and is a perfect Fall read. It's rare to find indigenous representation in literature and the author sure deserves great applause.If you are interested in diversereads, this book is for you. #diversereads

Looking forward to the next book in the series and many more of the author' s works.

Rating: 4/5.

This just didn't work for me. Probably the writing, or the characters. DNF at 28%.

The plot took time to develop, but I found the characters unlikable and taken for granted. The explanations provided, the dreams and the ideas felt too easy and poorly projected.

In the Barren Grounds we meet two children, Morgan and Eli, who find themselves in the same foster home in Winnipeg. Here they find a portal to a magical world and meet Ochek, the hunter for his community of Misewa. The writing for this book was excellent, incorporating indigenous stories with fantasy and coming of age. Watching Morgan and Eli learn more about Misewa and its traditions, and also gaining experience and confidence throughout the story was a delight. It was also really refreshing to have a story set in Canada at the start, and to meet a magical land where winter is a part of the story. My favourite part was Arik, whose sass had me laughing out loud at times!

The Barren Grounds is a great fantasy novel featuring youthful characters that discover a portal into a new land... Cute Story. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

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.