The Barren Grounds: A Much Anticipated #ownvoices Portal Fantasy [MG Review]

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, Askî, 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.

Goodreads

Preamble

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!

Review ✍🏻

Morgan, Eli, and Cree Culture

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.

Journey into Askî

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.

Further Reading 📰

🍂 Preorder links (out 8 Sept.)
🍂 Read an excerpt
🍂 Author website
🍂 Interview @ Shelf Awareness
🍂 Reviews: Kathie @ Bit About Books; Rendz @ Reading with Rendz (An #ownvoices book tour will take place in October; link to the schedule.)
🍂 Related: The Ghost Collector is another Indigenous #ownvoices spec fic middle grade novel. I previously reviewed Robertson’s graphic novel Will I See? and adult fiction novel The Evolution of Alice.