Reviews with content warning for Violence - The Barren Grounds

An absolutely beautiful book about family, friendship, the damage of greed, the power of doing the right thing, the importance of trust, and more than a little magic.

The Barren Grounds is an indigenous story about a fantasy world very much like C. S. Lewis’ Narnia, but also completely different. Very well written and I couldn’t put it down. I cannot wait to start the second book in the series; The Great Bear.

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dainybernstein's review

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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joyful_patatas's review

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adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I did genuinely enjoy this book even as a middle grade book. This one follows the theme of identity and culture where the adventure lets the main character, Morgan, learns a bit of her Cree heritage in her time in Askí with Ochek, Arik, and Eli. The dialogue and dynamic of the group was great to read and the mentions on the how the two-legged animals view the land and creatures is identical to how the Indigenous communities viewed the world. The villain of the story taking on the role similar to the colonizers was also an interesting take by taking actual history and implementing it in a middle grade book.

In all, I do hope more people, children especially, read this book and find joy in following the adventure of these peculiar, but fun bunch.

The reason I gave it three stars is mainly because I am nit-picky. I did find the villain underwhelming because of the lack of story behind him. Why did he go to Askí? Why did he not leave? Why did he build a cabin in an area where they are no prey? He was only alive for less than 50 pages after meeting him. I know this is a middle grade book, so I know I am being hard, but the wild up after the tribe kept describing how horrible he was made the reveal and confrontation underwhelming.

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rorikae's review

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adventurous challenging tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

'The Barren Grounds' by David Alexander Robertson is a heart filled middle grade novel that follows two Indigenous children as they discover a hidden world in their attic.
Morgan and Eli are two foster children, living together in a house in Winnipeg with their foster parents. New to the home, they are struggling to connect with one another. One night, they discover a portal in their attic that utilizes one of Eli's drawings to transport them to a snow covered world. Populated by animals, this world was once lush before acts by a selfish human transformed it. Eli and Morgan will have to go on an adventure with Ochek, a Fisher, and Arik, a squirrel, to see if they can transform the world back to what it once was.
'The Barren Grounds' is a heart filled middle grade novel. Robertson creates an intriguing fantastical world that draws on Indigenous stories. Beyond the adventures, the story also delves into what it is like for Indigenous foster children that are paired with white foster parents, including microaggressions and the complicated feelings that come with connection or lack of connection with one's heritage. Morgan and Eli are engaging characters and even though Morgan isn't instantly likable, she is incredibly understandable, which makes it easy to care for her. As she and Eli discover the world in their attic and begin to explore it together, they start to connect with one another.
There are many references to Narnia in this story and though it clearly is an influence, Robertson has created a story that is wholly its own while also playing with familiar tropes. It also has lessons peppered throughout, including humanity's impact on the land when they don't act as proper stewards. It does feel like the start of a series and there is clearly much more for the characters to discover in subsequent books. I'll definitely be following along with the series and I'm intrigued to see what Morgan and Eli get up to next.

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