The Barren Grounds: The Misewa Saga, Book One

Written by David A. Robertson

Narrated by Brefny Caribou

Narnia meets traditional Indigenous stories of the sky and constellations in an epic middle grade fantasy series from award-winning author David 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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tundra Books
• Release date: Oct 13, 2020
• ISBN: 9780735270312

David A. Robertson

David A. Robertson (he/him/his) 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 was nominated for the 2026 Hans Christian Anderson Award. He is a member of Norway House Cree Nation and lives in Winnipeg.

Reviews for The Barren Grounds

[fabuliz-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is part of a series. So far all three books are well written and gives an interesting story.

[librarycin · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

2.25 stars

Morgan and Eli are indigenous kids, foster kids in a white home. Morgan is a sulky teenager, always in a bad mood, and Eli is younger. When they hide in the attic one day, Eli has a drawing he puts up on the wall that comes to life and pulls them through to another world of talking animals and learning of their indigenous culture.

Fantasy, talking animals – definitely not my thing. At first, I really did not like Morgan (sulky, complaining teenagers), but I would have been happier with a story in the real world. I listened to the audio and tuned out much of the other world stuff. I had a gist of some of what was going on, but it just wasn’t that interesting to me. And… talking animals. No.

[fionaanne · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Predictable but a fun ride. I found the "real world" parts flat and formulaic; I almost gave up before the kids go through the portal. Arik is a charming character and I'm hoping for more of her in the sequel (which was banned by a Toronto school board, prompting me to read the trilogy right now).

[ewyatt_16 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Morgan and Eli are both placed with the same foster family. Both are Cree, having differing levels of connection to their culture. When Eli's drawing and a secret room opens a portal to the Barren Grounds the two find themselves in a place that is both familiar and strange. Ochek, a large beaver who wears clothes and walks on two legs, is the hunter and provider for his village which is slowly being starved. Someone stole the green time leaving the village in an endless winter. The two kids team up with Ochek on a quest to bring the summer birds back. An adventure, survival, and engaging fantasy.

[jennybeast · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Morgan and Eli are two Native foster kids who are learning to live together in their new home. They are transported through a drawing into a fantasy Indigenous land and quest. That sounds really dry -- I found the characters really relatable -- especially Morgan's well of anger that causes her so much pain. Loved it.

[lisa2013_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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.”

[acargile-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I hope The Barren Grounds touches y'all more than it touched me. It's set in Canada, using the basic story idea of Narnia and placing it in a First Nations context.

Morgan possesses a giant chip on her shoulder. Her anger bubbles up very easily and she unleashes it easily. In other words, she's a big prickly. You can't blame her--she's been a foster kid for a very long time. She's been in homes that weren't bad, but they still aren't home because the family places her in respite care when they want to be "just" their family. How can you feel like part of a family when you are ditched for the family to be together? Morgan finds herself in a new foster home with Katie and James. They have no kids themselves and really and truly want to provide a home to foster kids. Morgan shares the house with another foster kid--Eli. She's pretty protective of him. Katie asks her to walk him to school and make sure he's settled each day. Morgan actually feels better doing these tasks--she's pretty crazy about him. When his sketching pad falls apart because a truck runs over it, Morgan procures a new one.

The beginning of the book presents Morgan, Eli, and enough on the foster parents to show Morgan's reactions to good people and to show that it's a good home, worth coming home to, so to speak. Eli draws a picture and it seems to have a life of its own. After a rough dinner, Morgan escapes to the attic. Eli comes to comfort her. The drawing is his gift to her, but it's different. Cold wind issues forth from it. What's there? Another land? A portal? Morgan worries about the danger running toward them and closes the portal. It's time for bed. When she wakes up in the night, she's cold. Upon arriving in the attic, she realizes Eli is gone.

The other side of the portal reveals a land of talking animals. It's very cold. The Green Time left many years ago-- stolen, leaving an interminable White Time. Eli and Morgan want to help. They feel sorry for the starving people who have been living for many years without warmth and lessening food. They will journey with Ochek (lots of Cree language) and try to find a way to bring the Green Time back. It's on this journey where Morgan finds herself, her past, and family. Her dreams tell her truths that she didn't know or had forgotten.

The novel is fairy short, about 250 pages. I'll admit that the novel bored me--they walk through the cold weather, there's some funny one-liners by a squirrel, and they discover more about themselves. The action is minimal until the end, so you'll have to read the book to see what happens.

[bookwren · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Though this is the first book in a series, it does not have a cliff-hanger ending, which I appreciate. The story starts out rather slow, spending too much time on Morgan's anger. I realize the author was trying to make a point and show how much she changes, but I think this could have been accomplished in fewer pages. But, once she and Eli go to Misewa and meet the animal beings, Ochek and Arik, the plot moves along and we learn more about Morgan than her anger. Eli is a calmer person and good foil for Morgan. I liked being in the world of Misewa, despite the hardships of the winter. The culture of the animal beings seems to be based on the author's Cree heritage.