5 Cute Fishers for The Barren Grounds

David A. Robertson kicks off his middle grade "Misewa Saga" fantasy series with The Barren Grounds. This series follows two displaced indigenous children, Morgan and Eli, who are trying to adjust to life with their fairly new, well-intentioned, white foster parents whose attempts at connection often fall short. Morgan, who has spent most of her life bouncing from foster family to foster family, doesn't have a sense of place and doesn't feel very connected to her heritage at all. Eli, on the other hand, is new to foster care and is having to cope with being separated from his family and his community. As they try to connect with one another, these two new siblings stumble into Aski, a fantasy world occupied by walking-talking-unbelievably large animals with a valid distrust of humans.

The Misewa Saga has been presented as "Narnia meets traditional indigenous stories," and I think it really hits its mark. The characters are compelling and are all able to grow throughout the novel. In Aski, Morgan and Eli meet Ocheck, a fisher and the only hunter in his village (Misewa), and then they team up with Arik, an enthusiastic rabbit, and embark on a quest to save Misewa by bringing back the summer birds before Misewa's villagers all freeze (and starve).

Throughout The Barren Grounds, Cree language is used and defined and traditional stories are explored and because one of the main character is disconnected from her heritage, this is done in a fairly seamless way. I really liked the complexities of Eli and Morgan's foster family. Their foster parents were clearly well intentioned; as a white couple they were conscientious about seeking out ways to connect their indigenous foster children with their native cultures. Regardless, their attempts often fell flat because, regardless of their intentions, they didn't really know what the children wanted or needed, or how the children felt.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and will certainly be reading more of the series! I'd recommend The Barren Grounds for any middle-grader interested in fantasy as well as anyone interested in learning more about indigenous experiences!