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renatasnacks 's review for:
The Barren Grounds
by David A. Robertson
I had this billed to me as "Indigenous Narnia" and I was like, heck yes! It does deliver on that concept, as 2 Canadian First Nations kids, Morgan and Eli, who are not siblings by birth but have both been taken in as foster kids by the same white couple. Morgan has been through a bunch of different foster homes and is an Angry Young Lady, while Eli is shy and likes drawing. Anyway he draws a magic portal and both kids travel through the paper where they end up on a quest to save a land that's been frozen into eternal winter.
Anyway, the specific details of the land (Aski) are based in Cree lore, which it turns out Eli is familiar with because he lived with his Cree family for longer before being placed in foster care, while Morgan knows very little about Cree culture (despite being born Cree). This puts Eli at a bit of an advantage in the world which flips their dynamic a little bit. I loved the relationship between these siblings, and I loved the twist this book placed on portal fantasy.
I will say in terms of writing this was a little clunky in places? One thing that sticks out to me--and maybe just because I recently read [b:Echo Mountain|51969326|Echo Mountain|Lauren Wolk|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1571686964l/51969326._SY75_.jpg|73478896] which went into so much detail about Appalachian folk remedies--is there's a part where Morgan is instructed to hold a burning coal to someone else's wound and then she immediately notes that it "cauterized" the wound and they move on from that without really explaining what that means? Which maybe SOME tweens already learned from like, reading Echo Mountain or perhaps from reading Star Wars novels about the aftermath of lightsaber battles, but it felt like the novel could have done a bit more work to contextualize that whole thing. (Honestly, given the other contemporary references in the book--compare it to Star Wars).
Anyway, all in all a good middle grade portal fantasy that's, yes, great for Narnia fans, as well as fans of outdoor survival stories and those who want to learn more about indigenous lore.
Anyway, the specific details of the land (Aski) are based in Cree lore, which it turns out Eli is familiar with because he lived with his Cree family for longer before being placed in foster care, while Morgan knows very little about Cree culture (despite being born Cree). This puts Eli at a bit of an advantage in the world which flips their dynamic a little bit. I loved the relationship between these siblings, and I loved the twist this book placed on portal fantasy.
I will say in terms of writing this was a little clunky in places? One thing that sticks out to me--and maybe just because I recently read [b:Echo Mountain|51969326|Echo Mountain|Lauren Wolk|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1571686964l/51969326._SY75_.jpg|73478896] which went into so much detail about Appalachian folk remedies--is there's a part where Morgan is instructed to hold a burning coal to someone else's wound and then she immediately notes that it "cauterized" the wound and they move on from that without really explaining what that means? Which maybe SOME tweens already learned from like, reading Echo Mountain or perhaps from reading Star Wars novels about the aftermath of lightsaber battles, but it felt like the novel could have done a bit more work to contextualize that whole thing. (Honestly, given the other contemporary references in the book--compare it to Star Wars).
Anyway, all in all a good middle grade portal fantasy that's, yes, great for Narnia fans, as well as fans of outdoor survival stories and those who want to learn more about indigenous lore.