The Barren Grounds

The Barren Grounds

By David A. Robertson

 

Morgan is a thirteen-year-old foster kid who was taken away from her mother when she was only three. She has lived with many different families, none of whom have ever made her feel truly at home.  By the time she moves in with Katie and James, she is just plain angry.

Eli is about a year younger than Morgan, but he was only taken from his family recently.  He remembers everything about them and his Indigenous community.  He misses them desperately, but now he must live with Katie and James too.

The good news is, Katie and James really want to be good parents and try their best to welcome Morgan and Eli into their home.  But when they buy Morgan a pair of moccasins to help her connect with her First Nations culture, Morgan loses her cool.  What do these white parents know about her culture anyway?

As Morgan and Eli try to find their footing in their new home, they discover a secret passageway in the attic.  After Eli disappears through the portal, Morgan goes after him.  Plunged into a blizzard, Morgan has no idea where to go.  When Ochek appears, he guides her to his home village where she finds Eli warm and dry.

But Ochek’s village is dying.  His world, known as Aski, is in perpetual winter, and there’s nothing left to eat.  As Morgan and Eli get to know Ochek, a fisher (who wears clothes and talks) and his squirrel companion, Arik, they decide to stay and help them get back to the Green Time, when the sun shone and game was plentiful.

Told as an allegory about the loss of Indigenous lands and culture, The Barren Grounds is a riveting fantasy novel.  Not only do the characters go on a quest through a wondrous landscape, but they also learn valuable lessons about their own strength of character and their own culture.  By the time Morgan and Eli return to their foster home, they are changed people, connected to the land, to their Indigenous communities and to each other.

The Barren Grounds is book one of the Misewa Saga.  Highly recommended!

The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel

Mars Patel

By Sheela Chari

Eleven-year-old Mars Patel is constantly being sent to detention at H.G. Wells Middle School.  He is famous for pulling pranks and generally being disruptive.  Mars is regarded as the leader of his gang of friends, all of whom have their own quirks.  Caddie can sense other people’s thoughts and feelings.  J.P. has super strength.  And Toothpick is incredibly intelligent. 

Despite getting in trouble all the time, Mars dreams of attending the prestigious Pruitt Prep, run by his hero, Oliver Pruitt.  Famous for his world renowned podcast, Oliver Pruitt is a genius, and his motto is “to the stars!”

But Mars has more immediate problems than taking the GIFT admissions test to get into the school of his dreams.  His friends Aurora and Jonas have both gone missing.  As he tries to determine what has happened to them, Mars learns that kids all over the world have been going missing, but no adults seem to care.

Soon Mars discovers that there may be a connection between Pruitt Prep and the missing kids.  As he and his friends begin to investigate, they notice that strange things are starting to happen. When they row out to Gale Island, reputed location of Pruitt Prep, their quirks become amplified so that they almost have super powers.  Yet they are followed by something that emits a terrifying howl, and they know they are in danger.  Stranger still, every time they get into trouble, their teacher, Mr. Q. shows up and rescues them.

Will Mars and his friends ever track down Aurora and Jonas?  Can they do it without getting expelled from H.G. Wells?  Is Mr. Q. really just a likeable teacher?  These questions and more are answered in The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel.  If you like science, mystery and adventure, this book is for you!

Witches of Brooklyn

 Witches of Brooklyn

By Sophie Escabasse

When 11-year old Effie’s mother dies, she moves in with her two strange aunts who live together in a Brooklyn brownstone. Montreal-based author illustrator Sophie Escabasse delivers vivid images for this feelgood story. In the middle of one of her first nights staying there, Effie’s favourite singer and idol, Tilly Shoo, shows up at the house. Tilly has come for her aunts healing powers and at first Effie believes her aunts, Carlotta and Selimene, are acupuncturists and herbalists, but soon enough she realizes there may be magic at play. Is Effie magic, too? This is a delightful and warm fantasy graphic novel for ages 8-12.