We were PUMPED to head back to Misewa in book two of David A Robertson’s middle grade series titled The Great Bear. 

In The Great Bear, Morgan and Eli face a new set of challenges at home and in Misewa. Eli is being bullied at school and Morgan is still seeking answers about her history. Why was she taken from her mother and where is her mother now? They are both feeling lonely and missing an old friend. When Eli’s newest drawing gives them a glimpse of the past they head back to Misewa, only this time they go back in time. There they meet Ochek and Arik as younger beings and they stay to help when the village is once again in danger.

Without spoilers, this story was CAPTIVATING! Just like The Barren Grounds before it, it was extremely hard to put down. I also found myself wanting to grab The Barren Grounds to re-read it looking for the foreshadowing and the signs that clued readers in to what would be happening in book two. I will be reading both The Barren Grounds and The Great Bear ahead of the third book in the series you can be sure. I LOVED and HATED how this book left readers on a cliffhanger! It seems to be David A Robertson’s modus operandi because if you have read his Wounded Sky trilogy book two also left readers on a cliffhanger!

This story digs deeper into the racism and the bullying experienced by people of color and Indigenous peoples and the struggle to connect with identity when being constantly ferried around the foster care system. We see Morgan and Eli forge an even stronger bond and begin to feel and act like siblings instead of just roommates. Katie and James are once again trying their best but completely messing things up. There is an acknowledgement that they have really gotten in over their heads but everything they do is coming from a place of care and love. They are not terrible people but readers definitely get the sense that they really aren’t the best people to be fostering a couple of Indigenous children providing an excellent commentary on the issues with the foster care system especially for Indigenous kids.

I CANNOT WAIT for book three, titled The Stone Child! Summer 2022 feels like an excruciatingly long time to wait. Did you hear the amazing news? ABC Signature has bought the production rights to the series so maybe we will get to see the creatures of Misewa on screen in the future!