The continuation of a thrilling and heartwarming series, David A. Robertson has once again and not surprisingly, knocked it out of the park in book three of The Misewa Saga: The Stone Child. If you haven’t read book 2, The Great Bear, stop reading now and go and grab that book because spoilers await.

We rejoin Morgan and Eli by The Great Tree. If you recall, Eli has had his soul stolen thanks to Mistapew and Morgan knows if she doesn’t act fast, Eli doesn’t have much time. Recruiting the help of her friend and budding romantic interest, Emily along with the intrepid Arik the group heads out deep into the Northern Woods to do something no one has done before: recover a soul from Mistapew.

David A. Robertson does not skimp on the drama in The Stone Child. New creatures and obstacles face the group as they travel north as well as the return of a surprising ally. I loved that we got to spend the majority of this story in Aski. Although the real world scenes are important to the overall storytelling, the times in Aski are the most thrilling. David A. Robertson has created a vast and interesting world for readers in Aski through the anthropomorphic residents and the beautiful descriptions of the land, it’s easy for the readers to fall right into step along with Morgan.

There were beautiful moments throughout the story that connected to traditions, ceremonies and stories of Cree people. There is the story of Mistapew as the thread throughout the story as well as the connections to the stars, messages in dreams and the sweat lodge. I love the Cree language throughout the story and thanks to the pronunciation guide am able to connect with the words.

I love that we get to see an evolution of Morgan as a character. She grows and begins to reconnect with the part of her that she thought was lost. Even though Eli was not around for most of the story to guide her learning of her culture, he was certainly there in spirit. There is an incredible moment near the end of the book that helps to highlight Morgan’s learning and understanding of the past:

“If you make a mistake, you’re not making a mistake because you are white or because you’re Cree. You’re making a mistake because you are a human beings. Humans make mistakes.”

An incredible reminder to young readers about making mistakes and learning through them.

As always, David A. Robertson takes readers on an incredible journey and leave us wanting more. Thank goodness we don’t have to say goodbye to these characters any time soon, since we have three more books to look forward to.