David A. Robertson’s novel The Portal Keeper, a remix of The Chronicles of Narnia set in Winnipeg, is an exciting new instalment that adds its distinct touch on the world that Robertson has been building on for the past four years.
The Portal Keeper picks up where the previous book in the Misewa Saga left us, with foster siblings Morgan and Eli finally back in Misewa after the necessary destruction of what they thought was their only portal back to the place that had become their second home. Now, joined by Eli’s dog Red and Morgan’s girlfriend Emily, they must trek across the North Country in a gruelling journey to find answers that they may or may not be ready for.
Robertson says in lieu of a dedication, or perhaps the words are their own kind of dedication, that “This is a portal story, but really it’s about mirrors and windows. Representation matters.” As Morgan, Eli, Emily, and a very cheerful Red race against time in search for the force that powers the portals to and from Askí, each of the children encounter answers about their own identities and what they stand for. Beyond their friendly banter and Morgan’s plethora of Star Wars references, each young teen is incredibly devoted to keeping each other, and the land they are visiting, safe.
Instead of telling each story as a simple series of events, every book in the Misewa Saga adds another layer of understanding to Morgan, Eli, and Emily’s perceptions of themselves and the world around them. One of the most notable examples of this comes from the character of Mahihkan, a giant wolf and clear-cut foe for the children to face down in the first instalment of this series.
Through, I kid you not, the power of friendship as well as the nuanced push and pull of building trust with someone who has wronged you, Mahihkan has re-emerged in the story by this fourth book as a powerful and steady protective force in the children’s lives. Eli and Mahihkan, who are friends despite the odds, are complemented by Morgan and Emily, who are two peas in a pod — a joyful dynamic that has become even more obvious now that the two of them have finally started dating.
I was surprised by the shift towards a darker tone for the front cover design, which clashes noticeably with the first three books. Now illustrated by Winona Nelson, I found that the chaos and mystery of this series is reflected well by its jacket art. These qualities were already present in the former instalments of this saga, but the illustrations by Natasha Donovan, known for her work on graphic novels like Surviving the City and Borders, brought a soft, rounded and calm feeling to the three previous books, which was done away with for The Portal Keeper.
Winona Nelson’s jacket illustration contributes to the ways that this series is growing with its readership. Known for her contributions primarily to science fiction and fantasy books and franchises such as Artifice, Unikron, and Magic: The Gathering, her taking over as the illustrator for this series makes sense as, like Harry Potter, the Misewa Saga started with a middle-school reader base of whom many are now starting high school. With four books released in this series over the last four years, Robertson has been able to naturally transition the series into one that continues to be interesting to stronger and more adventurous readers.
As we were shown in the second instalment, titled The Great Bear, The Misewa Saga plays around with time and space in ways that continue to enrich the story that Robertson has to tell. Whether Morgan and Eli visit significant figures from their past or are delivered back to the future having gained the opportunity to learn Nêhiyawêwin (Cree) in the meantime, every visit to and encounter in Askí has profound effects on their lives.
The hard-hitting combination of wibbly wobbly, timey-wimey shenanigans alongside family and identity-oriented storytelling makes The Portal Keeper the obvious pick for children and family gifts this holiday.