Narnia meets traditional Indigenous stories of the sky and constellations in an epic middle grade fantasy series from award-winning author David Robertson.
Morgan and Eli, two Indigenous children forced away from their families and communities, are brought together in a foster home in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They each feel disconnected, from their culture and each other, and struggle to fit in at school and at their new home -- until they find a secret place, walled off in an unfinished attic bedroom. A portal opens to another reality, Askí, bringing them onto frozen, barren grounds, where they meet Ochek (Fisher). The only hunter supporting his starving community, Misewa, Ochek welcomes the human children, teaching them traditional ways to survive. But as the need for food becomes desperate, they embark on a dangerous mission. Accompanied by Arik, a sassy Squirrel they catch stealing from the trapline, they try to save Misewa before the icy grip of winter freezes everything -- including them.
NOMINEE
| 2022 Surrey Schools Book of the Year
LONGLIST
| 2022 First Nations Communities Read Award
SELECTION
| 2022 YALSA Best Books for Young Adults
NOMINEE
| 2022 Rocky Mountain Book Award
AWARD
| 2021 Freedom to Read
HONOR
| 2021 USBBY-CBC Outstanding International Trade Book
NOMINEE
| 2021 Panda Book Award
SHORTLIST
| 2021 National Chapter IODE Violet Downey Award
SHORTLIST
| 2021 TD Canadian Children's Literature Award
FINALIST
| 2021 Diamond Willow Award
SELECTION
| 2021 Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award
NOMINEE
| 2021 Silver Birch Award for Fiction
FINALIST
| 2020 Governor General’s Literary Award - Young People’s Literature - Text
A 2021 Governor General’s Literary Award for Young People's Literature Nominee One of Quill & Quire's Best Books of 2020 Recommended by booksellers on NPR's Code Switch One of CBC Books' Best Middle-Grade and Young Adult Books of 2020 One of Canadian Children's Book News’ Best Books of 2020 A CBC Books Bestseller
PRAISE FOR The Barren Grounds:
"This middle-grade fantasy deftly and compellingly centers Indigenous culture." —STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews
“[T]he treatment of Cree culture resonates, and the engaging characters and folklore ensure readers will look forward to the next installment.” —Publishers Weekly
“This is a book that is rich in its characterization, evocative in its descriptions, and skillful in its weaving together of traditions of the past and life in the present.” —CM Magazine
“Reminiscent of C.S. Lewis’s Narnia stories, this fantasy is very much its own tale of ruptured Indigenous culture, of environmental reciprocity and care.” —Toronto Star
“The Barren Grounds has a strong message about living with the earth and not taking more than you need.” —Toronto Public Library
"David A. Robertson has written such a fine, beautiful novel. He manages to combine hard truths about our history with a Narnia-like fantasy, sweeping us into the world of the story while opening our hearts as well." —Susin Nielsen, author of We Are All Made of Molecules and No Fixed Address
DAVID A. ROBERTSON is the author of numerous books for young readers including Governor General’s Literary Award winners On the Trapline and When We Were Alone. The Barren Grounds, Book 1 of The Misewa Saga series, was a Kirkus, NPR, and Quill & Quire best middle-grade book of 2020, as well as a USBBY and Texas Lone Star selection. Winner of the Writers’ Union of Canada’s Freedom to Read Award, as well as the 2021 Globe and Mail Children’s Storyteller of the Year recipient, Dave is a member of Norway House Cree Nation and currently lives in Winnipeg, Canada. For more information, visit his website: www.darobertson.ca and follow him on X: @DaveAlexRoberts.
View titles by David A. Robertson
Narnia meets traditional Indigenous stories of the sky and constellations in an epic middle grade fantasy series from award-winning author David Robertson.
Morgan and Eli, two Indigenous children forced away from their families and communities, are brought together in a foster home in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They each feel disconnected, from their culture and each other, and struggle to fit in at school and at their new home -- until they find a secret place, walled off in an unfinished attic bedroom. A portal opens to another reality, Askí, bringing them onto frozen, barren grounds, where they meet Ochek (Fisher). The only hunter supporting his starving community, Misewa, Ochek welcomes the human children, teaching them traditional ways to survive. But as the need for food becomes desperate, they embark on a dangerous mission. Accompanied by Arik, a sassy Squirrel they catch stealing from the trapline, they try to save Misewa before the icy grip of winter freezes everything -- including them.
Awards
NOMINEE
| 2022 Surrey Schools Book of the Year
LONGLIST
| 2022 First Nations Communities Read Award
SELECTION
| 2022 YALSA Best Books for Young Adults
NOMINEE
| 2022 Rocky Mountain Book Award
AWARD
| 2021 Freedom to Read
HONOR
| 2021 USBBY-CBC Outstanding International Trade Book
NOMINEE
| 2021 Panda Book Award
SHORTLIST
| 2021 National Chapter IODE Violet Downey Award
SHORTLIST
| 2021 TD Canadian Children's Literature Award
FINALIST
| 2021 Diamond Willow Award
SELECTION
| 2021 Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award
NOMINEE
| 2021 Silver Birch Award for Fiction
FINALIST
| 2020 Governor General’s Literary Award - Young People’s Literature - Text
Praise
A 2021 Governor General’s Literary Award for Young People's Literature Nominee One of Quill & Quire's Best Books of 2020 Recommended by booksellers on NPR's Code Switch One of CBC Books' Best Middle-Grade and Young Adult Books of 2020 One of Canadian Children's Book News’ Best Books of 2020 A CBC Books Bestseller
PRAISE FOR The Barren Grounds:
"This middle-grade fantasy deftly and compellingly centers Indigenous culture." —STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews
“[T]he treatment of Cree culture resonates, and the engaging characters and folklore ensure readers will look forward to the next installment.” —Publishers Weekly
“This is a book that is rich in its characterization, evocative in its descriptions, and skillful in its weaving together of traditions of the past and life in the present.” —CM Magazine
“Reminiscent of C.S. Lewis’s Narnia stories, this fantasy is very much its own tale of ruptured Indigenous culture, of environmental reciprocity and care.” —Toronto Star
“The Barren Grounds has a strong message about living with the earth and not taking more than you need.” —Toronto Public Library
"David A. Robertson has written such a fine, beautiful novel. He manages to combine hard truths about our history with a Narnia-like fantasy, sweeping us into the world of the story while opening our hearts as well." —Susin Nielsen, author of We Are All Made of Molecules and No Fixed Address
DAVID A. ROBERTSON is the author of numerous books for young readers including Governor General’s Literary Award winners On the Trapline and When We Were Alone. The Barren Grounds, Book 1 of The Misewa Saga series, was a Kirkus, NPR, and Quill & Quire best middle-grade book of 2020, as well as a USBBY and Texas Lone Star selection. Winner of the Writers’ Union of Canada’s Freedom to Read Award, as well as the 2021 Globe and Mail Children’s Storyteller of the Year recipient, Dave is a member of Norway House Cree Nation and currently lives in Winnipeg, Canada. For more information, visit his website: www.darobertson.ca and follow him on X: @DaveAlexRoberts.
View titles by David A. Robertson
