Synopses & Reviews
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.
Review
"This middle-grade fantasy deftly and compellingly centers Indigenous culture." Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
Review
"...The Barren Grounds
offers young readers a heroic quest styled like those found in Susan
Cooper's The Dark Is Rising series, Brian Jacques's Redwall series and,
of course, The Chronicles of Narnia." Shelf Awareness
Review
"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
Review
"...ending with the
promise of a second installment, this novel is a complete tale all on
its own, full of peril, friendship, loss, and love, where lonely kids
become family and broken identities are mended." Bulletin of Center for Child Books
Review
"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
About the Author
David A. Robertson is the author of numerous books for young readers including
When We Were Alone, which won the 2017 Governor General's Literary Award and was nominated for the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award.
Strangers, the first book in his Reckoner trilogy, a young adult
supernatural mystery, won the 2018 Michael Van Rooy Award for Genre
Fiction (Manitoba Book Awards). A sought-after speaker and educator,
Dave is a member of the Norway House Cree Nation and currently lives in
Winnipeg. For more information, visit his website: www.darobertson.ca
and follow him on Twitter: @DaveAlexRoberts