The Barren Grounds

"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"