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.