Get Your Free Audiobook

Prime logo New to Audible Prime Member exclusive:
2 credits with free trial
1 credit a month to use on any title to download and keep
Listen to anything from the Plus Catalogue—thousands of Audible Originals, podcasts and audiobooks
Download titles to your library and listen offline
₹199 per month after 30-day trial. Cancel anytime.
The Barren Grounds cover art

The Barren Grounds

Written by: David A. Robertson
Narrated by: Brefny Caribou
Free with 30-day trial

₹199 per month after 30-day trial. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for ₹904.00

Buy Now for ₹904.00

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice.

Publisher's Summary

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.

©2020 David A. Robertson (P)2020 Penguin Random House Canada

Critic Reviews

2021 Diamond Willow Award

2021 Governor General’s Literary Award - Young People’s Literature - Text

2021 National Chapter IODE Violet Downey Award

2021 Panda Book Award"

2022 Rocky Mountain Book Award

2021 Silver Birch Award for Fiction

2022 Surrey Schools Book of the Year

2021 TD Canadian Children's Literature Award

“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)

“[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 middle-grade fantasy deftly and compellingly centers Indigenous culture." (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

What listeners say about The Barren Grounds

Average Customer Ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.