Couverture / Jaquette

Two Indigenous foster children discover a portal to another reality, Aski, where they embark on a dangerous mission to help the starving community there. The exciting first book in this epic Narnia-inspired Indigenous middle-grade fantasy series.

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.

Note biographique

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. The third book in the series, The Stone Child, was a 2023 co-winner of the McNally Robinson Book for Young People Award (Older Category).  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.

Fonctionnalité

AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR: David Robertson won the prestigious Governor General's Award in 2018 with his picture book When We Were Alone (illustrated by Julie Morstad), which was also shortlisted for the equally prestigious TD Children's Literature Award.

COMPELLING MIDDLE-GRADE FANTASY: Combining C. S. Lewis' classic The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe with Indigenous stories of the sky and constellations, David has written a fantasy adventure that already feels like a classic, complete with talking animals and a journey through the wilderness in an effort to save the world.

#OWNVOICES AUTHOR: David is a member of Norway House Cree Nation.

PROFILE ON THE RISE: Demand for school visits and festival appearances is on the rise.

PAPERBACK EDITION publishing alongside the second book in the series, The Great Bear.

Détails