The Barren Grounds

The Barren Grounds is a middle-grade children's book by David A. Robertson, published September 8, 2020 by Puffin Books. The publisher has named it a juxtaposition between traditional Indigenous stories and C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia.

In the book, two Indigenous foster children, Morgan and Eli, find a portal in an unfinished attic bedroom that leads them into another reality, Askí. There, they meet friends and foes, and learn traditional Indigenous modes of survival.

Reception
The Barren Grounds was a CBC Books number one bestseller for children's books for six nonconsecutive weeks, and remained on the list for over a year following publication. 20–26 Sep 2020 · 27 Sep – 3 Oct 2020 · 4–10 Oct 2020 · 11–17 Oct 2020 · 18–24 Oct 2020 · 25–31 Oct 2020 · 1–7 Nov 2020 · 15–21 Nov 2020 · 22–28 Nov 2020 · 27 Dec 2020 – 2 Jan 2021 · 3–9 Jan 2021 · 10–16 Jan 2021 · 17–23 Jan 2021 · 7–13 Mar 2021 · 14–20 Mar 2021 · 21–27 Mar 2021 · 28 Mar – 3 Apr 2021 · 4–10 Apr 2021 · 11–17 Apr 2021 · 25 Apr – 1 May 2021 · 2–8 May 2021 · 9–15 May 2021 · 16–22 May 2021 · 23–31 May 2021 · 6–12 Jun 2021 · 18–24 Jul 2021 · 25–31 Jul 2021 · 8–14 Aug 2021 · 15–21 Aug 2021 · 29 Aug – 4 Sep 2021 · 19–25 Sep 2021 · 26 Sep – 2 Oct 2021

The book received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, as well as positive reviews from Toronto Star, Toronto Public Library, CM Magazine, and Publishers Weekly. NPR's Code Switch team named it one of five underappreciated books published in 2020.

Canadian Children's Book News, CBC Books,  and Quill & Quire  named The Barren Grounds one of the best books for young people in 2020.

Adaption
On October 7, 2021, Robertson announced that ABC Signature had bought film rights to the Misewa Saga series.