Celebrate and explore some of today’s best Canadian children’s authors and illustrators!

In David A. Robertson’s The Barren Grounds, Narnia meets traditional Indigenous stories of the sky and constellations. 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 – until they find a secret place, walled-off in an unfinished attic bedroom. There, a portal opens to another reality, where Morgan and Eli are thrust into a dangerous mission to save a community called Misewa before the icy grip of winter freezes everything, including them.

Tune in for a glimpse into this epic fantasy adventure! Award-winning author David A. Robertson will give a family-friendly reading from The Barren Grounds as part of TIFA’s exclusive event series spotlighting the finalists for the GGBooks Young People’s Literature categories. The 2020 GGBooks Literary Awards winners will be announced on June 1.

Recommended for ages 10 and up.

This event is organized in collaboration with the Canada Council for the Arts to celebrate the Governor General’s Literary Awards.