David A. Robertson

David A. Robertson

David A. Robertson is a writer, journalist, and the recipient of the 2021 Writers Union of Canada Freedom to Read Award. His numerous books for young readers include the Governor General’s Literary Award Winners On the Trapline and When We Were Alone. His middle-grade fantasy series, The Misewa Saga, includes the national bestsellers The Barren Grounds and The Great Bear. His memoir, Black Water: Family, Legacy, and Blood Memory, was a Globe and Mail and Quill and Quire book of the year in 2020. Robertson is also the writer and host of the award-winning podcast Kiwew.

He is a member of Norway House Cree Nation and lives with his family in Winnipeg.

Website: darobertson.ca
Twitter: @davealexroberts
Instagram: @davidrobertsonwriter

David Robertson’s vivid storytelling shows us in heart-aching detail that while his characters may not live on their homeland, their homeland lives on in them.” –Wab Kinew

FESTIVAL BOOK

On the Trapline

A picture book celebrating Indigenous culture and traditions. The Governor General Award-winning team behind When We Were Alone shares a story that honours our connections to our past and our grandfathers and fathers.

A boy and Moshom, his grandpa, take a trip together to visit a place of great meaning to Moshom. A trapline is where people hunt and live off the land, and it was where Moshom grew up. As they embark on their northern journey, the child repeatedly asks his grandfather, “Is this your trapline?” Along the way, the boy finds himself imagining what life was like two generations ago – a life that appears to be both different from and similar to his life now. This is a heartfelt story about memory, imagination and intergenerational connection that perfectly captures the experience of a young child’s wonder as he is introduced to places and stories that hold meaning for his family.

GET THE BOOK

Owl’s Nest Books (Calgary) | Calgary Public Library

The Theory of Crows

A poignant and evocative novel about the bonds of family and the gifts offered by the land.

When a troubled father and his estranged teenage daughter head out onto the land in search of the family trapline, they find their way back to themselves, and to each other

Deep in the night, Matthew paces the house, unable to rest. Though his 16-year-old daughter, Holly, lies sleeping on the other side of the bedroom door, she is light years away from him. How can he bridge the gap between them when he can’t shake the emptiness he feels inside? Holly knows her father is drifting further from her; what she doesn’t understand is why. Could it be her fault that he seems intent on throwing everything away, including their relationship?

Following a devastating tragedy, Matthew and Holly head out onto the land in search of a long-lost cabin on the family trapline, miles from the Cree community they once called home. But each of them is searching for something more than a place. Matthew hopes to reconnect with the father he has just lost; Holly goes with him because she knows the father, she is afraid of losing won’t be able to walk away. When things go wrong during the journey, they find they have only each other to turn to for support. What happens to father and daughter on the land will test them, and eventually heal them, in ways they never thought possible.

GET THE BOOK

Owl’s Nest Books (Calgary) | Calgary Public Library

The Stone Child

It’s a race against time to save Eli, in this third book in the award-winning, Narnia-inspired Indigenous middle-grade fantasy series. 

After discovering a near-lifeless Eli at the base of the Great Tree, Morgan knows she doesn’t have much time to save him. And it will mean asking for help — from friends old and new. Racing against the clock, and with Arik and Emily at her side, Morgan sets off to follow the trail away from the Great Tree to find Eli’s soul before it’s too late. As they journey deep into the northern woods, a place they’ve been warned never to enter, they face new challenges and life-threatening attacks from strange and horrifying creatures. But a surprise ally comes to their aid, and Morgan finds the strength to focus on what’s most important: saving her brother’s life.

GET THE BOOK

Owl’s Nest Books (Calgary) | Calgary Public Library

 

ALL EVENTS WITH David A. Robertson

7:30 PM
Truth & Reconciliation: One Town’s Story
Sep 30 @ 7:30 PM MT - 8:45 PM MT

Memorial Park Library, 2nd Floor

1221 2 St SW
3 PM
Inter-Activity: Mind Games
Oct 01 @ 3 PM MT - 4:15 PM MT

Memorial Park Library, 2nd Floor

1221 2 St SW
1 PM
Shelagh Rogers in Conversation with David A. Robertson
Oct 02 @ 1 PM MT - 2:15 PM MT

DJD Dance Centre

111 12 Ave SE
9:30 AM
Free Family Storytime with David A. Robertson
Oct 04 @ 9:30 AM MT - 10:15 AM MT

Shaikh Family Welcome Gallery, Level 1

800 3 St SE