David Alexander Robertson (born 12 January 1977) is a Canadian author and public speaker from Winnipeg, Manitoba. He has published over 25 books across a variety of genres and is a two-time winner of the Governor General's Literary Award. He will be a keynote speaker at the 2026 IBBY Congress in Ottawa. I thought I should explore some of his books or at least familiarise myself with them before I hope to read many in Canada and at the Congress.
About the Misewa Saga: Morgan and Eli are Indigenous children who discover a portal at their foster home to another world, Askī; there they discover talking animal beings who connect them to traditional ways, as well as help them deal with the challenges in the real world. A fantasy for readers aged ten and up, the Misewa Saga (“misewa” is Cree for “all that is”) series reflects stories of the sky and the constellations held within its great canvas.
Here are some of his children's titles.
Ispík kákí péyakoyak | When We Were Alone (2020)
On the Trapline (2021)
Strangers (The Reckoner Trilogy, Book 1) (2017)
Monsters (The Reckoner Trilogy, Book 2) (2018)
Ghosts (The Reckoner Trilogy, Book 3) (2019)
The Barren Grounds (The Misewa Saga, Book One) (2020)
The Great Bear (The Misewa Saga, Book Two) (2021)
The Stone Child (The Misewa Saga, Book Three) (2022)
The Portal Keeper (The Misewa Saga Book Four) (2023)
The Sleeping Giant (The Miswea Saga, Book Five) (2025)
The World's End is the newest title in this series - Book Six
You will find a longer list here. And you can read more about his adult books and YA titles here.
Blurb: A picture book that celebrates fathers and grandfathers. A boy and Moshom, his grandpa, travel to visit a place very special to Moshom – the trapline his family used when he grew up. The boy imagines life two generations ago, and what is different and what is similar to his life now. A beautiful introduction to Indigenous culture, as well as – more generally – family histories.
Blurb: When a young girl helps tend to her grandmother's garden, she begins to notice things about her grandmother that make her curious. Why does her grandmother have long braided hair and wear beautifully coloured clothing? Why does she speak another language and spend so much time with her family? As she asks her grandmother about these things, she is told about life in a residential school a long time ago, where everything was taken away.
When I attended the USBBY Conference in Seattle I read this book which opened my eyes to the experience of children in Canada who were placed in residential schools. Here is a list of other books complied by David A Robertson on this topic.
This book has just been released. Here is the bookseller blurb: When I'm a moshom, a long, long time from now, I will watch my grandchildren dance and play hockey, and I will be the loudest one cheering. I will take them on the trapline and teach them how to fish. I will feed them Bannock and share stories about our community. I will tell them I love them, just like my moshom did. This heartwarming story thoughtfully explores the legacy of love, traditions and heritage passed down from generation to generation. Through the eyes of three siblings and their moshom (grandfather), readers are taken on a journey filled with cherished moments, from cheering at sports events to sharing traditional Cree knowledge and language. This picture book beautifully captures the bonds between grandparents and grandchildren, making it perfect for shared reading and an ideal gift for special occasions like birthdays, holidays or family celebrations.
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