Other editions of book Lost in the Barrens

Awasin and Jamie, brothers in courage, meet a challenge many mountain men could not endure. When their canoe is destroyed by the fury of the rapids, they must face the wilderness with no food and no hope of rescue. To survive, they build an igloo, battle a towering grizzly bear, track several wolves, slaughter caribou for food and clothing. Two lost huskies they tame bring companionship--and maybe a way home from their dangerous adventure.

Lost in the Barrens is an adventure story that takes place in northern Manitoba and southwestern North West Territories in 1935. It tells a coming of age tale of two boys in their late teens, one a white boy who has recently lost his parents, the other a Cree boy from a tribe living nearby. The boys embark on a mission to relieve the starvation of a neighboring village, occupied by the Chipewyan, but due to a series of unfortunate events become trapped above the tree line in Canada's northern Barren Lands during winter.

Awasin, a Cree Indian boy, and Jamie, a Canadian orphan living with his uncle, the trapper Angus Macnair, are enchanted by the magic of the great Arctic wastes. They set out on an adventure that proves longer and more dangerous than they could have imagined. Drawing on his knowledge of the ways of the wilderness and the implacable northern elements, Farley Mowat has created a memorable tale of daring and adventure. When first published in 1956, Lost in the Barrens won the Governor-General’s Award for Juvenile Literature, the Book-of-the-Year Medal of the Canadian Association of Children’s Librarians and the Boys’ Club of America Junior Book Award.

As thrilling to read now as when it was first published, Farley Mowat's bestselling tale of danger, survival, and companionship in the far North is now available as a Penguin Modern Classic. Awasin, a Cree Indian boy, and Jamie, a Canadian orphan living with his uncle, the trapper Angus Macnair, are enchanted by the magic of the great Arctic wastes. When the boys have a chance to join a band of Chipeweyans on a trip to the remote Barrens, they jump at the opportunity. But when their canoe capsizes and they are separated from the group, it takes all their ingenuity to survive winter in the Barrens. Drawing on his knowledge of the ways of the wilderness and the implacable northern elements, Farley Mowat has created a memorable tale of daring and adventure.