Lost in the Barrens

infobox Book |
name = Lost in the Barrens


image_caption = Cover of the 22nd edition (hard cover)
author = Farley Mowat
illustrator = Charles Geer
cover_artist =
country = Canada
language = English
series =
genre = Children's
publisher = Little, Brown & Co
pub_date = June 1956
pages =
isbn = ISBN 978-0316586382
preceded_by =
followed_by = Curse of the Viking Grave

"Lost in the Barrens" is a children's novel by Farley Mowat, first published in 1956. Some editions used the title "Two Against the North".

It won a Governor General's Award in 1956 and the Canada Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award in 1958. [ [http://www.canadacouncil.ca/prizes/ggla/ Governor General's Literary Awards] ] [ [http://www.cla.ca/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Book_of_the_Year_for_Children_Award&Template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=2501 CLA Book of the Year for Children Award - Past Winners] ]

Plot summary

The book tells of boys in their late teens: one white boy who has recently lost his parents, and one Indian boy from the Cree tribe of the same age. The boys embark on a mission to relieve the starvation of a neighbouring Indian village, the Chipewyans, but due to a series of unfortunate events become trapped above the tree line in Canada's Barren Lands during winter. The characters emerge again in Mowat's Curse of the Viking Grave.

The parents of Jamie (the white boy) died in a car crash, thus he was under the care of his trapper uncle, Angus. Angus had supported Jamie's boarding-school fees for a long time, until the fur trade had declined. Angus could no longer support Jamie's school. Thus, Jamie left the boarding school to live with his uncle. Jamie made friends with the Cree Tribe's Chief's son, Awasin. Then the Chief thought a trader was cheating him, so he asked Angus and Jamie to go with him. Then, it was decided that Jamie would stay with Awasin for Angus' canoe could not hold 3 people and other things. Unfortunately, Jamie's dream was partly crushed for they had too much work to be exploring. Then, when Jamie's dreams were about to perish, Chipeweyans come to the Crees for help. The Chipeweyans were starving because the deer did not come at its usual time in the year. Awasin's mother was suspicious that the Chipeweyans may just be looking for a free handout, and so the boys agreed to go with them back to the Chipeweyan's camp to prove they needed the supplies. Jamie decides he wants to go too, so the two and the Chipeweyans who came (including Denikazi, their leader), canoes back to the Chipeweyan camp. There, Denikazi misunderstood for he thought Jamie and Awasin were going with them on the hunt for the deer. This is how Jamie and Awasin start their journey for the deer hunt out in the barrens. Soon, they go up to the North farther and farther, but they do not find any 'deer'(in the book, deer means caribou). So, Denikazi orders Jamie and Awasin to stay with two young Chipeweyans at a certain point until they come back. He includes that they should run, and forget about the camp should they encounter Eskimos. In this book, the Chipeweyans and the Crees are deadly afraid of the Eskimos. The galixsy, as the Crees know it, they went and hunted as far north as they wanted to for deer, for the Crees had guns and Eskimos didn't. Then, Eskimos got guns and fought back. Anyway, while staying with the 2 young Chipeweyan hunters, Jamie decides he wants to take the chance and explore. He tricks Awasin into it, and later Awasin gives in. They go up to see the 'stone house' that one of the 2 Chipeweyans told them about. There, they try to find it but unexpectedly meets a whirlpool and barely survive. There was not much but enough in the Canoe for them to survive. They can't use the canoe to go back, for it was broken. When the 2 young Chipeweyans found out that Awasin and Jamie was gone, so they went on a search for them. Their search is abruptly stopped when they saw a glance of an Eskimo. As for Jamie and Awasin, they decide to go in the way of Denikazi and the group so they can join them to the journey back. A problem occurs, for one of Denikazi's men see an Eskimo and fled quietly back, missing Jamie and Awasin. Soon, Jamie and Awasin realize that they missed Denikazi and his men, and decide that they need to build a shelter and hunt for food. They did see the Stone house and found out that it was a grave of a Viking.) At first, they hunt some does (caribous), trap ground squirrels, fish for fish, and later hunts bucks (caribous) that are migrating. They find a hidden valley, where there is wood for them to build a cabin and make fire. There are also bucks that are not migrating and spending the winter there. When one morning, the weather is a bit nice, they start their sudden journey back for they didn't want to miss this chance. They soon gets in trouble by snow blindness. (at this point, they find 2 dogs, Fang and Ayuskeemo, of the Eskimos that got lost) They realize that they can't make it, and tries to go back when luckily they find an igloo. It was an igloo of an Eskimo. (by this point, their 'pet fawn' that they met while killing some does gets killed by wolves and wolverines.) The dogs get in a fight, and Jamie and the Eskimo, Peetyuk, work together to stop the fight. Then they become friends and after a visit to the Eskimos, the three make it to the Cree camp. (Angus came back from his journey)This long journey not only was an entertaining adventure, but a factor to grow the everlasting friendship between Jamie and Awasin. This story is about friendship and survival, and trust.

The story takes place in Northern Manitoba/Northwest Territories, where the temperature is very cold.

References