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“Through Petra’s gut-wrenching, tenderly crafted narrative arc, author Higuera explores how story can awaken empathy, hope, and even resistance in an audience. This is the work of a true cuentista: gripping, euphonious, and full of storytelling magic.”
—Publishers Weekly

Winner of the John Newbery Medal
WINNER OF the Pura Belpré Award
TIME Best of the Year
Wall Street Journal Best of the Year
Minneapolis Star Tribune Best of the Year
Boston Globe Best of the Year
BookPage Best of the Year
Publishers Weekly Best of the Year
School Library Journal Best of the Year
Kirkus Reviews Best of the Year
Bank Street Best of the Year
Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best
New York Public Library Best of the Year
Junior Library Guild gold standard
Cybils Award Finalist

The Last Cuentista

Written by Donna and Barba Higuera
Published by Levine Querido

Había una vez…

There lived a girl named Petra Peña, who wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller, like her abuelita.

But Petra’s world is ending. Earth has been destroyed by a comet, and only a few hundred scientists and their children – among them Petra and her family – have been chosen to journey to a new planet. They are the ones who must carry on the human race.

Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to this new planet – and the discovery that she is the only person who remembers Earth. A sinister Collective has taken over the ship during its journey, bent on erasing the sins of humanity’s past. They have systematically purged the memories of all aboard – or purged them altogether.

Petra alone now carries the stories of our past, and with them, any hope for our future. Can she make them live again?

Look for the Spanish version, La Última Cuentista

Don’t miss the rest of the series! Explore:

Primary ISBN: 9781646140893
Publication Date: October 2021
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook, eBook
Young Adult, Age 12 or older

Community Represented:

Themes: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Setting: United States & the Universe

Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: Immigrant

Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience

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