The Last Cuentista | Chronicle Books
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The Last Cuentista

Newbery Medal Winner
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Donna Barba Higuera
Habia una vez . . . There lived a girl named Petra Pena, 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 ...
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"Gripping in its twists and turns, and moving in its themes — truly a beautiful cuento."
—The New York Times

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Habia una vez . . .

There lived a girl named Petra Pena, 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?

Pura Belpre Honor-winning author Donna Barba Higuera presents us with a brilliant journey through the stars, to the very heart of what makes us human.

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 336
Size: 5.5 x 8.25
Age Range: Levine Querido
Publication Date: 10/12/2021
ISBN: 9781646140893
Donna Barba Higuera grew up in Central California and now lives in the Pacific Northwest. She has spent her entire life blending folklore with her experiences into stories that fill her imagination. Now she weaves them to write picture books and novels. Donna's first book, Lupe Wong Won't Dance, won a Sid Fleischman Award for Humor and a Pura Belpré Honor.

Her second novel, The Last Cuentista, received the John Newbery Medal and the Pura Belpré Award. It was named one of the Best Books of the Year by the Boston Globe, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Wall Street Journal, and TIME.

"Gripping in its twists and turns, and moving in its themes — truly a beautiful cuento."
—The New York Times

"Clever and compelling … wonderfully subversive."
—The Wall Street Journal

★ "This tale packs a wallop. Exquisite."
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "Gripping, euphonious, and full of storytelling magic."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "A strong, heroic character, fighting incredible odds to survive and protect others."
—School Library Journal, starred review

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