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Donna Barba Higuera

The Last Cuentista Hardcover – Illustrated, Oct. 12 2021

by Donna Barba Higuera (Author)

4.5 946 ratings

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Winner of the John Newbery Medal
Winner of the Pura Belpré Award

TIME's Best Books of the Year
Wall Street Journal's Best of the Year
Minneapolis Star Tribune's Best of the Year
Boston Globe's Best of the Year
BookPage's Best of the Year
Publishers Weekly's Best of the Year
School Library Journal's Best of the Year
Kirkus Reviews' Best of the Year
Bank Street's Best of the Year
Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best
New York Public Library Best of the Year
A Junior Library Guild Selection
Cybils Award Finalist

From Pura Belpré Award winner and Newbery Medalist, Donna Barba Higuera—a brilliant journey through the stars, to the very heart of what makes us human.

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

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

★ "This tale packs a wallop. Exquisite."—Kirkus Reviews (starred)

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

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

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?

Reading age

10 - 14 years
Print length

336 pages
Language

English
Grade level

Preschool and up
Dimensions

15.11 x 2.79 x 21.72 cm
Publisher

Levine Querido
Publication date

Oct. 12 2021
ISBN-10

1646140893
ISBN-13

978-1646140893
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From the Publisher

“Clever and compelling … wonderfully subversive.” – The Wall Street Journal

Product description

Review

""Truly good children’s books engage and entertain while also helping young readers come to understand themselves and the complicated world they live in. The best picture, middle grade and young adult books of 2021 deftly rise to that challenge, telling stories about identity, allyship and more... Donna Barba Higuera’s The Last Cuentista asks kids to consider the danger of adopting dogmatic beliefs without questioning authority figures." — Time Magazine,

"

"[STAR] “A strong, heroic character, fighting incredible odds to survive and protect others.”— School Library Journal (starred),

"

"[STAR] “Gripping, euphonious, and full of storytelling magic.”— Publishers Weekly (starred),

"

"[STAR] “Higuera spins a tale that crosses the depths of space, interweaving Mexican folklore with a mystical strand of science fiction.”— Kirkus (starred),

"

""The brilliance of Higuera’s narrative is that it shows rather than tells us the power of story. As Petra shares her tales and they guide her shipmates out of darkness, readers will find corners of their own hearts illuminated as well. This book is gripping in its twists and turns, and moving in its themes — truly a beautiful cuento.” — New York Times,

"

""Clever and compelling … wonderfully subversive.” – The Wall Street Journal,

"

"“The Last Cuentista is heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once, and centers family, community, and the oral histories that keep us together.”—Tor.com,

"

?"Science fiction blended with Mexican folklore. If you leave Earth in the knowledge that you can never return, what will you want to take with you? 12 year old Petra Peña chooses her grandmother’s stories. But on board her spaceship a fanatical Collective is bent on creating a utopia by erasing everyone’s memories and purging those they are unable to reprogramme. If we make a new society by forgetting what we have left behind, will we know what it is to be human? A novel about the importance of remembering stories and passing them on, and of creating our own stories." —Five Books

"The Last Cuentista is a beautiful middle grade story of a young Latina who must leave a no longer inhabitable Earth and learns the importance of adapting. Although this is a middle-grade dystopian novel, it is poetically magical while honoring the storytelling of our ancestors and Mexican folklore. The story is fun, vibrant, and relatable. Captivating the reader to partake in a voyage of unforgettable cuento (which means ‘story’ in English of what it means to adapt, believe, and find one’s self." — Al Dia News

"“Readers will find in The Last Cuentista a promise that the past is not the enemy of the future, but a gift that grants the perspective to meet that future with compassion and bravery.” — Bookpage,

"

"[STAR] “Pura Belpré Honor-winning author Donna Barba Higuera (Lupe Wong Won't Dance) deftly blends Mexican folklore with science fiction in this thrilling and emotional post-apocalyptic novel.”—Shelf-Awareness (starred),

"

""A beautifully told story of what makes us human." — Minneapolis Star Tribune,

"

""Petra Peña is twelve when she and her family board one of the last ships leaving Earth just before its imminent destruction by comet. As the remaining Earthlings struggle to survive, all of the cuentos — stories — Petra grew up listening to will turn out to be more powerful than she could have imagined in this thrilling and hopeful work of science fiction."— Boston Globe,

"

About the Author

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.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Levine Querido (Oct. 12 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1646140893
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1646140893
Item weight ‏ : ‎ 553 g
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.11 x 2.79 x 21.72 cm

Best Sellers Rank: #49,671 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #36 in Multicultural Tales & Myths for Children
- #57 in Dystopian Fiction for Children
- #1,703 in Fantasy & Magic for Children (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.5 946 ratings

About the author

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Donna Barba Higuera

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Donna Barba Higuera grew up in a tiny desert town in central California surrounded by agricultural and oil fields. Her favorite childhood activities were calling the library's dial-a-story over and over again and sneaking into a restricted pioneers' cemetery to weave her own spooky tales using the crumbling headstones for inspiration. Donna's Middle Grade and Picture books reinvent history, folklore and her own life experience into compelling storylines.

Donna lives in Washington state with her family, three old dogs and one frog.

For info on all her books and educational guides visit www.dbhiguera.com

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

946 global ratings

5 star		68%
4 star		20%
3 star		8%
2 star		2%
1 star		1%

How are ratings calculated?

Top review from Canada

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Kindle Customer

great book

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on January 5, 2023

Verified Purchase

I love this book so much the amount of twist and terns remind me of the great fire snake. It is sad but in a go way and I strongly suggest it.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Kensi

Wonderful Storytelling

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 9, 2022

Verified Purchase

This was highly recommended in “Bookmarks” magazine so I ordered it an put it aside. When their latest issue named it one of the best books of the year I had to start it and, well, I couldn’t agree more. Absolutely engrossing from beginning to end and I was shedding (happy) tears at the end. I hope more adults give YA books a chance as they honestly have some of the best storytelling around these days. Hollywood needs to option this one as I think it would make a terrific movie. I also want to compliment the publishers, Levine Querido of Chronicle Books, LLC, for the quality of the physical book and the attention to detail in the cover art on the jacket and the book itself. Gorgeous! I usually donate finished books to little lending libraries in my complex or at the park but this one is staying in my library. Pass the word—this one needs more attention from readers.

44 people found this helpful

KaritaG

One of the best books I've read in over a decade

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 15, 2022

Verified Purchase

I'm 42 years old and bought this for my 10 year old advanced reader... Started reading the first chapter just to make sure it was appropriate as far as content and reading level... Got so absorbed I finished it in three days. It's so beautifully written, heartfelt and thought provoking especially given the current state of the world. I will say I think it has some heavy themes for the suggested age range (I personally see that as a bonus... However, I may feel differently in a few years if my super-sensitive youngest wants to read it). Lots of grief and loss and fear, nothing graphic, but lots of ethical/moral metaphors and situations also. I will be thinking about this one for a while. I feel so grateful to have randomly picked it up, and experienced this gorgeous piece of storytelling ❤️

19 people found this helpful

Mr Kaiju

An important and engrossing read

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 8, 2021

Verified Purchase

The Last Cuentista is the rare book that completely entertains, while getting across its theme, that stories are so important because they are the DNA of our culture. It’s classified as MIddle Grade Sci-fi, but it’s SO much more than that. This is a book you can give to any reader of any age and they will find something in it that speaks to them. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

23 people found this helpful

LA in Dallas

The Earth destroyed and stories saved

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 10, 2022

Verified Purchase

Apparently Comet Halley and Earth are due to meet on a very bad date in 2061. The premise of The Last Cuentista ("cuentista" is "storyteller" in Spanish) is that a solar flare will knock Halley off course enough to make it collide with Earth. (This is, of course, ludicrously implausible, but it doesn't really matter. More plausible astronomical catastrophes can easily be imagined, so just take it as read that it was one of those and don't get hung up on poor Halley.) Most of Earth's population is doomed, and there is essentially nothing that can be done to save them.

However, it transpires that by 2061 we have a few starships built and just about ready to launch. (By the way, if this all sounds spoilery, look at the publisher's blurb -- you'll see I'm giving nothing essential away that the publishers didn't already reveal.) Petra's family, the Peñas, is one of the lucky few chosen to board a starship and make the several-hundred-year journey to a new planet. The bad news (what, a comet collision wasn't already bad news?) is that on the starship are a bunch of quasi-religious nutcases called the Collective who believe the comet is an ideal opportunity for humankind to start afresh. The Collective takes over the starship and erases everyone's memories.

Everyone's except Petra's. Petra is thus the last carrier of humanity's memories on the ship. Petra always wanted to be a cuentista like her beloved abuelita (Spanish for grandmother).

So, there are two linked stories in The Last Cuentista. The first is a science fiction adventure plot, about which I will say no more to avoid spoilers. The second is about Petra's becoming a storyteller.

The Last Cuentista reminded me of another Newbery medal winner, Tae Keller's When You Trap a Tiger. There, instead of the hokey science fiction plot (don't get me wrong -- I'm a huge SF fan!) we have a rather ordinary life problem that the narrator, Lily, tries to solve by storytelling. There's also a similar exotic feel, in that Lily's stories are modeled after traditional Korean folklore, while Petra's are modeled after Mexican folklore. I didn't feel The Last Cuentista worked quite as well as When You Trap a Tiger, however.

13 people found this helpful

zephyr

Great book - but two errors not worthy of more than a brief mention in an Amazon review

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 26, 2022

Verified Purchase

Great book. A few minor errors worth recording in cases someone else is curioous about them.

Error 1. In one scene, a character is neutralizing poison. The deadly poison starts with an LD50 of 0.001 ng/kg, then becomes less toxic at an LD50 of 0.0015 ng/kg. Then the (expert) character hopes that "the LD50 will be 0.000 nanograms per kilogram". Whoops.

Error 2. A character (who lives in the future) compares weightless to the Tower of Terror at Disneyland. This ride was replaced in 2017 by "Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout!". The books was copyright 2021, so... ...whoops.

10 people found this helpful

See all reviews

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The Last Cuentista Hardcover – Illustrated, Oct. 12 2021

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About the author

Donna Barba Higuera

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