The Last Cuentista: Newbery Medal Winner

Winner of the Newbery Medal--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

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?

P R A I S E

"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)

WINNER

John Newbery Medal - Pura Belpré Award

BEST OF THE YEAR

TIME - Wall Street Journal - Minneapolis Star Tribune's - Boston Globe - BookPage - Publishers Weekly - School Library Journal - Kirkus - Bank Street - Chicago Public Library - New York Public Library


Author: Donna Barba Higuera
Publisher: Lantern Paperbacks
Published: 03/26/2024
Pages: 352
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.94lbs
Size: 8.28h x 5.58w x 0.71d
ISBN: 9781646144129
Audience: Young Adult

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5
Point Value: 11
Interest Level: Middle Grade Plus
Quiz #/Name: 515177 / Last Cuentista

About the Author

Donna Barba Higuera is an award-winning author who masterfully blends folklore with her lived experiences to create captivating stories for young readers. Growing up in the dust-filled oil fields of Central California, she spent her life weaving tales that sparked her imagination.

Now residing in the Pacific Northwest with her family and a lively menagerie of pets, Donna is the acclaimed author of picture books like El Cucuy Is Scared, Too! and The Yellow Handkerchief. Her middle-grade novels have garnered significant recognition: Lupe Wong Won't Dance received the Sid Fleischman Award for Humor and a Pura Belpré Honor, while her second novel, The Last Cuentista, was awarded both the John Newbery Medal and the Pura Belpré Award. The Last Cuentista was also named a Best Book of the Year by the Boston Globe, Minneapolis Star Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, and TIME. Her newest book Xolo reimagines the Aztec myth of the origin of man-and man's best friend.

The highly anticipated third and final book in The Cuentista series, Firesnake, is slated for release in Spring 2026.