The Last Cuentista
Fantastic Fiction/Audiobook
The Last Cuentista
By Donna Barba Higuera
Format: 320 pages, Hardcover
Published: October 12, 2021 by Levine Querido
ISBN: 9781646140893 (ISBN10: 1646140893)
Book summary from publisher:
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?
My Thoughts:
I was riveted by this tautly crafted story that blends Mexican folk tales, science fiction, and a dystopian future. The tension throughout the book is balanced by the whimsical fables that Petra shares as she attempts to comfort and motivate her teenage companions to fight for the future they dreamed of when they left Earth over four hundred years ago.
This novel won both the Pura Belpré Honor and the John Newberry Medal and would make an excellent choice for students looking for a fresh approach to fiction. I especially liked the exploration of cultures, identity, and social dynamics. I can envision using this book for an "Award Winners" display and or for a project that compares dystopian fiction with real historical events. It could also be used as a writing prompt where students could write fiction about what they think happens after the end of the book.