Last Cuentista: Newbery Medal Winner

When everything humanity remembers is erased, one girl becomes the keeper of its stories.

Petra Peña has always wanted to become a storyteller like her abuelita, preserving the cuentos and traditions that have shaped her family for generations.

But when a comet destroys Earth, Petra and her family are among the few selected to escape aboard a ship traveling toward a new planet where humanity can begin again.

Hundreds of years later, Petra awakens to discover that everything has changed.

A powerful Collective has taken control during the journey, determined to erase humanity’s troubled past by removing the memories of those aboard. Petra discovers that she may be the only person who still remembers Earth—and the stories that once connected people to their history, culture, and humanity.

Now those stories may be the key to protecting the future.

Blending science fiction with Mexican folklore and the timeless tradition of storytelling, The Last Cuentista is a powerful adventure about memory, identity, family, resistance, and why the stories we carry matter.

Perfect for readers who love: science fiction, dystopian adventures, Mexican folklore, space exploration, courageous heroines, survival stories, family traditions, and stories about the power of books and storytelling.

Author: Donna Barba Higuera
Genre: Middle Grade / Science Fiction / Dystopian / Folklore
Recommended Age: 10–14
Grade Range: 5–9
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 352
Publisher: Levine Querido / Lantern Paperbacks
Publication Date: March 26, 2024
EAN/ISBN: 9781646144129

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