The ending leaves the door wide open for a sequel.

Mexican American Petra is a strong, heroic character, fighting incredible odds to survive and protect others. Life on the ship, made even more claustrophobic by Petra’s declining vision from retinitis pigmentosa, and filled with the translucent, drugged Collective, is particularly chilling. 24, 2022 The Last Cuentista, Donna Barba Higuera’s dystopian yet hopeful middle-grade novel, received this year’s John Newbery Medal on Monday, winning one of the most prestigious. She uses the stories her family shared and a precious copy of Yuyi Morales’s Dreamers to try to save the others in her cohort, her newly rediscovered brother, and what seems to be the last Collective child. Almost 400 years later, Petra is one of the last four “sleepers” revived, and the only one who somehow retains her memories of Earth. It’s 2061 and a solar flare has pushed Halley’s comet onto a collision course with Earth. In 2061, with Earth about to be destroyed, 12-year-old Petra Peña and her scientist parents and younger brother Javier are just barely aboard the ship that will take them to the planet Sagan when a group of zealots called the Collective, wanting absolute equality at the expense of any diversity, take over. THE LAST CUENTISTA By Donna Barba Higuera The world is ending. It’s a rare year that a science fiction books wins the Newbery, but this could definitely be a contender for that award, as well as for the Pura Belpré.Gr 5 Up–The magic and power of stories and storytelling help a preteen in a terrifying future.

Pros: This beautifully written book explores what it means to be human and the important contributions different cultures and stories make to that humanity. It’s not clear whether or not Petra and the other kids make contact, but the book ends on a hopeful note. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases Affiliate Disclosure. Although she does her best to blend in, members of the Collective soon become suspicious of Petra, and she realizes it’s up to her to lead an escape plan and try to find the group of Earthlings who were scheduled to arrive first. The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera - book cover, description. Petra is determined to help the other kids in her group remember, and she begins telling them the cuentos (stories) that she learned from her Mexican-American grandmother. When she wakes up, she learns that she is the only one left who remembers life on Earth. Alas, not only does a group called the Collective take over the ship, but something goes wrong with Petra’s sleep.

They’re put into a deep sleep, with people on board who will look after them and keep creating a new population of caretakers. Summary: With Halley’s Comet hurtling towards Earth, Petra and her family are among a small group chosen to travel to the planet Sagan, a journey that will take over 300 years.

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