The Last Cuentista
Ratings20
Average rating3.9
15
Ratings20
Average rating3.9
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?
Reviews with the most likes.
This was such an interesting approach to one of my favorite tropes! It's an excellent example of why I continue to love and rave about middle grade. It's a great exploration of well-loved themes through a unique lens that shows just how versatile and thought-provoking it can be
Maybe its because I have so many other books to read but I can't get into this story at all. I could care less what happens to Petra and the flashbacks to her earlier life do nothing but interrupt the narrative for me.
Un poquito heavyhanded... maybe more than un poquito. Required Golden-Gate-level suspension of disbelief on the science, the character motivations, the sleep deprivation, the health issues that magically just go away when convenient, and, sigh, the sloppy editing.
But those are just the mutterings of a grouchy old man who enjoyed the book regardless. The story is fresh, the protagonist unique, the tension high. (Narration is first-person, so you'd think that would give me a clue about the ending... but okay, smartypants, you read it and tell me you weren't ever on edge.)
Not quite four stars, but am giving them anyway for its sweetness and charm.
Petra Peña dreams of being a storyteller. But her dreams cannot be realized. Earth is coming to an end and Petra and her family are part of a group of people who are heading out in space before Earth is destroyed.
But when Petra wakes after traveling for hundreds of years nothing is as she thought it would be. Unexpectedly, her dreams of being a storyteller may find a way of coming true after all.
Dystopia. Outer space. Folktales. All of these come together for a fascinating read.
