''The Last Cuentista'' is a middle-grade dystopian novel by

Donna Barba Higuera Donna Barba Higuera is an American children's book author. Her debut novel, '' Lupe Wong Won't Dance'', was a Pura Belpré Award honor book and PNBA winner in 2021. Her middle grade dystopian novel, ''The Last Cuentista'', won the 2022 Newbery M ...

, published October 12, 2021 by Levine Querido. The story follows Petra Peña who, along with her family and a few hundred others, leave Earth to continue the human race after a comet strikes the planet. After awaking on a new planet, Petra is the only one who remembers Earth and must use storytelling to keep her people's history alive. In 2022, the book won the

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished cont ...

and

Pura Belpré Award The Pura Belpré Award is a recognition presented to a Latino or Latina author and illustrator whose work best portrays the Latino cultural experience in a work of literature for children or youth. It was established in 1996. It was given every oth ...

. The cover was illustrated by Raxenne Maniquiz.

Reception

''The Last Cuentista'' generally received positive reviews, including starred reviews from '' Kirkus Reviews'', ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

,'' ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...

,'' and ''

Shelf Awareness Shelf Awareness is an American publishing company that produces two electronic publications/newsletters focused on bookselling, books and book reviews. Overview With offices in Seattle, Washington, and Montclair, New Jersey, ''Shelf Awareness' ...

.'' ''Kirkus'' called the book " exquisite tonic for storytellers far and wide, young and old." ''School Library Journal'''s Mara Alpert called it " keep-you-up-all-night, compulsively readable science fiction novel that offers much food for thought." Writing for ''The Wall Street Journal'', Megan Cox Gurden said it was "clever and compelling." Previous Newbery winner

Tae Keller Tae Keller is an American children's book author. Her book, ''When You Trap a Tiger'', won the 2021 Newbery Medal. The book tells the story of Lily and her relationship with her aging and ill Korean grandmother, wrapped around the Korean folktale ...

said ''The Last Cuentista'' : “certainly veers into the dark end of middle-grade fiction, with brainwashing, ‘purging’, and, yes, the destruction of our entire planet ... but it doesn’t dwell in the darkness, preferring to give its readers healthy doses of hope, wonder and page-turning action.” ''The Last Cuentista'' was named one of the best children's books of the year by BookPage, ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'', the

Chicago Public Library The Chicago Public Library (CPL) is the public library system that serves the City of Chicago in the U.S. state of Illinois. It consists of 81 locations, including a central library, two regional libraries, and branches distributed throughout the ...

, ''Kirkus,'' the New York Public Library, ''Publishers Weekly'', ''School Library Journal,'' ''

TIME Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

,'' and ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

.''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Last Cuentista, The 2021 children's books 2021 science fiction novels American children's novels Dystopian fiction Newbery Medal–winning works