These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. Epsilon-5 tells Petra that Nyla has had him turn the deadly plant into an airborne toxin, and Petra realizes that Nyla plans to kill the first ship's colonists. She sets out to rescue the remaining Earthlings on the ship by taking them to safety on Sagan. They are the ones who must carry on the human race. Common Sense Media Reviewer Petra is overwhelmed by grief, and she determines that she will expose herself so that the Collective will either kill her or wipe her memories properly. I have nothing to say to Her right now, the girl notes. Read more about how we rate and review. [18], "ALA Announces Youth Media Award Winners for 2022", "American Library Association announces 2022 Youth Media Award winners", "Children's Book Review: The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera. A middle-grade science fiction book with all the feelings and quite the intrigue (not to mention tons of references from my childhood). Book Summary. An evolutionary revolution takes place which results in the ship being overtaken by a group known as the Collective. On the shuttle back to the main ship, Len breaks out in boils. Print Word PDF. Petra tells her a story to help calm her down. The Last Cuentista - Chapters 25 - 26 Summary & Analysis. It was published in British English under the title The Last Storyteller in 2022.[1]. They do, however, plan to prepare Sagan for eventual habitation before leaving to investigate other potentially compatible planets. However, the group smells smoke on the wind and hears faint sounds of music and laughter, suggesting that Petra and Javier were able to successfully neutralize the toxin. Petra alone now carries the stories of our past, and with them, any hope for our future. This book is gripping in its twists and turns, and moving in its themes - truly a beautiful cuento." Those fellow children who were asleep alongside Petra know only what the Collective has allowed them to know and so the stories that Petra proceeds to tell them begin as entertainment, but eventually become the stimulus for slow recollection of that which has been forgotten, but not entirely erased from their memories. Donna Barba Higuera. They will spend the journey in stasis sleep, watched over by Monitors. I was not into it. The Question and Answer section for The Last Quentista is a great He takes her to a shuttle where the other Zetas are already waiting. However, the same programming glitch that allowed her to periodically return to consciousness also allows her to retain memories of her past and of all the stories, or cuentos, that she learned from Lita. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make yourown. This book is about how important it is to not only remember the stories of our ancestors, but to create our own as well. However, it requires far more suspension of disbelief than I was prepared to go in with. This Study Guide consists of approximately 61 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Last Cuentista. Since self-identity is inextricably tied to one's personal memories, this full of the power to control . The Last Cuentista (October 2021) is a dystopian, middle-grade novel by author Donna Barba Higuera. Petra wakes to the sound of a siege. This book definitely expects a lot from its readers as far as piecing together complex ideas and drawing conclusions. Petra imagines her aunt and Litaboth left behindsitting together and drinking warm cups of spiked coffee as they look toward the skies. Chapters 17-19 Summary. Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide. 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. Not affiliated with Harvard College. What you willand won'tfind in this book. She meets an reprogrammed old man, Epsilon-5, who works in the ship's laboratory. When they are all gone, however, the main source of authority is a narrow-minded Collective leader named Nyla. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. I have waited so long to hear your sweet voice. And its stated that Petras grandmother has spent as much time as possible with the girl, raising her on her familys stories and folktale stories shaped to convey wise lessons. Now she weaves them to write picture books and novels. Why, Litas story of a great fire snake crashing back home to its mother Earth almost made the idea of leaving Earth for a new tomorrow sound rich with potential. The story follows Petra Pea who, along with her family and a few hundred others, leave Earth to continue the human race after a comet strikes the planet. Title This is quite evident when Petra discovers the purged pods of hundreds of peopleincluding her parents. All rights reserved.Information at BookBrowse.com is published with the permission of the copyright holder or their agent. (I happen to live with one who will love this. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make yourown. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. Download the entire The Last Cuentista study guide as a printable PDF! The Last Cuentista is a 2021 novel by Donna Barba Higuera about a young girl named Petra whose family leaves Earth for the planet Sagan. 2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Take a look at Matthew 13:1-58 for an example. One theme which is extensively explored in this story is whoever controls what people are allowed to learn controls their entire identity. Subscribe to receive some of our best reviews, "beyond the book" articles, book club info and giveaways by email. When Petra wakes nearly 400 years later, she finds that the future is plagued by something totally unexpected. All fine and good things but the whole point of the genre is to think up things that could be. Read the Study Guide for The Last Quentista. By my count, it's been twenty years since a dystopian novel was recognized by the Newbery Committee. Minneapolis Star Tribune's Best of the Year "The Last Cuentista," by Donna Barba Higuera (whose debut novel, "Lupe Wong Won't Dance," was a Pura Belpr honoree), certainly veers into the dark end of middle grade fiction, with . What would the future hold? He says he no longer wants to be part of the Collective. There is no depiction of the process. THATS how you tell a story. eNotes Editorial. At the same time that Petra is sharing her memories with her friends, she is also forced to maintain her secret from the Collective. In fact, theyve completely eliminated some people that might have been problems, Petras parents among them. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. The novel opens up with her Lita telling her one of her stories, one of her cuentos, about the young fire snake who was blinded by his father, the Sun, and who wants to return to his mother, the Earth. She wonders how the Monitors would have kept all . Petra searches for her family's stasis pods and learns that her mother and father were "purged" hundreds of years ago. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added. The second is the date of She realizes that she must also bring Feathers and Rubio with her, rather than leaving them at the Collectives mercy. The Last Cuentista offers a glimpse of what it mig. Did we miss something on diversity? "Gripping, euphonious, and full of storytelling magic." Habia una vez (once upon a time) there was a young girl, Petra, who always dreamed to become a storyteller. In 2022, the book won the Newbery Medal and Pura Belpr Award. If there are three dates, the first date is the date of the original - School Library Journal (starred review) BookPage's Best of the Year Get free discussion question for books at focusonthefamily.com/magazine/thriving-family-book-discussion-questions. This thread is archived New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast 3 5 comments Best apple-masher 1 yr. ago "Your cuentista is named Crentista?.sounds a lot like cuentista" She tells Petra the myth of Halleys Comet and explains that it is really a blind fire snake in the sky trying to reunite with its mother, Earth. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera. In terms of her own temporal perspective, less than a year of her life has passed despite the monumental changes that have taken place around her while she slept. Storytelling can change the world, and this intriguing interstellar science fiction adventure explores the perils of colonizing another planet. She has spent her entire life blending folklore with her experiences into stories that fill her imagination. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. One day she finds out from her parents that Planet Earth was going to be hit by a huge comet, and that their family was one of the very few who were chosen to journey to a new planet. Her disability didnt really play a significant role even though it was hyped up in the beginning. (To be fair, I'm hard to please when it comes to dystopian science-fiction.) A woman commands that Petra's electives, and all other knowledge from Earth, be erased. Petras family enters the spacecraft and is placed in a sleep state called stasis. Your privacy is important to us. There lived a girl named Petra Pea, who wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller, like her abuelita. The Collective threatens to spray the colonists with airborne toxins. The Last Cuentista is a novel written by an American author, Donna Barba Higuera, and published in 2021. Colonists are "purged" if they are deemed insufficiently useful. thissection. Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best It would take 380 years to get therewith Petra and others locked in hypersleep while multiple generations of caretakers, or Monitors, watched over them. More books than SparkNotes. Why have more people not been talking about this? Petra wants to be a storyteller when she grows up, and Lita encourages her not only to learn the myths and legends of her people but to embellish and change them to fit her own circumstances. The Collective is not above murder at any point if it serves the purpose of the Collectives societal goals. publication in traditional print. Nyla says Petra is to use her time to find a way to defoliate the planet, ensuring members of the Collective will not (read more from the Chapters 17 - 19 Summary). He thwarts Nylas plans to spread a deadly toxin over the planet and sends the Zetas down to Sagans surface while he stays behind to prevent them from being followed. "[7] Writing for The Wall Street Journal, Megan Cox Gurden said it was "clever and compelling. And so, the small group devises a plan that the Collective held in the grip of a logical group-think match: imagining that Sagan has the potential to be the new Earth they are looking for. The Last Cuentista Donna Barba Higuera 4.12 14,454 ratings2,726 reviews Want to read Kindle $8.51 Rate this book There lived a girl named Petra Pea, who wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller, like her abuelita. "A strong, heroic character, fighting incredible odds to survive and protect others." . The author cleverly combines elements of story telling and science . The novel is not only a novel about space travel and exploration but an ode to family, humanity, and the main protagonists Mexican heritage. eNotes.com Print Word PDF. And what could be is infinite. You can request a review of a title you cant find at [emailprotected]. There is nothing like a cuento to calm her or help her hope for a better future. Why did they look like shrimp? Deposited on the planet Sagan, Petra looks for the opportunity to leave the other settlers behind while keeping the storytelling traditions alive. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. What would it feel like to never see your family again? The chosen ones are comprised of top scientists in their fields, culled from many different disciplines who have been allowed to bring their children along. Petra does, however, imagine her grandmother saying: Oh, mija! Inheriting the love for storytelling from her grandmother Lita, she discovers the importance and power of stories for humankind. She instructs Petra, Rubio, and Feathers to follow her. Article Petra spots a photo of one of her friends with her two moms. The ships are massive and stand silently waiting for those who have been called into service to make an exodus from earth to a far-away destination named after a legendary figure in astronomy, a planet called Sagan. The conflict thus becomes a showdown between mindless devotion to a unified goal of perfectability and the adaptability of the creative mind to survive imperfection. The cup of hot chocolate with cinnamon she's made me sits untouched this time. I am with your ancestors.. Petra Pea, 14, wakes up early from suspended animation and. Did you know you can flag iffy content? 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. The amount of tears and snot I have shed over this book!!!! eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. The Question and Answer section for The Last Quentista is a great The Peas are a husband and wife team bringing doctorate educations in botany and geology aboard as well as their daughter Petra and her younger brother Javier. The main character is a girl named Petra who loves to tell stories. They have systematically purged the memories of all aboard or purged them altogether. Halleys comet is on a collision course with Earth, and Petras family has been chosen to board one of the ships bound for a new planetSagan. Meanwhile, a faction on Earth known as the Collective is intent on eradicating all differences among people, thereby eliminating war and hunger. They are the ones who must carry on the human race. The Collective want to reprogram Petra and wipe all her memories away. $15 for 3 months. Chapter 5 Ben leads the Pea family into the room where Javier and Petra will undergo their stasis sleep. Bank Street's Best of the Year Each of the kids is allowed to choose an elective course as well and Petra chooses one which will result in the download of centuries worth of folklore, myths, legends, and other stories passed down through generations. However, when she compares. Higuera knows how to write a book with stakes! More books than SparkNotes. Levine Querido, $17.99 (336p) ISBN 978-1-64614-089-3", "Children's Books: 'The Last Cuentista' Review", "Donna Barba Higuera Wins Newbery Medal for 'The Last Cuentista', "Best Middle Grade & Chapter Books of 2021", "Best Books 2021: Publishers Weekly Publishers Weekly", "Best Middle Grade Books 2021 | SLJ Best Books", "The 10 Best YA and Children's Books of 2021", "The Best Books of 2021: Children's Books", "2021 Finalists: Elementary and Middle Grade Speculative Fiction", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Last_Cuentista&oldid=1157374348, This page was last edited on 28 May 2023, at 06:04. However, she is distraught to discover that her parents have already been purged, since the Collective was unable to successfully brainwash them. Click here and be the first to review this book! We won't share this comment without your permission. Did you know you can flag iffy content? eNotes.com, Inc. Petra retrieves Javier's old picture book and Suma's belongings from the relic room. She also finds a surprising ally in a young Collective member named Voxy, who professes a desire to live in a world that has stories in it. Petra recognizes a birthmark on Epsilon-5's hand and realizes he is Javier. During that time, useful skills will be downloaded to their brains through a "cog." While Petra leads the group toward what she hopes is a settlement established by another ship, the Collective sends drones equipped with Javiers toxin to spray the site where the settlement is believed to be. In an instant, the Collective disappears into hyperspace, and Petra wonders if they will ever come back or keep going until they finally find a planet that meets their Goldilocks requirement of being just right for colonization of their perfect utopian society. Those who have remained suspended in unconsciousness then receive an education for the future consisting primarily of the message that their entire mission is not devoted only to the goal of serving the Collective. yo this book went SO FUCKING HARD, gonna blow a lot of tween minds in the way that The Giver did. Parents need to know to that Donna Barba Higuera's The Last Cuentista, winner of the 2022 Newbery Award, is a dystopian science fiction adventure in which Earth has been destroyed by a comet and a few survivors have reached the planet Sagan. She also begins making a plan to help Javier escape to the surface of Sagan with her and the other Zetas. Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not necessarily their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. Earth is about to be destroyed by an approaching meteor, which her grandmother calls a young fire snake nagual returning to his mother Earth in one of her stories to Petra. With rioters outside threatening the ship, Petra's parents convince her to relent. She watches the food process, and Crick explains they are using kale, yeast, and protein powder to make bioloaf bars. An editor When Petra, her brother and Petras super-smart scientist parents flew off, Lita would be left behind. She becomes aware that a faction among the Monitors has taken over the ship. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. Higuera made her debut in 2020 with Lupe Wong Wont Dance, which won both a Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association award and a Pura Belpr Award for childrens fiction. Petra finds a secret vault on the ship that holds the mementos and keepsakes of the families that had been put in hibernation. will review the submission and either publish your submission or providefeedback. Petra longs to grow up and be like her one day. Twelve-year-old Petra Pea lives on Earth in the year 2061. This knowledge also raises a constant threat of peril and harm as Petra secretly works against the Collectives wishes. The Last Cuentista generally received positive reviews, including starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews,[5] Publishers Weekly,[6] School Library Journal,[7] and Shelf Awareness. This section contains 1,345 words. (We do see a few cracks in that totalitarian veneer, however, in relation to a young Collective member who she treats almost like a son.). Her feelings for this environment are lovingly rendered, emphasizing the stakes for the novels characters as Earth is on the cusp of destruction. Simultaneously, Len vomits and breaks out in blisters, apparent side effects of genetic modifications made by the Collective to their members. When she wakes up, she discovers she's been betrayed by the Collective, that her family members have been purged instead of resuscitated. Fortunately, her Monitor, Ben, uploads an additional Literature elective to Petras En Cognito program, knowing how much she loves stories. Sagan turns out to be less than a perfect mirror of Earth and presents dangers the Collective deems potentially worthy of rejecting the new planet as a worthy substitute on which to build a perfect society. The sleeping passengers awaken from their state of slumber with no memories of the past and equipped only with the knowledge that their purpose is to serve the Collective. Written by Elmina Jazvin. However, he is stopped by the other Monitors, who have radicalized and seek to erase all knowledge of Earth and human history to prevent the same mistakes from being repeated. She's close to her 7-year-old brother and to her scientist parents. Kirkus Reviews' Best of the Year The things represent what we loved most: our home, our friends, our families, Petra states. Name Pronunciation with Donna Barba Higuera Grade 4-8 Genre Science Fiction / Fantasy Cultural Experience Latino (US / Canada) Disability + Show More Details Our Original Resources 5 About the Author 3 Author Interviews 20 Book Guides, Activities & Lessons 6 Book Readings 1 Book Trailers 1 Vocabulary Lists 1 Awards & Distinctions 11 Before Halley's comet can collide with Earth, Petra and. The book offers a chance to discuss authoritarianism and the value of history and storytelling. So very very bored. Her knees crack as she sits back down on the blanket next to me. thissection. She loves to spend time with her grandmother, Lita, who is a cuentista or storyteller. The Last Cuentista is S T U N N I N G, both as a physical book and as a story. Reviews | Wall Street Journal's Best of the Year Overview The Last Cuentista (October 2021) is a dystopian, middle-grade novel by author Donna Barba Higuera. As the ships are first leaving Earth, protestors attack and one of the three crafts is destroyed, killing hundreds of people. When Petra wakes up after hundreds of years, she finds out that everyone has forgotten about Planet Earth and their past. Their family, and only a few hundred others, would be the hope for humanitys tomorrow. They will be watched over by Monitors, who have volunteered to spend their lives maintaining the ship and watching over the sleeping travelers. suggesting a diversity update. One or more of them appear to have alcoholic or numbing properties. Everyone should serve the group needs of the Collective, and there is no place in this new world order for creativity, imagination, or individuality. Spam Free: Your email is never shared with anyone; opt out any time. The antagonists are one-note members of a cult, but they're villainous in an interesting way. And all she has is her cuentos. The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera Start Free Trial Questions & Answers Themes Characters Analysis Chapters 25-26 Summary PDF Cite Share Last Updated on August 10, 2022, by eNotes. Have there been campaigns in recent history to eradicate all mention of certain topics? Not only will Halley now have an impact, but that impact will be a devastating collision with the planet sure to wipe out humanity. This absolutely destroyed me in the best possible way, The worst thing you can do to your dystopia is to let it grow stale. Would they be lost to all those years of interstellar travel? Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to this new planet and the discovery that she is the only person who remembers Earth. I'm actively mad I hadn't heard about this until it won the Newbery. The Collectiveled by Chancellor Nylastrive to maintain peace and unity through conformity. On planet Sagan, she works to preserve the history of Earth and bravely tries to protect the colonists in danger of being purged. However, Petra is distraught that she must leave behind her elderly grandmother, Lita, who is too old to make the journey. That said, this adventure, full of twists and turns, definitely points to the idea that family, remembrance and story are all valuable parts of a happy life. There is just one chink in the armor of this near-perfectly executed plan. It is intended for readers aged 10 and up. When she reads Javier his book, he remembers her. This one isnt even that. Once again, the Newbery committee has done it! There was so much on the line at every turn keeping you on the edge of your seat (or curled up in the fetal position empathizing with the main characters many losses). This Study Guide consists of approximately 61 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Last Cuentista. publication online or last modification online. During their inactive state, generational human caretakers who remain awake known as Monitors are charged with making sure nothing goes wrong with the process of maintaining those who remain asleep. One night, Petra has a nightmare. As THE LAST CUENTISTA opens, 14-year-old Petra Pea is about to join her parents and brother on an interstellar trip to another habitable planet. Now she is the only person who can save people from the Collective. will review the submission and either publish your submission or providefeedback. Petra makes note of a creature called a Jesus-lizard. - Publishers Weekly (starred review) There are far more people awake than there should have been, and Petra knows they are not using the resources as the planners intended. But after a 380-year journey, what will become of all the stories Petra loves? Why do you think He did that rather than just telling people what God wanted? Maybe I'm just an emotional person, but it's 4;30AM and I'm crying about how much I love this book. There is no art or music. The story follows Petra Pea who, along with her family and a few hundred others, leave Earth to continue the human race after a comet strikes the planet.
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