The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera – Book Review

Title: The Last Cuentista Author: Donna Barba Higuera Publisher: Levine Querido Release Date: October 12, 2021

After a solar flare changes the trajectory of Halley’s Comet to collide with Earth, the planet’s inhabitants are all but doomed. Only a handful of people are chosen to keep the human race alive on another planet, including twelve-year old Petra Peña and her Latinx family. Although Petra longs to stay with her storytelling grandmother, she at least hopes to become a cuentista in this new world. When Petra wakes up more than three hundred years later, she learns that a dangerous group, the Collective, has commandeered the ship transporting them. The group has also purged all memories of the past in an effort to prevent mistakes made in it from happening again. Petra still remembers though; she still has her stories. She still knows where she came from and why. Those memories are key. With them, her instinct, and precious Mexican folklore cuentas, Petra hopes to save the last humans from Earth.

The Last Cuentista is a powerful tribute to the importance of storytelling. Author Donna Barba Higuera writes a poetic and harrowing tale that proves impossible to put down. Its exploration of storytelling’s role in shaping humanity leaves a lasting impression. It transports readers to the mystical realms of Mexican folklore of Petra’s cuentos and the far reaches of outer space but also highlights the simple beauty of everyday memories. All the while, the threat the Collective poses – a life without a past, without a history, without emotion – touches closer to home than the centuries and space between Sagan and Earth. The Last Cuentista reminds us to remember the stories of the past, the ones we’re presently living, and contemplate the ones yet waiting to be told. It compels us to see how they connect us all through space and time.

Educators should make room on their bookshelves for The Last Cuentista. Once they do, they will likely find that space empty because the book will be in the hands of students often. Requests to read the novel will be long, and students will not be disappointed when they get their hands on it. The sci-fi, dystopian elements will be an immediate draw, but the larger themes around storytelling and human nature will also leave an imprint. Meanwhile, Petra’s story and the cuentos she tells will keep readers engaged and curious throughout. With this novel, teachers have a perfect vehicle to truly teach storytelling and encourage young people to weave tales of their own. Petra’s story carries on into the outer reaches of space with room for our imaginations to carry it even farther. It also begs the question of whether Donna Barba Higuera will show us where it all leads with a sequel. We sure do hope so.

Thank you to Edelweiss+ and publisher, Levine Querido, for an eARC of this book.

Classroom Applications

• Cross-Curricular Unit – Teach the novel in conjunction with a nonfiction study of Mexican folklore and the power of storytelling.
• Literature Circles – Use novel for small groups or choice reading with a variety of dystopian novels.

Nonfiction Connections

The list below outlines topics that will enrich your students’ understanding of the novel.

• Mexican Folklore
• Dystopian Literature
• Space Travel & Planets

Book Companions

The following are great books to pair with The Last Cuentista. In parenthesis are the specific aspects students could explore when synthesizing across the texts.

• Paola Santiago and the River of Tears by Tehlor Kay Mejia (Character Connections, Nonfiction Connections, Themes)
• The Sea-Ringed World by María García Esperón (Character Connections, Nonfiction Connections, Themes)
• Mañanaland by Pam Munoz Ryan (Character Connections, Nonfiction Connections, Themes)
• The Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar (Character Connections, Nonfiction Connections, Themes)
• The Giver by Lois Lowry (Character Connections, Nonfiction Connections, Themes)

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