66 pages • 2 hours read
Donna Barba HigueraThe Last Cuentista
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2021A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Introduction
Teacher Introduction
The Last Cuentista
- Genre: Fiction; middle grade science fiction/dystopian
- Originally Published: 2021
- Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 730L; grades 6-9
- Structure/Length: 30 chapters; 336 pages; audiobook approximately 8 hours and 33 minutes
- Protagonist/Central Conflict: The protagonist, Petra Peña, aspires to be a cuentista (storyteller) like her grandmother, Lita. The central conflict arises when Petra is put into stasis on a spaceship destined for a new planet as Earth faces destruction. She awakens hundreds of years later to find a society that has forgotten its past and where stories are forbidden. Petra’s struggle is to preserve the memories and stories of Earth while adapting to the new world.
- Potential Sensitivity Issues: Loss and death; dystopian authoritarianism; destruction of Earth; threatened erasure of cultural identity and history
Donna Barba Higuera, Author
- Bio: Born in California; of Mexican and Spanish heritage; cultural background influences her storytelling; focuses on middle grade and young adult fiction; often includes identity, culture, and history as themes; known for blending genres; advocate for diverse voices in children’s literature
- Other Works: Lupe Wong Won’t Dance (2020); El Cucuy is Scared, Too! (2021)
- Awards: Newbery Medal (2022); Pura Belpré Award (2022)
CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:
- Individual Versus Group Consciousness
- Past Versus Future
- The Heart’s Memories
STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:
