The Last Cuentista

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:

• Gain an understanding of the social and cultural contexts around dystopian literature, which shapes Petra’s narrative in The Last Cuentista.
• Study paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of Individual Versus Group Consciousness, Past Versus Future, and The Heart’s Memories.
• Develop their own skills as a cuentista by identifying and writing about a core memory from their own personal history.
• Analyze and evaluate the plot and character details to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding the purpose of Cogs in the storyline, how cuentos (stories) function as a kind of character, and other topics.