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Darling readers, join me as we travel back in time to summer reading.  One of my favorite parts of summer reading is that coveted prize when you complete your hours, and while many of us may remember those courtesy of Pizza Hut, my local library does things a bit differently.  They have a cart full of books for each patron who completes their 20 hours of summer reading to make a selection to build their personal library.  As you may expect, there are a large number of children’s books of all levels, some books for those in the target range of YA, and a handful of books for adults.  In case you haven’t noticed, my typical reading habits feel like adult with a side of YA, and titles that many adults are interested in are not for me, so I usually peruse both the YA and adult options (and let’s be real, also the children’s books as any 6w5 would).  That darling readers, is how The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera came to be on my TBR.  Not only was it present in the YA section, but a local librarian with similar reading tastes said she read and loved it.  BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE!  A friend of mine said her son (who is the same age as my oldest) read it, and promptly handed it to her, and she read and loved it.  So not one, not two, but THREE IRL readers who adored this book.  I feel like it’s soon to be five, but Ashley and I haven’t discussed this title yet, so read on to learn more!

As The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera opens, Petra is saying goodbye to her grandmother.  These two have a special relationship that is only made better by their mutual love of cuentos, or stories.  They’re saying goodbye because Haley’s Comet is on a collision course with the Earth, and Petra’s parents have secured seats for them on one of the three American ships headed off to a new planet.  As her parents are scientists and will help with the new colony once the ships land, the whole family is put in stasis for the journey, which will take hundreds of years.  This isn’t 2001 A Space Odyssey, so they will have human “monitors” watching over them while they travel.  As tends to happen in such circumstances, drama ensues, and when Petra wakes up, it’s to find herself in the care of a dystopian group who’s taken over the ship, and she’s the only one who remembers Earth.  I’ll stop there, as the marketing copy does and state that while this plot could be very over the top and tragic, the book isn’t.  I wouldn’t hesitate for either of my children (3rd and 6th grade) to pick up this title.  Hard things happen, people have made bad choices, and yet the story is so hopeful and highlights why learning history is important (anyone else struggling to explain why school matters to young people?).  

Petra, and her supporting ensemble, are a bit rag tag, but the way they all handle their circumstances and missteps along the way is really interesting and insightful.  I’m very much looking forward to discussing The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera with Ashley, my librarian, and my friend.  I do hope my young people will pick it up soon and I can chat about it with them too.  It was a fun, quick read that got me thinking about perspective and politics and the way different people handle hard and chaotic circumstances.  I’m giving the novel 4 solid stars and excited to look into Higuera’s backlist.  

What’s a book you read without knowing anything because of all the people who were recommending it?

~Nikki 

Donna Barba Higuera is the bestselling author of children’s and middle grade fiction. The Last Cuentista won  the Newbery Medal from the American Library Association. Lupe Wong Won’t Dance won the Pura Belpré Medal given to Latinx authors & illustrators for works that celebrate Latinx culture in works for children. Growing up in California, Higuera was surrounded by agriculture and oil fields but preferred to curl up with a book rather than adventure outside at recess. Her books focus on things that are funny, sad, creepy, and magical – all the things that make life interesting. She currently lives in Washington state with her family, dogs, and frogs.

The Last Cuentista is a science fiction book to soothe my story loving soul. It’s worth me not telling you all my favorite parts about it just so that you’ll read it and experience the story with clear eyes and no spoilers. What is not a surprise was Higuera’s ability to write a story that is written for a middle grade reading level but that reads at a deeper, more adult level. The Spanglish occurrences could be tricky for English-only readers, but the important words are either translated or explained by English context clues within the story. The history major in me is thrilled to read a children’s book that espouses the importance of preserving stories, and therefore the cultures from which they came. It goes without saying to you, Darling Readers, that the preservation and celebration of all human cultures is of the utmost importance here at Heart.Wants.Books and out within the world.

I am also giving The Last Cuentista four solid stars. I wouldn’t hesitate to hand it to any child or adult. The hard themes are not different from the ones found in our own news cycle. So many parallels can be made with current events for the younger readers to understand the world they are living in, the roles they take now, and their responsibilities for the future. For the adults, we get to see the lingering and immediate consequences of creating sameness in our world. 

Go forth, Readers, to embrace and celebrate diversity!

~Ashley

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