Winner of the John Newbery Medal Winner of the Pura Belpré Award TIME's Best Books of the Year Wall Street Journal's Best of the Year Minneapolis Star Tribune's Best of the Year Boston Globe's Best of the Year BookPage's Best of the Year Publishers Weekly's Best of the Year School Library Journal's Best of the Year Kirkus Reviews' Best of the Year Bank Street's Best of the Year Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best New York Public Library Best of the Year A Junior Library Guild Selection Cybils Award Finalist From Pura Belpré Award winner and Newbery Medalist, Donna Barba Higuera--a brilliant journey through the stars, to the very heart of what makes us human. "Gripping in its twists and turns, and moving in its themes - truly a beautiful cuento."--New York Times "Clever and compelling ... wonderfully subversive."--The Wall Street Journal ★ "This tale packs a wallop. Exquisite."--Kirkus Reviews (starred) ★ "Gripping, euphonious, and full of storytelling magic."--Publishers Weekly (starred) ★ "A strong, heroic character, fighting incredible odds to survive and protect others."--School Library Journal (starred) Había una vez . . . There lived a girl named Petra Peña, who wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller, like her abuelita. But Petra's world is ending. 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. They are the ones who must carry on the human race. Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to this new planet - and the discovery that she is the only person who remembers Earth. A sinister Collective has taken over the ship during its journey, bent on erasing the sins of humanity's past. They have systematically purged the memories of all aboard - or purged them altogether. Petra alone now carries the stories of our past, and with them, any hope for our future. Can she make them live again?

The incredible new novel from Newbery Medal winning author Donna Barba Higuera. This is the story as it was told to me by Leandro the Mighty. For 400 years, Earth has been a barren wasteland. The few humans that survive scrape together an existence in the cruel city of Pocatel - or go it alone in the wilderness beyond, filled with wandering spirits and wyrms. They don't last long. 13-year-old pickpocket Leandro and his sister Gabi do what they can to forge a life in Pocatel. The city does not take kindly to Cascabel like them - the descendants of those who worked the San Joaquin Valley for generations. When Gabi is caught stealing precious fruit from the Pocatelan elite, Leandro takes the fall. But his exile proves more than he ever could have imagined - far from a simple banishment, his consciousness is placed inside an ancient drone and left to fend on its own. But beyond the walls of Pocatel lie other alebrijes like Leandro who seek for a better world - as well as mutant monsters, wasteland pirates, a hidden oasis, and the truth. A thought-provoking and beautifully written novel, creating a whole new imaginative world, that holds a mirror to our own. Praise for The Last Storyteller: 'Truly a beautiful cuento' New York Times

The next stunning novel from Donna Barba Higuera, author of Newbery and Pura Belpré Award-winning The Last Cuentista This is the story as it was told to me by Leandro the Mighty. For 400 years, Earth has been a barren wasteland. The few humans that survive scrape together an existence in the cruel city of Pocatel - or go it alone in the wilderness beyond, filled with wandering spirits and wyrms. They don't last long. 13 year-old pickpocket Leandro and his sister Gabi do what they can to forge a life in Pocatel. The city does not take kindly to Cascabel like them - the descendants of those who worked the San Joaquin Valley for generations. When Gabi is caught stealing precious fruit from the Pocatelan elite, Leando takes the fall. But his exile proves more than he ever could have imagined -- far from a simple banishment, his consciousness is placed inside an ancient drone and left to fend on its own. But beyond the walls of Pocatel lie other alebrijes like Leandro who seek for a better world -- as well as mutant monsters, wasteland pirates, a hidden oasis, and the truth. From Donna Barba Higuera, Newbery and Pura Belpré Medal-winning author of The Last Cuentista, comes another novel to astonish us and create a whole new imaginative world, that holds a mirror to our own.

An unforgettable journey through the stars, to the very heart of what makes us human. The incredible Newbery Medal-winning novel from Donna Barba Higuera.

There lived a girl named Petra Pena, who wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller, like her abuelita. But Petra's world is ending. Earth will soon be 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. They are the ones who must carry on the human race.

Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to this new planet - and the discovery that she is the only person who remembers Earth. A sinister Collective has taken over the ship during its journey, bent on erasing the sins of humanity's past. They have systematically purged the memories of all aboard - or purged them altogether. Petra alone now carries the stories of our past, and with them, any hope for our future.

Can she make them live again? An unforgettable journey through the stars, to the very heart of what makes us human.

A boy and his monster-under-the-bed celebrate Navidad—Christmas—in this festive, bilingual companion to El Cucuy Is Scared, Too!, from Newbery Medal–winning author Donna Barba Higuera and illustrator Juliana PerdomoRamón is a little boy who can’t wait for Navidad.El Cucuy is the friendly monster who lives in Ramón’s bedroom. He’s not so sure that Christmas is for him. The lights are too bright, and the snowman is scary!So if El Cucuy is hesitant to embrace the holiday cheer, then Ramón will have to bring the spirit of Navidad to him.A tender, heartwarming story about facing the unknown with a friend by your side, this companion to El Cucuy Is Scared, Too! explores the magic of the holidays and coming together as a community.

There lived a girl named Petra Peña, who wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller, like her abuelita.

But Petra's world is ending. 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. They are the ones who must carry on the human race.Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to this new planet – and the discovery that she is the only person who remembers Earth. A sinister Collective has taken over the ship during its journey, bent on erasing the sins of humanity's past. They have systematically purged the memories of all aboard – or purged them altogether.

Petra alone now carries the stories of our past, and with them, any hope for our future. Can she make them live again?

A child confronts conflicting feelings of embarrassment and love for her Mexican abuela in this moving, personal story from Newbery- and Pura Belpré Award–winning author Donna Barba HigueraMy abuela wears an old yellow handkerchief that her grandmother gave to her.I don’t like the yellow handkerchief.When a young girl feels ashamed of her family for being “different� and subconsciously blames her abuela, she gradually grows to not only accept but also love the yellow handkerchief that represents a language and culture that once brought embarrassment.Inspired by the personal experiences of award-winning author Donna Barba Higuera and expressively illustrated by Cynthia Alonso, The Yellow Handkerchief is a lyrical, honest, and intimate intergenerational story about embracing who we are, where we come from, and the people who shape us.

A boy and his monster confront their mutual fears in this unlikely friendship story that's rooted in Mexican folklore Ramon is a little boy who can't sleep. He is nervous for his first day at a new school. And El Cucuy is the monster who lives in Ramon's cactus pot. He can't sleep, either. It turns out that El Cucuy is scared, too! This gentle, perceptive story explores the worries that can accompany moving to a new place and beginning a new journey-and reveals how comfort, bravery, and strength can be found through even the most unexpected of friendships.