This week, I’m honored to be speaking with this year’s Newbery Medal winner, Donna Barba Higuera, author of The Last Cuentista.
In the book, 12-year-old Petra Peña’s suspended animation fails during the 370-year journey to a new planet after Earth is destroyed, so when all the other children are mysteriously reprogrammed and the adults purged, Petra becomes the lone bringer of Earth’s now forbidden stories and her grandmother’s Mexican folklore to a changing humanity.
“Deftly blends Mexican folklore with science fiction in this thrilling and emotional post-apocalyptic novel.” —Shelf Awareness, Starred Review
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Donna Barba Higuera’s Middle Grade and Picture books reinvent history, folklore, and or her own life experience into compelling storylines. She lives in Washington State with her husband, four kids, three dogs and a frog.
Her books include Lupe Wong Won’t Dance, El Cucuy (coo-coo-ee) Is Scared, Too!, and The Last Cuentista, and have won awards including: the Newbery medal, both Pura Belpré medal and honor, PNBA best book of the year award, and the Sid Fleischman award for best children’s humor book of the year.
To learn more about Donna Barba Higuera and follow her on social media visit https://www.dbhiguera.com.
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Happy Reading and Listening,
Laura Szaro Kopinski
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