CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.
To print a CCBC booklist, click on a list below and then use your browser’s “Print” command.
The Last Cuentista
CCBC Review:
Petra Peña, 12, her little brother, Javier, and their scientist parents are among those chosen to flee earth in 2061 as the planet faces destruction. In hibernation for 380 years, bound for the distant planet Sagan, they’ll be monitored by multiple generations of caretakers, with Petra and other children hooked up to “cogs” that will download scientific knowledge to their brains. When Petra finally awakens, however, much has gone wrong. There’s no sign of her parents or little brother, and she and the three other kids she’s with are now referred to as the Zeta Unit. They’ve been programmed to serve The Collective, which subsumes individual identity and choice for the greater good. Petra remembers her past because of a glitch in her cog programmed by her first caretaker when he realized The Collective had infiltrated their ship. The three kids comprising the other members of the Zeta Unit remember nothing about who they once were, but at night they all love listening to the traditional Mexican stories Petra learned from her grandmother and shares. The more Petra learns about the Collective and its leader Nyla’s intentions, the more she is determined to escape with her unit—her friends—but the stakes grow even higher when she meets Epsilon 5, an aging scientist who unwittingly reveals the scope of the Collective’s inhumanity. This page-turning work of science fiction explores a classic idea in a compelling story featuring a courageous and quick-thinking young protagonist who embodies the challenge, pain, and beauty of being human. ©2022 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 10-13
Age Range:
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Format:
Novel
Subjects:
Difference/Individuality
Friendship
Identity
Mexicans and Mexican Americans
Science Fiction
Speculative Fiction
Stories and Storytelling
Survival
Diversity subject:
Latine
On CCBC Booklist:
Speculative and Science Fiction for Children and Teens
Publisher:
Levine Querido
Publish Year: 2021
Pages: 320
ISBN: 9781646141893
CCBC Location: Fiction, Higuera
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Our Recommended Book Search includes access to CCBC-recommended titles based on subject headings created by our staff.
Please send questions or comments about CCBC booklists to ccbcinfo@education.wisc.edu.