Status
Available
Publication
Levine Querido (2021), 336 pages
Library's review
With Halley’s comet barreling toward Earth, humanity’s last hope—including a young Latinx storyteller—retreats into the stars.
Only a select few have the opportunity to vacate Earth in the year 2061, travel for 380 years in stasis, and start a new life on the planet of Sagan. Tearing herself
An exquisite tonic for storytellers far and wide, young and old. (Science fiction. 10-14)
Only a select few have the opportunity to vacate Earth in the year 2061, travel for 380 years in stasis, and start a new life on the planet of Sagan. Tearing herself
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away from her grandma and her cuentos, or stories, Petra Peña follows her family aboard one of three fleeing spaceships. One ship—reserved for leaders and politicians—is lost. Petra awakens years later to find that the ominous Collective has taken over her ship. Along the way to Sagan, the Collective has ensured the eradication of any Earth-associated memories, reprogramming everyone onboard—and purging some—for the so-called greater good. Petra, however, eludes reprogramming. To survive the Collective’s fanaticism, Petra must play her part and participate in scouting missions on Sagan to help the Collective prepare for colonization. As she shares cuentos with other child passengers to stir their Earth memories, Petra concocts a plan to escape, seeking a rumored Collective-free colony of First Arrivers on Sagan. With poetic use of startling imagery and unabashed nostalgia, Higuera spins a tale that crosses the depths of space, interweaving Mexican folklore with a mystical strand of science fiction. It all works thanks to the author’s keen appreciation of storytelling’s role in shaping cultures, dreams, and lives. An overall slow burner, this tale packs a wallop.An exquisite tonic for storytellers far and wide, young and old. (Science fiction. 10-14)
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Awards
Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award (Nominee — 2024)
Kentucky Bluegrass Award (Nominee — Grades 6-8 — 2023)
Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — Junior — 2024)
William Allen White Children's Book Award (Nominee — Grades 6-8 — 2024)
South Dakota Children's Book Awards (Almost Made It! — 2024)
Newbery Medal (Medal Winner — 2022)
Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (Nominee — 2023)
Washington State Book Award (Finalist — 2022)
Oregon Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — 2024)
Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award (Nominee — 2023)
Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award (Nominee — 2024)
SCBWI Crystal Kite Award (2022)
Land Of Enchantment Book Award (Nominee — 2024)
NCSLMA Battle of the Books (Middle School — 2024)
Excellence in Children’s and Young Adult Science Fiction Notable Lists (Selection — 2022)
Virginia Readers' Choice (Nominee — Middle School — 2024)
Kids' Book Choice Awards (Finalist — 2022)
Volunteer State Book Award (Nominee — Middle School — 2023)
The White Ravens (2022)
Lectio Book Award (Nominee — 2023)
Américas Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature (Honorable Mention — 2022)
Three Stars Book Award (Nominee — Middle School — 2023)
Kurd Laßwitz Preis (Nominat — 2024)
Maine Student Book Award (Reading List — 2023)
Pura Belpré Award (Winner — 2022)
CCBC Choices (2022)
New York Public Library Best Books: For Kids (Middle Grade Fiction — 2021)
Notable Children's Book (2022)
Tome Society It List (2023)
Idaho Battle of the Books (2024)
Reading Olympics (Middle School — 2024)
Evanston Public Library 101 Great Books for Kids (Fiction — 2021)
OYAN Book Rave (2022)
Texas Lone Star Reading List (2023)
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
1646140893 / 9781646140893