66 pages 2 hours read

Donna Barba Higuera

The Last Cuentista

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2021

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During Reading

Reading Questions & Paired Texts

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

CHAPTERS 1-8

Reading Check

1. In what state is the spaceship launch site located, where Petra and her family will evacuate Earth?

2. Petra deduces that the Lead Monitor must be a member of what group?

3. What is the first story that Ben reads to Petra in her semi-stasis state?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What is the myth of Halley’s Comet, as told to Petra by her grandmother, Lita?

2. As Petra learns on a TV show about the Collective, how do they intend to create permanent peace among humanity?

3. What gift does Ben give to Petra for her 13th birthday? What eventually happens to Ben?

Paired Resource

Donna Barba Higuera on Her Family’s Storytelling Influence

  • In this 3-minute video interview for AdLit, the author describes how her parents and grandmother helped her develop a love for daydreaming and storytelling.
  • Stories, especially fairy tales and/or cultural oral histories, reflect a community’s group consciousness, and as such is related to themes around Individual Versus Group Consciousness.
  • In Chapters 1-8, how does the author establish that stories are a very powerful force over group consciousness? How does the Collective seek to harness the power of stories for their own purposes?

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