Winner of the Newbery Medal—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

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?

P R A I S E

“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)

WINNER 

John Newbery Medal - Pura Belpré Award 

BEST OF THE YEAR

TIME - Wall Street Journal - Minneapolis Star Tribune’s - Boston Globe - BookPage - Publishers Weekly - School Library Journal - Kirkus - Bank Street - Chicago Public Library - New York Public Library