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. (Ages 10-13)

Winner of the John Newbery Medal



Winner of the Pura Belpré Award



From Pura Belpré Award winner and Newbery Medalist, Donna Barba Higuera--a brilliant journey through the stars, to the very heart of what makes us human.



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?



TIME's Best Books of the Year

Wall Street Journal's Best of the Year

Minneapolis Star Tribune's Best of the Year

Boston Globe's Best of the Year

BookPage's Best of the Year

Publishers Weekly's Best of the Year

School Library Journal's Best of the Year

Kirkus Reviews' Best of the Year

Bank Street's Best of the Year

Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best

New York Public Library Best of the Year

A Junior Library Guild Selection

Cybils Award Finalist



"Gripping in its twists and turns, and moving in its themes - truly a beautiful cuento."--New York Times



"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)