The sequel to the New York Times bestselling The LastCuentista series from Newbery medalist Donna Barba Higuera! 

For 400 years, Earth has been a barren wasteland. The few humans that survive scrape together an existence in the cruel city of Pocatel – or go it alone in the wilderness beyond, filled with wandering spirits and wyrms. They don’t last long. 

13 year-old pickpocket Leandro and his sister Gabi do what they can to forge a life in Pocatel. The city does not take kindly to Cascabel like them – the descendants of those who worked the San Joaquin Valley for generations. 

When Gabi is caught stealing precious fruit from the Pocatelan elite, Leando takes the fall. But his exile proves more than he ever could have imagined -- far from a simple banishent, his consciousness is placed inside an ancient drone and left to fend on its own. But beyond the walls of Pocatel lie other alebrijes like Leandro who seek for a better world -- as well as mutant monsters, wasteland pirates, a hidden oasis, and the truth. 

From Newbery and Pura Belpré medalist Donna Barba Higuera comes the second book in the Cuentista series, featuring her signature blend of dystopian scifi and Mexican folklore in a funhouse mirror of our own civilization. 

“Engrossing.” —The Guardian

★ “This heartfelt adventure signals hope for humanity, even in the aftermath of darkness.”
—Kirkus (starred)

★ “High-stakes adventure… Beautiful, imaginative writing fills this dystopian sf novel. Though it exposes cruelty and corruption, it raises up storytelling, culture, and kindness as stronger yet… A wondrous addition to any collection.”
—Booklist (starred)

★ “This stellar speculative narrative explores themes of identity across circumstance, centering an adolescent without structural power working to protect family and community.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred)