Thursday, September 9, 2021

#tbt: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz


Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. 368 p. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, February, 2012. (Own)

Happy Thursday! As hinted at yesterday, #tbt features the original Aristotle and Dante story. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz was published in February of 2012. In addition to making quite a few year-end "Best" lists, in January of 2013, it was named a Printz Honor, won the Stonewall Award, the Pura Belpré Award, the LAMBDA Literary Award and was a finalist for the Amelia Elizabeth Award. The audiobook was narrated by Lin Manuel Miranda and the book has been optioned for film.

Aristotle and Dante are two Mexican-American teens living in El Paso, Texas in 1987. Ari lives with his parents, who are a bit distant. His sisters are grown and have moved out and his brother is in prison, though Ari does not know why. He isn't talked about. Ari meets Dante at the neighborhood pool and the two bond pretty quickly. Dante lives with his parents, who are openly affectionate with each other and Dante.

This gentle story explores each boy's issues as their friendship unfolds. Mature teen readers will enjoy this richly layered story.

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