Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Aristotle and Dante)

by Benjamin Alire Saenz

This Printz Honor Book is a “tender, honest exploration of identity” (Publishers Weekly) that distills lyrical truths about family and friendship.

Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

Reviewed by Kelly on

5 of 5 stars

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A billion stars. Oh gosh, this was brilliant.
http://www.divabooknerd.com/2014/05/aristotle-and-dante-discover-secrets-of.html
Absolutely magical. Never have I read a contemporary so utterly brilliant. It's not only beautifully written, but has a simplistic but poetic prose that readers will fall madly in love with. Both Dante and Aristotle are unique characters, so different but compliment one another as they both learn to grow and discover who they truly are. Both boys are Mexican decent, with Ari being proud of his roots, but Dante with his English professor father feels he's never truly fitted in. But Dante is incredible, I fell madly in love with his character, what he stood for and his gentle soul that goes about making the world a better place. He's incredibly emotional, intelligent and has a brilliant sense of adventure.

Ari is a sad and angry young man. He yearns for his father just to talk to him, to share the nightmares both father and son share, but both for very different reasons. His mother is loving and affectionate, but is reluctant to let Ari experience life and holds a secret that is slowly destroying him. Ari is the more surprising of the two boys, although his inner thoughts are transparent, the reader will be taken on his journey of self discovery.

The storyline is incredible, it's more than a coming of age novel. It's about learning to accept who you are, why you're important and that in the grand scheme of life, that you need to live it.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 15 May, 2014: Finished reading
  • 15 May, 2014: Reviewed