Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Amazing amazing book.  Aristotle and Dante are initially drawn to each other because of their names, however, they are the opposite of each other. Aristotle (Ari) is quiet, reserved, keeps everything inside himself- but he has come by that honestly as his parents do the same. They don’t talk about Ari’s older brother who is in prison, and they don’t talk about his father’s experiences in Viet Nam, despite the fact that both of these events have had an impact on their lives. 

Dante on the other hand is an only child whose parents are quite demonstrative and talk about everything. Each time they greet each other it is with a kiss on the cheek, a touch, some physical connection. Because of this openness, Dante of course has no filter most of the time and shares what he is feeling when he feels it.

Despite these differences, their friendship blossoms and they definitely balance each other out. Each respects the other’s ways. Each of the boys is in their final years of high school and are really living typical teen age lives, attending the occasional party, experimenting with alcohol and an occasional joint, but they are both ‘good boys’ not getting into trouble and are genuinely loved and supported by their parents.

Dante is generally happy and open, Aristotle is generally angry and quiet, causing some interesting discussions between the boys, particularly slightly complicated by the fact that Dante is in love with Ari, yet Ari denies having the same feelings for Dante. 

There are a few pivotal incidents that bring some of these feelings to the forefront, a car accident, a beating, a cross country move and a family death all work as catalysts to aid Ari, in particular, to acknowledge his buried feelings and to root out the source of his anger, and the beginning of family ghosts being put to rest.

The Prince and the Dressmaker

The Prince and the Dressmaker

Jen Wang

This beautiful comic follows Frances, an overworked dressmaker with a creative eye, and Prince Sebastian, a young prince with a secret.  When Frances’ bold fashion creation scandalizes the aristocracy, she receives a cryptic job offer from a mysterious benefactor. Desperate for a better job, she accepts only to discover that her mysterious benefactor is actually the young prince! Wearing beautiful dresses makes Sebastian feel confident and the Prince wants this daring dressmaker to be outfitted as Lady Crystallia.   

The relationship between Frances and Sebastian grows from friendship to something more, but their secret might get between them as it inhibits Frances’ career. Their reputation grows until Lady Crystallia becomes the hottest fashion icon in the kingdom, but Frances gets none of the credit for her amazing creations. On top of that, can Sebastian keep this secret or will this secret identity be discovered. And, if that identity is discovered, what will people think? 

This comic has everything: gorgeous illustrations, loveable characters, creative plot, and strong heartwarming moments. It has a fairy tale vibe full of romance, fashion, and charm.  I love the message that society may set limitations on what you can and cannot do, but breaking out of that mold can make you all the more interesting and successful.  Just because you are a poor seamstress, does not mean you cannot have a voice, and just because you’re supposed to be a certain way does not mean you cannot thrive if you break out of that mold. 

The Prince and the Dressmaker is a great story with a clear, positive message. An all-around smile inducing story!

What if it's us

By:  Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera

Meet Arthur, Broadway enthusiast, glass half full optimism, and favourite person of everyone he meets. He’s in New York for the summer interning at his mom’s law firm and couldn’t be happier. 

Meet Ben, closet writer, glass half empty pessimist, and cool guy who seems not to try too hard at anything. He’s recently broken up with his boyfriend, stuck in summer school, and not all that happy with the universe right now.

After a chance encounter at the post office, Ben and Arthur think maybe the universe wants them to be together. The perfection of their meeting was just too good to be true. But then they get separated and they didn’t get any way to contact each other. Using creative social media searches, missed connections, and some good old fashioned amateur detective work, Ben and Arthur manage to be reunited! It’s clearly a sign that they are definitely meant to be.

But. Their first date is a disaster. Their second date is not nearly what they had hoped. And… their third date is not great either. Were they really meant to be or is the universe playing some kind of weird joke on them? But then again, What if it’s us?

As Arthur and Ben navigate young love, they have a relatively realistic attitude towards their relationship and don’t make nearly as many hair-tearing decisions that many Rom Com characters tend to make. Other than a moderately forced drama scene in the middle, Ben and Arthur are rational, lovable heroes of their own story with awesome best friends supporting them through a memorable summer break.

This book is full of pop culture references with a special love for Harry Potter and Hamilton. It’s got  meet cute moments, and fully realized, dynamic characters. I worry that the pop culture references will sour the book with time, but for now it’s a lot of fun and well worth a read!

Other books by Becky Albertalli include Simon and the Homo Sapiens Agenda, The Upside of Unrequited, and Leah on the Offbeat.

Other books by Adam Silvera include They Both Die at the End and History is all you Left Me.

The Inexplicable Logic of My Life

by Benjamin Alire Saenz


The opening lines of Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina go something like this: Happy families are all alike, but unhappy families are unhappy in their own way.  Salvador Silva and his adoptive father, Vicente, seem like a stereotypical happy family.  Salvador is a fairly content and well-adjusted teenager, about to start his final year of high school.  He has college applications waiting to fill out.  But lurking beneath the surface are the unhappy moments that afflict all families, each with their own unique pattern.

As much as Salvador loves and adores his father, he can't help but wonder about his biological father, and feels incredibly guilty for doing so.  Vicente's mother -- Salvador's beloved Mima --  is ill, which upends Salvador's previously well-ordered life.  But at least Salvador's life is more-or-less on an even keel, thanks to Vicente's patient and loving parenting style.  His best friend, Samatha, has a difficult relationship with her mother and as for her father, he might as well be a stranger on the street.  Salvador's friend, Fito, has a nonexistent relationship with his mother, because according to Fito, she abandoned him for the siren song of addiction, and his father left El Paso for California to look for work, and Fito hasn't heard from him since.

Finding a place where they can find a level of balance that approaches happiness is what drives this novel.  It's more of a character study than one with an easily described plot.  Saenz shows his readers how each character reacts to a given situation, such as when Fito's mother throws him out of the house, or Salvador punches a classmate for insulting Vicente.  The threads that bind this novel together are the ties of friends and family -- both the families they're born into and the families they create.  Family seems to be an ongoing theme for Saenz, from his earlier work He Forgot to Say Goodbye to his award-winning Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.  And in The Inexplicable Logic of My Life, it looms over the whole book.

Another compelling theme of the novel is the nature vs. nurture argument, something Salvador grapples with on a daily basis, as he tries to answer the question of whether nature or nurture has more power over who Salvador will be when he grows up.  Fito struggles with it as well, albeit in a quieter way.

Saenz is capable of some truly gorgeous writing that lifts your heart into your throat, which at times borders on poetry (even though it's not technically poetry).  Like this quote: "...she burned her hand when some hot oil splattered.  The F word went flying through the kitchen and landed in the living room, where it hit my dad right in the heart."  Saenz is a master of figurative language.

Most of the novel takes place within Salvador's head, as his internal monologues and observations of what goes on around him.  Due to the subject matter, there's a lot of poignancy to Salvador's thoughts, including one about the different types of silences between people or ruminations on love.  I'll admit to needing more than one tissue.

There is a bit of salty language in the book.  Salvador even makes note of the fact that Samantha has had a love affair with the F word, as she chastises him for his swearing.  It never feels gratuitous and absolutely feels organic in the mouths and minds of Salvador, Samantha, and Fito.

Other books like The Inexplicable Logic of My Life are: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, the new Ms. Marvel series of graphic novels, featuring Kamala Khan, Jenny Han's To All the Boys I've Loved Before, and Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor and Park.  They all have themes of family dynamics running through them.