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

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe


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1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Saénz, Benjamin Alire. 2012. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-1442408920

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

A powerful story of two young Mexican American teenage boys and a year of self-discovery.  Aristotle is a self-described loner who has never really had a close friend.  Dante is an outgoing boy whose unique and powerful perspective captivates Aristotle’s usually introverted nature. As Dante begins to embrace his identification as a homosexual teenage male, Aristotle maintains his steadfast alliance to his best friend in spite of his own ambivalent, and sometimes discordant, thoughts. 

3.  CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Benjamin Alire Saénz has written a young adult novel deserving of its many awards. This compelling story of Aristotle and Dante is an authentic story of adolescent awakening and self-acceptance.  This may be due to Saénz' similar cultural background or if he may have experienced his own conflict in coming to terms with his sexual identity . While most of the story occurs in the late 1980’s in El Paso, TX, the story will resonate with current readers.

While many readers and reviewers will determine that sexual awakening and LGBTQ discovery and acceptance is the primary storyline, more astute readers will comprehend that this story revolves around love, hate, friendship, and family. Aristotle’s willingness to protect Dante from any suffering at all costs is the epitome of the battle between good and bad. More importantly, his continued allegiance to Dante is one of the most compelling elements of the storyline.

One of the intriguing side narratives in the book is Dante’s unwillingness to accept his Mexican American heritage.  While he seems almost at ease with his sexuality, he continually struggles with his racial and cultural ancestry.  This dichotomy of Dante’s self-acceptance is fascinating, especially in light of his parents’ high level of education. Aristotle does not seem to suffer from the same feelings of insecurity, but still struggles with his brother’s imprisonment and his perception of being in a lower socio-economic class than Dante.

This is one of the most powerful books available for teens at this time, but its mature subject matter may limit it to readers over the age of 13.  However, it is important to note that this is not solely a story of sexual awakening. This is a story of self-discovery and growth.  The acceptance of one’s sexual orientation is not the primary focus of the book.  This is a story about love and friendship, and how teenagers learn to accept the essence of themselves. 

4.  REVIEW EXCERPTS
  • School Library Journal Best Books of the Year Award - Won 2012
  • Michael L. Printz Award - Nominated 2013
  • American Library Association Notable Books for Children - Won 2013
  • Pura Belpre Award - Won 2013
  • Americas Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature - Commended
  • Stonewall Book Award - Won 2013
  • YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults - 2013
  • Rainbow List - 2013

Starred Review from Publishers Weekly: "It’s a tender, honest exploration of identity and sexuality, and a passionate reminder that love—whether romantic or familial—should be open, free, and without shame."

Starred Review from Kirkus: "Meticulous pacing and finely nuanced characters underpin the author's gift for affecting prose that illuminates the struggles within relationships."

Review from Booklist:  "This moves at a slower pace than many YA novels, but patient readers, and those struggling with their own sexuality, may find it to be a thought-provoking read."

Review from The Horn Book: "...poetic, philosophical, honest..."

Review from Library Media Connection: “Sáenz is a master at capturing the conversation of teens with each other and with the adults in their lives."

5. CONNECTIONS


*Other books written by Benjamin Alire Saénz:
Everything Begins and Ends at Kentucky Club. ISBN 978-1935955320
Last Night I Sang to the Monster. ISBN 978-1935955092
*Other chapter books with characters who are on a journey of discovery about their LGBTQ identity:
Green, John. Will Grayson, Will Grayson. ISBN 978-0142418475
Levithan, David. Two Boys Kissing.  ISBN 978-0307931900
Levithan, David.  Boy Meets Boy.  ISBN  978-0375832994
Konigsberg. Bill. Openly Straight. ISBN 978-0545509893

*Benjamin Alire Saénz's faculty website at University of Texas El Paso
http://faculty.utep.edu/Default.aspx?alias=faculty.utep.edu/bsaenz 

The Pirate of Kindergarten by George Ella Lyon

The Pirate of Kindergarten

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Lyon, George Ella. 2010. Illustrated by Lynne Avril. The Pirate of Kindergarten. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-1416950240


2.  PLOT SUMMARY


When Ginny went to kindergarten, she loved Reading Circle the best. Even though she had to nearly put her nose in the book to see the words clearly, Ginny loved books. However, she often bumped into people and into objects.  And she had to pay special attention when she was cutting art projects.  One day, the school nurse gave eye exams to all of the students, and Ginny discovered that not everyone had these challenges.  Based on the author’s real life experiences.

3.  CRITICAL ANALYSIS


George Ella Lyon is the author of many picture books, but it is her recreation of her personal struggles with double vision as a child that has won her the Schneider Family Book Award. The setting of this charming story could just have easily taken place in mid-twentieth century as a modern classroom.  There are few elements that pinpoint the decade, which made the story appropriate for many years to come.

The story is filled with engaging illustrations depicting Ginny’s double vision.  Even the youngest readers will notice the duplication of all of the objects in Ginny’s line of vision. With little prompting, young children will display empathy for Ginny’s challenges.

Young female listeners and readers will be thrilled to observe that girls can dress as pirates and wear eye patches; this imaginative type of play is not limited to boys! More traditional adult readers may notice the inclusion of a male nurse, which helps further the story’s departure from traditional gender roles.

Ginny’s struggles will resonate with anyone who has struggled with a minor disability as a child. When Ginny proudly wears her corrective eye patch without bumping into a chair, there won’t be a dry eye in the room.  The Pirate in Kindergarten is an excellent story that teaches young children about visual disabilities and normalizes the corrective eye patches worn by other young children

4.  REVIEW EXCERPTS
  • Schneider Family Book Award - Won 2011
  • Reading is Fundamental Multicultural Book list - 2011-2012
  • Volunteer State Book Award - Nominated 2013

Starred Review from School Library Journal: "Lyon's short, descriptive sentences set up the situation deftly, and Avril's astute chalk, pencil, and acrylic drawings of "two of everything" provide a vivid window into Ginny's pre-treatment world."


Starred Review from Publishers Weekly:  "Without lecturing or making Ginny the object of pity, Lyons and Avril, who works in cheery but remarkably expressive pastels, show how disorientating and alienating it feels when something as fundamental as visual perception goes awry."

Starred Review from Kirkus: "Lyon's simple, declarative text effortlessly puts readers into Ginny's head, and Avril's whimsical mixed-media illustrations give them her eyes, overlaying one image slightly off its original in a satisfyingly disorienting fashion."


Review from Booklist: "Created with pastels, acrylics, and colored pencils, Avril’s bold and wonderfully vivid mixed-media illustrations sometimes portray the classroom through Ginny’s eyes, with overlapping images of chairs, books, and people, though they usually present an outside perspective."

5. CONNECTIONS

*Other books by George Ella Lyon:
Planes Fly. ISBN 978-1442450257
Which Side Are You On? The Story of a Song. ISBN 978-1-933693-96-5
All the Water in the World.  ISBN 978-1416971306

*Other picture books with young children who have eye disabilities:
Headley, Justina Chen. The Patch. ISBN 978-1580891707
Shaw, Beth Kobliner and Jacob Shaw. Jacob's Eye Patch.  ISBN 978-1476737324
Kostecki, Jenny Sue.  My Travelin' Eye.  ISBN  978-0805081695
*George Ella Lyon's Website

Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah

Does My Head Look Big in This?

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Abdel-Fattah, Randa. 2008. Does My Head Look Big in This? New York, NY: Scholastic Paperbacks. ISBN 978-0439922333

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

When a sixteen year old Muslim girl in Australia decides to wear her hijab full time, even her family questions if it is the right decision. To Amal, the decision to be a ‘full-timer” is her way of embracing her faith and proclaiming her pride in her religion.  However, at time she experiences doubt and struggles with some of the confines of her culture.  As she adjusts to being a full-time wearer of the hijab, Amal discovers confidence in herself and learns to embrace the daily conventions of Islam.

3.  CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Similar to the main character, Randa Abdel-Fattah is also an Australian-born Muslim who attended a Catholic elementary school. Due to these similar backgrounds, Abdel-Fattah is able to expertly pen a story filled with vividly exquisite cultural details. Amal’s story is replete with authentic examples of Islam.  The descriptions of the hijabs chosen by Amal, and the care in which she chooses her outfits after becoming a full-time wearer of the hijab, are comprehensive and enable the reader to envision the outfit in its entirety.  These detailed descriptions allow the reader to comprehend the enormity of her decision to wear a hijab full-time.

Amal’s entertaining and often amusing narrative draw the reader in and create a story that is thoroughly appealing. It is often Amal’s descriptions of family dynamics that demonstrate the complications of being a Muslim in a post-9/11 world.  Amal’s uncle and his attempts to disregard his Islamic background and his obsession with Western vernacular are an embarrassment to Amal.  Conversely, her best friend’s family is vehemently opposed to any leanings toward Western, non-Islamic ideals. 

One of the more interesting elements in the story is Amal’s crush on a non-Muslim boy in her prep school.  As her Muslim friends and she become close friends with some of the non-Muslim classmates, the magnitude of the differences are evident, as is their inherent similarities.

Does My Head Look Big in This? is a must read for late middle school students. Readers will discover that Amal’s struggles with self-acceptance and confidence are very similar to the struggles that occur in their everyday life, regardless of their religious and cultural background.


4.  REVIEW EXCERPTS
  • Black-Eyed Susan Book Award - Nominated 2009
  • Young Reader's Choice Award - Nominated 2010
  • Australian Book of the Year for Older Children - Won 2006 
  • Children's Book Council Notable Book of the Year - 2006
  • UK Galaxy Book Awards - Long listed 2006
  • Grampian Children's Book Awards - Short listed 2006


Review from Booklist: "The first-person present-tense narrative is hilarious about the diversity, and sometimes heartbreaking...Without heavy preaching, the issues of faith and culture are part of the story, from fasting at Ramadan to refusing sex before marriage. More than the usual story of the immigrant teen's conflict with her traditional parents, the funny, touching contemporary narrative will grab teens everywhere."

Review from Asian Express:  "Amal’s funny and passionate story about her journey through adolescence is a universal subject that readers of all ages and religions can relate to."

Review from Telegraph (UK): "Eye-opening…funny and positive. A book about defiance, determination, intelligence and self-respect."

Review from Books For Keeps: “It’s funny, it’s foolish, it’s serious, it takes up real issues, it tells a story and it strikes a chord. What more can you want of any book?"

5. CONNECTIONS

*Other books by Randa Abdel-Fattah:
Where the Streets Had a Name. ISBN 978-0545172929
The Friendship Matchmaker. ISBN 978-0802734761
Ten Things I Hate About Me. ISBN 978-0545050562

*Other chapter books with young, Arab characters:
Budhos, Marina. Ask Me No Questions. ISBN 978-1416949206
Barakat, Ibtisam. Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood.  ISBN  978-0374357337
Nye, Naomi Shihab.  Habibi.  ISBN  978-0689825231
*Randa Abdel-Fattah's Website