Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

298 Pages·2012·1.11 MB·english

by  Benjamin Alire Sáenz [Sáenz

An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020

www.SimonandSchuster.com

This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales
are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the
author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or
dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2012 by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc. The Simon & Schuster
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Book design by Chloë Foglia
The text for this book is set in Berling.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sáenz, Benjamin Alire.
Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe/
Benjamin Alire Sáenz.—1st ed.
p. cm.
Summary: Fifteen-year-old Ari Mendoza is an angry loner with a brother in prison, but when
he meets Dante and they become friends, Ari starts to ask questions about himself, his
parents, and his family that he has never asked before.
ISBN 978-1-4424-0892-0 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4424-0894-4 (eBook)
[1. Coming of age—Fiction. 2. Families—Fiction.
3. Mexican-Americans—Fiction. 4. Friendship—Fiction.
5. Homosexuality—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.S1273Ar 2012
[Fic]—dc22
2010033649
To all the boys who’ve had to learn to play by
different rules
Contents
The Different Rules of Summer

Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Sparrows Falling from the Sky
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
The End of Summer
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Letters on a Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Remember the Rain
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
All the Secrets of the Universe
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One

Acknowledgments
WHY DO WE SMILE? WHY DO WE LAUGH? WHY DO we feel alone?
Why are we sad and confused? Why do we read poetry? Why do we
cry when we see a painting? Why is there a riot in the heart when we
love? Why do we feel shame? What is that thing in the pit of your
stomach called desire?
The Different Rules of Summer
The problem with my life was that it was someone else’s idea.