What books are similar to Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe?

The 10 closest matches to Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz on ReadingList include Burn Down, Rise Up, Furia, Darius the Great Is Not Okay, Far From The Tree, and I'll Give You the Sun. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 9–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

How does ReadingList choose similar books?

Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Books like Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

If you liked Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, read Burn Down, Rise Up, Furia, or Darius the Great Is Not Okay — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Closest match: Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado

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Looking for books like Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz? The 10 titles below are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level, and each linked to the curricula, states, and grades where it’s assigned, with primary sources.

These are reading-level matches, not just topical ones — so the picks stay grade-appropriate for a grades 9–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Burn Down, Rise Upgrades 9–12: Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Furiagrades 9–12: Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Darius the Great Is Not Okaygrades 9–12: Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list, overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Far From The Treegrades 9–12: Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list, overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
I'll Give You the Sungrades 9–12: Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list, overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Saints and Misfitsgrades 9–12: Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list, overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Scythegrades 7–12: Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list, overlapping grades (7–12), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
The Field Guide to the North American Teenagergrades 9–12: Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list, overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
The Fountains of Silencegrades 9–12: Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list, overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
The Hate U Give590L: Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list, overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— same scoring, different audience.

Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez · grades 4–7 — Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (2010s).
Front Desk by Kelly Yang · 640L — Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list and the same era (2010s).
I Lived on Butterfly Hill by Marjorie Agosín · grades 5–8 — Both on the Pura Belpré Author Award list and the same era (2010s).
Juana and Lucas by Juana Medina · grades K–3 — Both on the Pura Belpré Author Award list and the same era (2010s).
Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar · grades 5–8 — Both on the Pura Belpré Author Award list and the same era (2010s).

Books like Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe for middle school (grades 6–8)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.

Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez · grades 4–7 — Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (2010s).
Front Desk by Kelly Yang · 640L — Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list and the same era (2010s).
I Lived on Butterfly Hill by Marjorie Agosín · grades 5–8 — Both on the Pura Belpré Author Award list and the same era (2010s).
Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar · grades 5–8 — Both on the Pura Belpré Author Award list and the same era (2010s).
Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe by Jo Watson Hackl · grades 4–7 — Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list and the same era (2010s).

Books like Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 9–12— same scoring, different audience.

The Poet Slave of Cuba by Margarita Engle · grades 7–12 — Both on the Pura Belpré Author Award list, overlapping grades (7–12), and the same era (2010s).
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo · 800L — Both on the Pura Belpré Author Award list, overlapping grades (8–12), and the same era (2010s).
The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner · grades 9–12 — Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list, overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2010s).
Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall · grades 7–12 — Both on the Pura Belpré Author Award list, overlapping grades (7–12), and the same era (2010s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe?: The 10 closest matches to Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz on ReadingList include Burn Down, Rise Up, Furia, Darius the Great Is Not Okay, Far From The Tree, and I'll Give You the Sun. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 9–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 9–12), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.
How does ReadingList choose similar books?: Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Book data last updated 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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