Benjamin Alire Saenz

Author Information
Benjamin Alire Saenz's Latest Book

Newest Release

  • Bibliography:
    17 Books (1 Series)
  • First Book:
    January 1992
  • Latest Book:
    October 2021
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Full Series List in Order

Aristotle and Dante

1 - Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Mar-2012)
2 - Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World (Oct-2021)

Book List in Order: 17 titles

  • Flowers for the Broken

  • Carry Me Like Water

    "Sentimental and ferocious, upsetting and tender, firmly magic-realist yet utterly modern. . . Sáenz is a writer with greatness in him."  -- San Diego Union TribuneWith Carry Me Like Water, Benjamin Alire Sáenz unfolds a beautiful st...

  • The House of Forgetting

    At seven, Gloria Santos accepts a ride with a charming stranger and loses the only world she has ever known. Abducted and kept hidden by a respected academic for twenty long years, Gloria is raised in the shadow of her captor's dark, disturbed mind. ...

  • Grandma Fina and Her Wonderful Umbrellas: La Abuelita Fina y Sus Sombrillas Maravillosas

  • Sammy & Juliana in Hollywood

    The “Hollywood” where Sammy Santos and Juliana Ríos live is not the West Coast one, the one with all the glitz and glitter. This Hollywood is a tough barrio at the edge of a small town in southern New Mexico. Sammy and this friends -- members...

  • Names on a Map

    The Espejo family of El Paso, Texas, is like so many others in America in 1967, trying to make sense of a rapidly escalating war they feel does not concern them. But when the eldest son, Gustavo, a complex and errant rebel, receives a certified lette...

  • A Gift from Papa Diego

  • He Forgot to Say Goodbye

    "I mean, it's not as if I want a father. I have a father. It's just that I don't know who he is or where he is. But I have one." Ramiro Lopez and Jake Upthegrove don't appear to have much in common. Ram lives in the Mexican-American working-class ...

  • In Perfect Light

    In Perfect Light is the story of two strong-willed people who are forever altered by a single tragedy. After Andres Segovia's parents are killed in a car accident when he is still a young boy, his older brother decides to steal the family away to Ju...



  • The Dog Who Loved Tortillas

    This is a bilingual book for kids and dogs and even their parents. Like all kids, Little Diego and his big sister Gabriela argue over their new dog Sofie. She belongs to me, says Diego. No, she’s mine, says Gabriela. It’s only when Sofie gets ...

  • Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood

    The “Hollywood” where Sammy Santos and Juliana Ríos live is not the West Coast one, the one with all the glitz and glitter. This Hollywood is a tough barrio at the edge of a small town in southern New Mexico. Sammy and this friends -- members...

  • Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

    Aristotle and Dante - 1

    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, t...

  • Last Night I Sang to the Monster

    Last Night I Sang to the Monster was chosen as one of the Top Ten YA Books of Fiction in 2010.

    Zach is eighteen, bright, and articulate. He's also an alcoholic, in rehab instead of high school, but he doesn't remember how he got there. What'...

  • Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club

    Winner of the 2013 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction!

    Benjamin Alire Sáenz's stories reveal how all borders -- real, imagined, sexual, human, the line between dark and light, addict and straight -- entangle those who live on either side...

  • The Inexplicable Logic of My Life

    Sal used to know his place with his adoptive gay father, their loving Mexican American family, and his best friend, Samantha. But it’s senior year, and suddenly Sal is throwing punches, questioning everything, and realizing he no longer knows himse...

  • The Story of Me

    Who is Me? Five-year-old Sam is Me, that’s who. He likes flowers and he likes to sit under a shady tree in the summertime. Max the Bear is Sam’s best buddy. Except when his best friend Emilio comes to visit. Max doesn’t like that. Sam also has ...

  • Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World

    Aristotle and Dante - 2

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Messily human and sincerely insightful.” -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)The highly anticipated sequel to the critically acclaimed, multiple award-winning novel Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Univ...

Award-Winning Books by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
2013 Lambda Literary Award -- Children/Young Adult
2013 Pura Belpre Award -- Author
2013 Stonewall Book Award -- Children/Young Adult
The Dog Who Loved Tortillas
2012 Land of Enchantment Book Award -- Picture Book
Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club
2013 PEN/Faulkner Award -- Fiction
Sammy & Juliana in Hollywood
2004 Americas Award for Children & Young Adult Literature -- Fiction


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Benjamin Alire Saenz has published 17 books.

Benjamin Alire Saenz does not have a new book coming out soon. The latest book, Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World, was published in October 2021.

The first book by Benjamin Alire Saenz, Flowers for the Broken, was published in January 1992.

Yes. Benjamin Alire Saenz has 1 series.
Author Series
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