After its publication in 2012, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz became an instant classic and won numerous awards, including a LAMBDA Literary Award, a Stonewall Award and a Michael L. Printz Award Honor. The novel is acclaimed for its thoughtful and nuanced portrayal of a life-changing relationship between two queer teenage boys coming of age in 1980s El Paso, Texas. Now, the story expands from page to screen with the release of a new film adaptation on Netflix!

If you enjoyed Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe and want to spend more time with these beloved characters, it might seem obvious to recommend the sequel, Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World, which picks up right where the first book leaves off and follows Ari’s senior year of high school. As Ari continues to explore his relationship with Dante, he also works to heal his strained relationship with his family and begins to explore what his future might look like after graduation.

Fans of the Texas setting and the beautifully rendered prose of Aristotle and Dante should check out Ander & Santi Were Here by Jonny Garza Villa. When Ander meets a cute new server at their family’s taqueria, there’s an instant attraction between them. However, Santi is undocumented and as they fall in love, the threat of ICE looms over them, threatening to destroy everything they're building together.

Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian will appeal to readers who were compelled by Aristotle and Dante’s portrayal of generational trauma and the enduring impact of family secrets. In three distinct storylines, Only This Beautiful Moment follows three generations of men in an Iranian American family in 1939, 1978 and 2019. As the three storylines weave together, each man grapples with cultural identity and sexuality at a critical turning point in his life.

Readers looking for another queer historical fiction story might enjoy When You Call My Name by Tucker Shaw. Set in 1990 in Manhattan, this novel follows Ben, who has recently been kicked out of his home for being gay, and Adam, whose beloved boyfriend is sick with AIDS complications. After the two meet by chance, similarly to Ari and Dante, a powerful and enduring friendship begins.

Do you have a favorite book for Aristotle and Dante fans? Let us know in the comments!

If you love comics and graphic novels, get ready to party! National Comic Book Day is September 25, and there's no better way to celebrate than by immersing yourself in a brand-new book. There's a graphic novel out there for every reader, whether you love science fiction, romance, drama, or you simply want to admire beautiful art. And if you don't love graphic novels, maybe this list will change your mind.

Anyone who has felt like a fish out of water will relate to Mall Goth. The year is 2003, and Liv has to start over in a new town at a new school. She's feeling self-conscious after being bullied at her last school for her bisexuality. Despite dealing with issues at home and an overly attentive teacher who makes her uncomfortable, Liv finds a refuge at the mall, where she makes new friends and begins a journey of self-acceptance.

If the Y2K setting of Mall Goth intrigues you, check out Project Nought. In the blink of an eye, Ren is unexpectedly transported from 1996 to 2122 and learns he is part of a mega-corporation's time travel experiment to help students in the future learn about history. However, as he meets the other subjects and develops feelings for his exchange partner Mars, he starts to realize there is more to the experiment than meets the eye.

Fantasy fans will be enthralled by Mage and the Endless Unknown, a quiet journey through a magical fantasy world teeming with vicious monsters and boundless darkness. In this almost wordless graphic novel, the powerful art drives the story of Mage and their companions' exciting adventures.

In graphic novel memoir Monstrous, author Sarah Myer powerfully recounts the story of their adoption from South Korea and their upbringing with White parents in rural Maryland. While their older sister Lizzy, who was also adopted, got along well with other kids at school, Sarah struggled to fit in due to escalating bullying and racist microaggressions. Although Sarah channels their rage into art and cosplay, it eventually manifests in a monstrous alternate self.

How will you celebrate National Comic Book Day?

If you've visited the library recently, you're probably aware that many stereotypes about libraries are a thing of the past: libraries aren't silent, musty buildings full of grimy old books and librarians don't lurk around every corner ready to kick you out if you talk above a whisper. And this is especially true if you've recently visited a teen space or YOUmedia at CPL, where you'll find intense Mario Kart competitions, art supplies, 3D printers and recording equipment and staff who are excited to recommend the newest books.

But have the stereotypes ever been true? Maybe when your parents were kids? Or, if not then, definitely when your grandparents were kids, right? Well, history proves that our grandparents had just as much fun at the library as we do.

The Beginning of Young Moderns

The first teen space at Chicago Public Library was created in 1941 at the former Hild Regional Library in Lincoln Square. The Young Moderns alcove started as a shelf wedged between the adult fiction and biography sections, with a goal to break down the barrier of transitioning from the children to adult sections of the library.

In the Young Moderns alcove, the books were carefully curated, with materials moved from both the adult and children's sections (since teen books weren't a thing yet!). Librarians made a special effort to make sure that the titles had broad appeal to teen readers and were not required reading at school. Within a year, the collection grew to 1,800 books. Just like today, the librarians recognized that teens needed a space just for them, where they could access popular materials and interest-driven services, without interference from parents, teachers or little siblings.

And the librarians recognized the need to keep up with evolving trends. They regularly removed books that weren't circulating and they changed displays frequently to keep the space fresh and exciting. Around the end of World War II, the alcove transformed into an entire room and by the end of the 1940s, Young Moderns rooms opened at several other locations, including Austin, Toman and the former Lake View branch.

The Need for Teen Spaces

Much like YOUmedia today, Young Moderns spaces didn't just contain books. They were also a place for teens to hang out, do homework and participate in programs, with the goal of making teens feel that the space was truly theirs. Librarians allowed teens to plan and present programs, which included screenings of films like Casablanca, presentations of original one-act plays and at least once, a teen named Ferd Fender showed off his personal taxidermy collection.

But the most popular program was a bi-weekly discussion group that would probably rival any social media comment section. Topics included, "What should be done with defeated Germany?", "Good grades or popularity: which is more important?" and "Are teenagers too young to drive?" Twenty to forty teens regularly attended each discussion, and participants spent hours preparing for each one. The debates often lasted long after library closing time, with the party moving to nearby restaurants and ice cream parlors.

We live in a wildly different Chicago than the Young Moderns lived in. But the librarians who created Young Moderns had a remarkably similar goal to the ones who created YOUmedia decades later: to provide a space where teens could find exciting books, pursue their interests, learn something new and more than anything, feel free to be themselves.

Visit our special collections or CPL's Northside Neighborhood History Collection to learn more about the history of the library.

As we all know, no one else does summer like Chicago. These fast-paced books will be the perfect accompaniment to the best season in our city, whether you read them at the beach or the park, on the train, in the stands at a baseball game or between sets at a music festival (because you definitely won't want to put them down). Whether you're a fan of humor, romance, horror or graphic novels, there's something here for everyone.

If you combine Downton Abbey, Gossip Girl and Bridgerton into one book, and set it in Chicago, you'll get The Davenports. The year is 1910, and the Davenports are one of the wealthiest Black families in the city. The novel follows the perspectives of four very different girls as they attend lavish parties, struggle with society's expectations and find love in unexpected places... Including with each other's suitors. This will be the perfect summer escape for fans of historical romance. 

When French settlers first arrived in Chicago in the 1600s, they asked the local Native people what they called the wild garlic plants that grew along the mouth of the river. That word, shikaakwa in the Miami-Illinois language, later inspired the name Chicago.

Although we owe much to the Native people who were the original stewards of the land we live on, Indigenous stories have historically been told from a colonizer's perspective and Indigenous characters have appeared only as harmful stereotypes.

Today, Indigenous authors share a tiny portion of the spotlight, but representation has come a long way from Little House on the Prairie, and the following novels by Indigenous authors feature characters whose experiences are just as diverse and unique as the 574 federally recognized Indigenous Nations in the United States.

Award-winning Canadian author Cherie Dimaline (Métis) is back with her newest novel Funeral Songs For Dying Girls. Perfect for fans of dark humor and paranormal romance, readers will be captivated by Winifred's quest to save her family's cemetery in Toronto. Things get complicated when Winifred is mistaken for a ghost by tourists, and also when she meets (and catches feelings for) an actual ghost of a girl who died from an overdose.

In Newbery Honor book A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger (Lipan Apache), themes of climate change, folktales and magic weave together in an unforgettable story about two distinct characters from vastly different worlds. Nina is a human girl who lives on Earth, while Oli is a cottonmouth snake person who lives in the Reflecting World. When the impacts of climate change endanger both Nina's grandmother and Oli's frog friend Ami, their stories intertwine. This novel is highly recommended for fans of speculative fiction and fantasy.

Fans of mysteries and complex characters will enjoy My Good Man by Eric Gansworth (Onondaga, Eel Clan). The year is 1992, and Brian is an Indigenous reporter in a small town whose editors want him to only write about the Tuscarora reservation where he grew up. But when someone he cares about back home is mysteriously assaulted, Brian must go home to uncover the truth.

Lou's summer looks complicated in The Summer of Bitter and Sweet, a debut novel by Jen Ferguson (who is Métis and white). Her mom has left to sell beadwork at powwows, she's forced to work at her uncles' ice cream shop with her toxic ex and she's just found out that her biological father is being released from prison. But on the plus side, her former best friend King has just returned to their prairie town and his presence brings her a sense of safety and hope.

Explore Indigenous Canadian history with the graphic novel This Place. Beginning with Confederacy in 1867, these ten stories by a variety of authors and illustrators illuminate the rich and complicated legacy of Indigenous people through stories that rarely appear in history books. Readers will appreciate the stunning artwork and, hopefully, learn something new about the lengths Indigenous people have gone to in order to survive after the arrival of Europeans in North America.

Read CPL's Land Acknowledgement, created in partnership with the American Indian Center in Chicago.

It's always fun to escape into a book set in a tropical paradise or a magical fantasy realm. But sometimes, the most interesting stories take place right next door. From Rogers Park to Hegewisch, from Austin to the Loop, our unique city has exciting plotlines and complicated characters waiting around every corner. And, as we celebrate the library's 150th birthday in 2023, we can't forget all of the fascinating events that took place in the past. Whether you're a fan of mystery, romance, drama or historical fiction, one of these books set in Chicago should be just what you're looking for.

In James Klise's novel I'll Take Everything You Have, Joe Garbe arrives in town in the summer of 1934 determined to save his family farm. Luckily (depending on how you look at it), his cousin Bernie has a sketchy get-rich-quick scheme. But as Joe finds himself drawn into the city's criminal underbelly, he also finds himself romantically entangled with Eddie, a delivery driver, and Raymond, a carefree rich kid. Whether Joe pulls off his scheme or loses it all, this summer will change everything.

If the two boyfriends in I'll Take Everything You Have aren't enough, try The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers by Adam Sass. Micah is too shy to ask out his many crushes, but he runs a popular Instagram account where he anonymously posts drawings of them. After he has a meet-cute with a guy on the L and almost works up the courage to get his number, Micah and his friends go on a madcap adventure around the Loop to find him again.

Named one of CPL's Best of the Best teen titles for 2022, Hollow Fires by Samira Ahmed deftly showcases the dangers of racism and xenophobia through a gripping mystery. When a high school freshman is murdered, his ghost leads aspiring journalist Safiya Mirza to his body in Jackson Park. Safiya is determined to bring about justice, but her investigation into the murder leads her closer to home than she ever imagined.

Historical mystery The City Beautiful takes us all the way back to 1893, when the World's Fair rolls into town. Alter just wants to raise enough money to bring his family over from Romania, but he unwittingly finds himself drawn into a murder mystery when several other Jewish boys wind up dead. After the body of his friend Yakov is found, a dybbuk (a wandering spirit from Jewish folklore) begins to possess Alter, propelling him to a deadly hunt for the serial killer.

In The Revolution of Birdie Randolph, Dove, also known as Birdie, is torn between wanting to be the perfect daughter for her strict parents and a newfound desire to rebel. She's been hiding her romance with Booker, a nice guy who made a mistake and wound up in juvenile detention, and forming a connection with her estranged aunt who suffers from addiction. When a family secret is uncovered and changes everything, Dove has to figure out whether she can fit the disparate pieces of her life together.

When Mari takes an Uber to Lollapalooza in The Pick-Up, the last thing she expects to find in her rideshare is romance. After all, Mari just witnessed her parents get divorced, and she doesn't believe in dating. But when Mari meets TJ, they both feel an instant spark before they're separated by the festival crowd. Now, they have to find each other again to see if their connection is the start of something that could last beyond the weekend.

What is your favorite teen book set in Chicago?