We Are All Made of Molecules
by Susin Nielsen
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Pub Date May 12 2015 | Archive Date May 12 2015
Random House of Canada Limited | Tundra Books
Description
Written in alternating voices, Susin Nielsen deftly explores family tragedy and family ties; sibling rivalry and union; and adolescent confusion and revelation.
Advance Praise
"A nerdy boy and a queen-bee girl become stepbrother and -sister in this comedy/drama. Hilarity ensues when 13-year-old Stewart learns that he and his dad are moving in with Caroline and her 14-year-old daughter, Ashley. Stewart copes well enough, thanks to his outstanding intelligence, precocious emotional maturity, math skills, and the calm outlook with which he assesses his successes and failures. He’s excited to have a sister. Ashley, on the other hand, couldn’t care less about school and wants nothing to do with her new almost-stepbrother—who, to her mortification, has been bumped up a year and is now in her class. She’s also terrified that people will learn her estranged dad is gay. Ashley scores big when she lands the handsome Jared as a boyfriend, but Stewart knows Jared is a bully because he’s trapped in physical education class with him. The psychodrama is narrated by the two kids in alternating chapters, leavened with constant, wry humor that should keep readers chuckling even as the story grapples with serious emotional issues. Stewart comes across as absolutely adorable. He knows he’s a complete geek with imperfect social skills. His disarming honesty about his intelligence and especially about his weaknesses holds the entire book together, allowing readers to take self-absorbed Ashley with a grain of salt as she goes through what her mother terms the “demon seed” stage. This savvy, insightful take on the modern family makes for nearly nonstop laughs." - Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781770497795 |
| PRICE | CA$19.99 (CAD) |
Average rating from 23 members
Featured Reviews
Meghann P, Librarian
We Are All Made of Molecules is a funny and heart-warming story about a newly blended family, told from the alternating viewpoints of Ashley, the stereotypical mean girl and Stewart, the stereotypical nerd. The two of them are thrust together when Stewart's dad and Ashley's mom decide to move in together.
You can't help but like the characters in this book. Stewart is adorably goofy, trying to live up to what his mom would have wanted for him while still staying true to himself. Ashley, the popular, pretty girl is kind of terrible at the beginning, but I couldn't help but like her as I got to see her vulnerable side. I think Susin Nielsen did a great job at portraying young teenagers, and I loved the different tone to the different viewpoints.
This book dealt with some tough subjects, and I thought they were dealt with superbly! Susin Nielsen is a fantastic author and I can't wait to read her other books.
Librarian 248593
Two vastly different only children come together as a family. The only thing that they have in common with each other is that they’re both down one parent. Stewart’s mother passed away and Ashley’s father recently came out to his family which lead to a lot of hurt feelings and divorce. Now their parents have gotten together and Ashley is totally not okay with it and is embarrassed by her new pseudo step-brother while Stewart is initially really excited to finally have a sister.
I really loved reading the chapters from Ashley’s point of view because she’s just so ridiculous. She’s the quintessential popular girl who is frenemies with her best friend, believes everything she reads in her magazines about guys, is a bit of a bully, and can’t remember the proper word for anything. These chapters were really funny. Stewart is a really cool character. Although it is not explicitly stated, I did feel like he is somewhere on the autism spectrum. As a gifted student, he skips a grade and ends up in the same classes as Ashley. But, he doesn’t have the best social skills and being smaller than the rest of his male classmates leads to a lot of difficulties for Stewart in this new school.
They both need to find their courage and Ashley needs to learn that we’re all made up of the same stuff, molecules. I felt like this novel was realistic and ultimately heartwarming.
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