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A review by katykelly
We Are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen
5.0
A warm, funny and moving account of a modern 'blended family'.
We have more and more narrators or protagonists these days who seem to be on the autistic spectrum, or display tendencies that highlight their anti-social, literal/anal personalities to comic and often emotive effect. This is a genre and type I particularly enjoy, for whatever reason, and Stewart's story is an excellent example of this trend.
A Young Adult story, we have two narrators sharing the telling of two broken families brought together as a new one.
Stewart is 13, a pupil at a Genius Academy, and has lost his mum to cancer. Ashley is 14, obsessed with remaining the top-ranked girl in her peer group, not particularly interested in school, and is angry at her dad for admitting he is gay, splitting up her own family.
Stewart is, though slightly naive, a very smart kid. His relationship with his grieving father is mature and touching. His acceptance of his new family is immediate - he knows his father has found comfort in a new love and is willing to try and move on, despite his own ongoing sadness. Ashley is the opposite, resistant and rude, condescending to her new 'brother' and blind to all but her own small concerns - boys, clothes, image. Her constant inability to get words right is hilarious to the reader as well as amusing to characters in the book, but she knows she's not an A-student, she never pretends to be.
There was quite a lot packed into one book, but all did fit without seeming overfull. There are some scenes where I had a lump in my throat watching Stewart and his dad cope with the loss of a loved one to cancer. Stewart chooses to attend a local school when he moves, a regular school where his short stature and intelligence ensures he sticks out like a sore thumb. There's the idea of a blended family, two families learning to cope with each other's foibles, tics and habits, as well as a gay dad. And then there's Jared.
The bully. And also the love interest, for Ashley. With two narrators we see how different people see Jared in completely different ways, how he behaves differently with them, and the consequences of ignoring the warning signs. Again, some powerful scenes here that are kept from turning completely dark.
The 'molecules' idea of the title, that “everything, and everyone, is interconnected...” is a good one, though I thought it could have been made more of through the story, it's only mentioned a few times and could have been brought to the fore more often with different situations and characters.
The ending is great, and the group of friends who've only occasionally been part of the narrative get a little more to do. The strands of the story all come together for a perfect ending that you anticipate but welcome when it arrives.
There are also a selection of thoughtful discussion questions and a Q&A with the author at the end.
I'd been looking forward to this one for a while, and of course couldn't stop myself racing through it. A lot to take in, but there's nothing too dark for the reader to handle, but again nothing is glazed over with sweetness.
Destined to be a winner, I feel. A recommended read for ages 11-15.
We have more and more narrators or protagonists these days who seem to be on the autistic spectrum, or display tendencies that highlight their anti-social, literal/anal personalities to comic and often emotive effect. This is a genre and type I particularly enjoy, for whatever reason, and Stewart's story is an excellent example of this trend.
A Young Adult story, we have two narrators sharing the telling of two broken families brought together as a new one.
Stewart is 13, a pupil at a Genius Academy, and has lost his mum to cancer. Ashley is 14, obsessed with remaining the top-ranked girl in her peer group, not particularly interested in school, and is angry at her dad for admitting he is gay, splitting up her own family.
Stewart is, though slightly naive, a very smart kid. His relationship with his grieving father is mature and touching. His acceptance of his new family is immediate - he knows his father has found comfort in a new love and is willing to try and move on, despite his own ongoing sadness. Ashley is the opposite, resistant and rude, condescending to her new 'brother' and blind to all but her own small concerns - boys, clothes, image. Her constant inability to get words right is hilarious to the reader as well as amusing to characters in the book, but she knows she's not an A-student, she never pretends to be.
There was quite a lot packed into one book, but all did fit without seeming overfull. There are some scenes where I had a lump in my throat watching Stewart and his dad cope with the loss of a loved one to cancer. Stewart chooses to attend a local school when he moves, a regular school where his short stature and intelligence ensures he sticks out like a sore thumb. There's the idea of a blended family, two families learning to cope with each other's foibles, tics and habits, as well as a gay dad. And then there's Jared.
The bully. And also the love interest, for Ashley. With two narrators we see how different people see Jared in completely different ways, how he behaves differently with them, and the consequences of ignoring the warning signs. Again, some powerful scenes here that are kept from turning completely dark.
The 'molecules' idea of the title, that “everything, and everyone, is interconnected...” is a good one, though I thought it could have been made more of through the story, it's only mentioned a few times and could have been brought to the fore more often with different situations and characters.
The ending is great, and the group of friends who've only occasionally been part of the narrative get a little more to do. The strands of the story all come together for a perfect ending that you anticipate but welcome when it arrives.
There are also a selection of thoughtful discussion questions and a Q&A with the author at the end.
I'd been looking forward to this one for a while, and of course couldn't stop myself racing through it. A lot to take in, but there's nothing too dark for the reader to handle, but again nothing is glazed over with sweetness.
Destined to be a winner, I feel. A recommended read for ages 11-15.