We Are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen

Pages: 245
Intended Audience: Teens and Mature Tweens
Genre: Real life / Family / Relationships
Notes for Parents: There are some mature scenes

The Inside Cover

Thirteen-year-old Stewart is academically brilliant but socially clueless.
Fourteen-year-old Ashley is the undisputed It Girl in her class, but her grades stink.
Their worlds are about to collide when Stewart and his dad move in with Ashley and her mom. The Brady Bunch it isn’t. Stewart is trying to be 89.9 percent happy about it, but Ashley is 110 percent horrified. She already has to hide the real reason her dad moved out; “Spewart” could further threaten her position at the top of the social ladder.
They are complete opposites, yet they have one thing in common: they—like everyone else—are made of molecules.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

The author is Canadian and won the Governor-General’s Award and the 2013 CLA Book of the Year for Children Award for her novel The Reluctant Journey of Henry K. Larsen.

What’s good?

Told from two perspectives in alternating narrative voices, this is a thought-provoking, humorous story of a family blending together. This is a quick read, with easy language and a quick pace. The plot is straight forward with several sub-plots that provide interest and movement. The story touches on many themes, including bullying, grief and loss, divorce, having a gay parent, and consent. There are many touching moments, especially involving Stewart, and many funny ones, usually surrounding Ashley’s poor vocabulary (e.g. she says “gayist” when she means homophobe, “joie to beaver” when she means joie de vive, and “unconstipated” when she means emancipated).
Best Part: Schrödinger (a.k.a. Shopping Bag, Shoebox, Shoelace, Shoehorn, Shoefly, Shock Plug, and Scooby Doo)

What isn’t good?

I didn’t enjoy the two main characters. Stewart is 13 and a genius, but he acts and narrates like an 8-year-old. He’s sweet, and likeable, but inhumanly tolerant of others who treat him badly so it’s difficult to relate to him. Ashley is rude, mean-spirited, shallow, self-centered, whiny, and kind of stupid, so it’s hard to sympathize with her character as well. The adult characters were well-drawn, but the friends were mostly just cutouts of teenage stereotypes.
Worst part: Ashley. I disliked her right up to the end.

Recommendation þþþoo

I think my expectations were too high when I started reading this book. I expected something a little more sophisticated. What I got was a story written for middle school with a few scenes more appropriate for teens. There were some complex subjects, but they were dealt with easily. Despite my disappointment, I still enjoyed the story. Recommended, for a light read.

Nielsen, Susin. We Are All Made of Molecules. New York: Tundra Books, 2015. (Hardcover)