We Are All Made of Molecules

by Susin Nielsen

Paperback, 2016

Status

Available

Call number

FIC NIE

Call number

FIC NIE

Description

Thirteen-year-old brilliant but socially-challenged Stewart and mean-girl Ashley must find common ground when, two years after Stewart's mother died, his father moves in with his new girlfriend--Ashley's mother, whose gay ex-husband lives in their guest house.

Publication

Tundra Books (2016), 256 pages

Original publication date

2015-05-12

Original language

English

Language

User reviews

LibraryThing member bnbookgirl
An interesting read about two children and their newly blended life. Stewart and Ashley are facing many important issues (bullying, gay parenting, blended families, date rape) sometimes with humor and sometimes with anger. I enjoyed the majority of the story, I however thought the "protection" club
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was a bit far fetched. Not that it would not be a good idea in some form. This book would bring a lot of good discussion points for kids.
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LibraryThing member Serenity_Tigerlily
Although their characters were completely cliché Stewart and Ashley were great in their own ways. I loved how much they both grew by the end of the book. I actually think that my favorite character was Stewart’s mom. All the flashbacks made her seem like she was such an amazing mother. Funny,
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too. Overall, I loved We Are All Made of Molecules. It could’ve been more realistic, but it still makes an impact as is.
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LibraryThing member JRlibrary
This is a very enjoyable read due to the conflicting voices of Stewart and Ashley, two teens forced together when Stewart's dad moves in with Ashley's mom. Stewart and Ashley are about as different as two teens could possibly be, which is one of the reasons why I enjoyed the book, and the other
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reason is the honest but humorous observations made by Stewart. A few times I did have to question whether Ashley could possibly be as naive and clueless as she appeared, and that was the only thing that stopped me from giving this book 5 stars. Thank you Library Thing for giving me a copy of this book. I've actually purchased a second one so I can have a few on my library shelves.
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LibraryThing member alienwierdos
This book was about two teens, who are as different as can be, and their lives while they are going through the difficult transition of having to live together. Their alternating perspectives of this story made it so much more enjoyable as you got to see both of their thoughts and reactions to the
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same situations. This story included a wide variety of personalities that exist in the real world, which gives younger readers a better idea of the people they will encounter. It also tackled a few tough situations that teens in our current society have to deal with in realistic ways, which leaves a good impression on the reader. Ultimately, this book teaches the reader that even though everybody is different, we are all made of molecules.
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LibraryThing member ewyatt
Stewart and Ashley find themselves living in the same house after their parents have decided to move-in together. Stewart's mom died and Ashley's dad left the family after announcing that he is gay. Ashley is into looks, fashion, and self-centered. She starts dating Jared who as Stewart declares is
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not a "quality person". He considers Ashley as an object to conquer and does a lot of other questionable things like beating a kid up because he's gay, taking pictures of Ashley when she is passed out. Stewart transfers from gifted school to regular high school. He's nerdy and a little strange. And while Ashley does not appreciate him being part of her life, eventually she begins to change and grow as a person - a much more likable character by the end of the story.
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LibraryThing member laVermeer
WE ARE ALL MADE OF MOLECULES provides a hope-filled, lighthearted treatment of darker subjects for preteens and young teens. It's the story of Stewart and Ashley, two teens smashed together by their parents' maturing romance. Stewart and Ashley's story is an odd-couple plot with a step-sibling
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twist. Stewart's the sensitive but nerdy super-intelligent boy. Ashley's the popular but superficial and apparently dumb girl. When Stewart finds himself in trouble at his new junior high, he uses Ashley to solve some of his problems; but of course doing so leads to more problems, and then more problems, culminating in trouble and then a good-people-have-good-endings resolution. At the novel's conclusion, the world is bright and the step-siblings have grown as people.

This is a sweet book; there's no denying that. Sweet, but also, in my opinion, insubstantial. While the novel finishes with a lovely uplift and left me feeling hopeful, within a few days of reading the book, I started reflecting on it less charitably. It reminded me of television — not surprisingly, really, because the author was a writer for Degrassi Junior High, among other television shows.

This novel is generating some rave reviews, and it's certainly a fun, entertaining book. I would heartily recommend it to middle school readers. Susin Nielsen presents a relentlessly optimistic and tidy picture of blended families, Canadian society, and teen relationships. I liked it; I just couldn't sustain my belief in it.
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LibraryThing member SheilaCornelisse
This book deals with a myriad of issues - death of a parent, divorce, mixed families, step siblings, homosexuality, bullying, date rape. Well written and a recommended read as a YA novel.
LibraryThing member Lindsay_W
Molecules is the story of a blended family enduring some bumps in the road as they negotiate the terms of their new arrangement. I often feel like the characters in Susin Nielsen’s books really exist. It might be because they inhabit the same geographic setting as I do, but its more likely
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because Nielsen so well captures the experience of being a teenager and the complexity of family relationships.
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LibraryThing member TLkirsten
This is a review for the Early Reviewers program. This is a funny book - I did laugh aloud in a number of places - that nonetheless takes issues of homophobia and bullying seriously, but without the feel of a far-too-earnest public service announcement. The two main characters are relatable, albeit
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somewhat stereotypical in a simplistic manner (at least Ashley is, although her character gains some nuance later in the book), but this is understandable given the limitations of a short book written for adolescents. The local references will be fun for my Vancouver-area students, and the ability of the Ashley and Stewart to ultimately (Stewart carries most of the load during the book, but Ashley's potential for this becomes apparent) support one another, and fill in gaps where each is weakest, is one of the best elements.
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LibraryThing member WLR11
I received a copy of author Susan Nielsen's fictional YA book "we are all made of molecules" compliments of the Early Reviewers program and appreciated the opportunity! I will start by saying I loved this book for it's humor, the diverse characters and the bias that I have for Canadian authors!
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This is a fast paced tale that covers a variety of themes including terminal illness, bullying, homosexuality, blended families and sexual assault. The main characters, Stewart and Ashley, worlds collide and they are forced to live together in a blended home, while experiencing major life transitions. Their differences far exceed their similarities and emotions fly as they start to navigate their new circumstance. Their tragedies are shared in a humor-filled drama, that stays true to many teen's struggles. This book is sure to please both middle years, YA lovers and adults alike. A great summer read!
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LibraryThing member ShellyPYA
Thirteen-year-old brilliant but socially-challenged Stewart and mean-girl Ashley must find common ground when, two years after Stewart's mother died, his father moves in with his new girlfriend--Ashley's mother, whose gay ex-husband lives in their guest house.
LibraryThing member LoveOfMuffins4820
A quick, fun read about a disparate set of step-siblings and their journey to becoming friends. While the narrative of Ashley was almost painfully shallow, her misuse of vocabulary was endearingly funny. Stewart's interpretation of the world was refreshing and you're constantly rooting for him. The
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ending was warm and fuzzy, but not in an overdone way. Overall: a great YA novel.
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LibraryThing member pataustin
I am a huge fan of first lines, or opening paragraphs, of novels as they give us such a taste of what is to come: They introduce the protagonist, often hint at the conflict, and definitely convey the author’s craft. Susan Nielsen creates such a grabber: “I have always wanted a sister. Brother,
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not so much. I like symmetry, and I always felt that a sister would crate the perfect quadrangle or ‘family square,’ with the X chromosomes forming two sides and the Ys forming the rest.” Thirteen –year old Stewart thinks at first that he’ll get his wish; his mom thinks she’s pregnant, but it turns out that what was growing inside her wasn’t a baby but cancer. She died 15 months later. It was impossibly hard for Stewart, “because we were missing one-third of our family. We had been like an equilateral triangle” (p. 2). There’s more mathematical language that just nails the kind of kid that Stewart is: “For a long time, [Dad] was Sad Dad twenty-four seven, and I was Sad Stewart twenty-four seven, and together we were Sad Squared, and it was just a big black hole of sadness” (p. 4). Ultimately, as Stewart gets a cat, Dad gets a girl friend, things do look up for this family, sort of. But when Dad and Stewart move in with Caroline and her daughter Ashley, Stewart finally gets that sister, and yes, it’s a be-careful-what-you-wish-for kind of scenario. Ashley’s dad has just moved out, informing the family that he’s gay, and she struggles with that: “It opens up a lot of questions. Questions that I don’t really want to know the answers to. Questions like: Did you ever really love us? Or was that a lie, too?” Told in alternating voices between Stewart and Ashley, this book is filled with every day complications. It’s poignant, funny, and will have middle school and high school readers routing for both the socially awkward Stewart and the mean-girl, self-absorbed Ashley. It deals with blended families, with bigotry, and bullying, coping with loss, and adjusting to new schools. I know librarians in middle school who often have eighth graders asking them for mean girl books: Give them this one. Humorously told, it will trump the books they may have expected and will have them reaching for more books by this author.
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LibraryThing member acargile
This is an amusing, realistic fiction novel.

Each chapter is told from a different point of view. Stewart’s mom died a couple of years ago, and his father has met and fallen in love with Caroline. They move into Caroline’s house with her and her daughter Ashley because it’s bigger, giving
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everyone more room. Stewart can intellectually accept all of these changes. His therapist is always on speed dial, and he’s a genius. He is actually excited about having a sister and going to public school. He’s a funny, little guy who doesn’t get upset as to what others think about him; he doesn’t think people are out to get him; and, he goes to the beat of his own drummer.

Ashley thinks that she is the top of the social ladder and Stewart is at the bottom, so she has no intention of admitting to anyone that he’s living at her house. She’s got another secret: her parents divorced because her father is gay and living in the backyard in a tiny house. Between Stewart and her father, Ashley is desperate to hang on to #1 status fashion-wise and social-wise. Whereas Stewart is a genius, Ashley is not very smart, which is some of the humor in the novel. Ashley’s life intersects with Stewart’s life at school when she starts going out with Jared. Jared bullies Stewart until he discovers that Ashley is his “sister.” Everything clashes at the end in the final scene.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Ashley is not a nice person, but her non-intelligence is funny. Stewart is a great character because he’s so logical--his social skills are quite love, but he ends up with the better friends. I recommend this novel.
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LibraryThing member Brainannex
Good heavens, I effing love Susin Nielsen. Her characters are always vivid and have something special that makes them zing. This book is simultaneously a family comedy and a heartfelt study of what it means to truly be a family. Just read it, then go back and read all of Susin Nielsen's books.
LibraryThing member imtanner2
This book is about two kids, Stewart and Ashley, who become step-sibilings. They COULD NOT be more different. Stewart is very smart but not too good in social situations (although he's working on it). Ashley has a big circle of friends and is VERY concerned about what they think. Ashley's mom and
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dad are divorced because Ashley's dad came out as gay. Stewart's mom died of cancer. They end up at the same high school and end up in a very tangled social situation. I loved how these characters resolved their issues and I think this is a terrific book.
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LibraryThing member Debra_Armbruster
I'm giving three stars, but a weak three.

Would I purchase this book for the library? Yup, because it covers so many hot topics that I'm sure there would be a number of kids who could relate in some way. So, then why didn't I like it? For that exact reason; too many hot topics were covered! Blended
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family, grief, character possibly on the spectrum, bullying, dating violence (more potential for than actually realized, but enough of the way there that I cringed), gay parent, mean girls...it was just too much.
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LibraryThing member Whisper1
Increasingly, Young Adult books focus on difficult subjects. I very much liked this book, told from the perspective of two characters, both of whom are facing life-changing events. Ashley's parents split when her very wonderful, kind father told the family he was gay. Stewart's mother died the
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previous year, and he is still very much in grief.

Their lives come together when his father and her mother form a romantic relationship and Stewart's father moves in to the home that Ashley has known since a little girl. Her father lives in the carriage like house in the back of the property, while Stewart not only lost his mother, but his father sold the house holding so many memories of his very special, loving mother.

It is difficult for both Stewart and Ashley to form a blended family. Ashley doesn't like Stewart's geekiness, and Stewart has a strong negative reaction to Ashley's phony self absorption. Compounded with the fact that few of their items are moved into the house, Stewart and his father search for a way to feel at home, while Ashley doesn't try at all to accommodate them, and her mother makes a fledgling attempt.

While Ashley focuses of popularity, it is plain that Stewart is unpopular and nerdy. While Ashley lives to be recognized, Stewart hides out in the steps during lunch to be avoided. When the most good looking guy who recently moved to the school hits on Ashley, Stewart knows clearly he is trouble.

As Stewart finds a niche, and Ashley slowly learns that all the glitters isn't gold, the inevitable melt down results.

The only quarrel I have with the book is that it tried to cover too many serious topics including, but not limited to, a gay relationship of a father and his friend, and snail-like, acceptance by his daughter; grief of a serious, mature, intelligent child whose father may have moved too fast to fill a void, severe bullying, gay bashing, parents who struggle to care for the emotions of their children while trying to blend a family and hosting dinners for the former husband and his lover.

Still, the book works to handle difficult subjects in a mature way. And the way in which the characters unfold rings true, if only a tad too schmultzie.

3.5 stars.
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LibraryThing member amandacb
What do a 14-year-old snobby princess and a 13-year-old socially clueless nerd have in common? They are both made of molecules—a fact that does little to initially help the pair get along when their parents move in together. Ashley is still reeling from her parent’s divorce and father
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subsequently announcing he is gay; Stewart is still grappling with the death of his mother from cancer. When Ashley’s mother and Stewart’s father fall in love, their children are thrown together and must learn how to live with each other. While Ashley’s character is entirely unlikeable, Stewart is a loveable, precocious boy who wants everyone to get along. Full of feel goods and humor, WE ARE ALL MADE OF MOLECULES reminds us that no matter how different we may seem, we are fundamentally the same.
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LibraryThing member thesmellofbooks
A good book in most ways. Well written, interesting, funny, thoughtful, gives kids a headsup on a thing or two. BUT it distresses me that the girl is made to seem dumb and that is funny, whereas the boy is smart and that is less funny. I think there is some anti-non-nerd stuff happening here. But
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mostly we get past that and just enjoy the book.
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LibraryThing member wcs53
Even though this wasn't really aimed at my age group, I really enjoyed this book. I loved the diversity of characters and the strong message that came through in the book. The way the two characters' stories developed and the different ways in which they expressed having to come to terms with their
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blended life was enjoyable and quite funny at times. There's a lot going on in this book and many topics and issues are covered, but this makes the story even stronger. One enjoyable read and one that can challenge the thinking if you allow it to.
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LibraryThing member SandyAMcPherson
Well-written, family dynamics, with a very clever plot, as are all Susin Neilsen's books that I've read so far. Some of the characters appear from earlier stories written by Nielsen, which provides a friendly sense of connection and community. This story from a 13-year old's point of view likely
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resonates with how a lot of kids feel in similar situations. The themes that develop in the novel are complex and perhaps too numerous ~ a lot of baggage for a YA reader to absorb (cancer, death, school bullying, gay relationships, assault). Star rating (3-1/2) also reflects two issues that I felt should have been presented with less stereotyping: Ashley comes across as too much of an air-head (although she isn't really, she just being a normal teenager). She ends up in a near-assault situation through being naive. Stewart is oh-so bright and the novel seems to contrast these two protagonists somewhat in a gender divide. However, the resolution for the family becoming tighter was plausible and there was enough suspense to keep the reader fully engaged.
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LibraryThing member HeatherLINC
I loved this book! Both Stewart and Ahley had terrific voices which the reader could easily identify and relate to. The dual narrative and humour had me engaged from the start, However, there were some serious issues and fairly dark moments, especially in the second-half of the book, which stopped
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it being just a light, fluffy read. I am looking forward to reading other books by this author.
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LibraryThing member HeatherLINC
I loved this book! Both Stewart and Ahley had terrific voices which the reader could easily identify and relate to. The dual narrative and humour had me engaged from the start, However, there were some serious issues and fairly dark moments, especially in the second-half of the book, which stopped
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it being just a light, fluffy read. I am looking forward to reading other books by this author.
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LibraryThing member foggidawn
Stewart is academically gifted but socially challenged. Ashley may not have book smarts, but she's at the top of the popularity ladder. And their parents just announced that they're moving in together. Stewart is still mourning the death of his mother, but he's glad his dad has found some happiness
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again. Ashley is still struggling with her parents' divorce and her dad coming out as gay, especially since her dad is now living in the tiny house in her back yard. Cue family drama, school drama, and friendship drama -- is there any way that this new blended family will make things work?

I found this a quick, enjoyable read. Some of the characterization may have been a little over the top -- Ashley's malapropisms set my teeth on edge, for instance -- but the writing was generally strong. I felt that the ending was more aspirational than realistic, but for the target audience, I think that's okay. Recommended for fans of realistic YA fiction that deals with serious matters but also contains more lighthearted moments.
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ISBN

1770497803 / 9781770497801
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