Susin Nielsen
We Are All Made Of Molecules
Thirteen-year-old Stewart is academically brilliant, but socially clueless.
Fourteen-year-old Ashley is the undisputed “It” girl in her grade, but her marks 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% happy about it, but Ashley is 110% 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. And yet, no matter their differences, they share one thing in common: They – like the rest of us – are all made of molecules.
In this hilarious yet deeply moving story, award-winning author Susin Nielsen has created two narrators who will steal your heart and make you laugh out loud.
Awards/Honours
Longlisted for the 2016 Carnegie Medal, UK
2015 Governor General’s Literary Award Nominee, Children’s Text
Winner of the 2016 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award
Winner of the 2017 Prix des Libraires, Quebec
Winner of the 2017 Prix Farniente, Belgium
2016 Canadian Library Association Honor Book, Young Adult Novel category
2016/17 Texas Lonestar Award Nominee
2016/17 Georgia Peach Book Award Nominee
A USBBY 2016 Selection for Outstanding International Books
2016 OLA Red Maple Award Honor Book
2016 Saskatchewan Snow Willow Award Nominee
2017 Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award Nominee
2017 Rocky Mountain Book Award Nominee
Kirkus Reviews “Best Teen Books of 2015”
Quill & Quire’s “Best Kids’ Books of 2015”
The Globe 100’s “Best Books of 2015”
“20 Best YA Books of 2015″ in The Telegraph (U.K.) – 5 out of 5 stars (Martin Chilton)
Inspiration Behind We Are All Made Of Molecules
I seem to have an ongoing fascination with blended families. In my second novel, Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom, Violet has to contend with her dad’s new wife and kids, and her mom’s new boyfriend. With Molecules I wanted to take the idea one step further, and actually have two families merge into one. It’s probably not too hard for me to figure out where this fascination comes from; my own parents are divorced and they both remarried. Now, my mom didn’t remarry until I was older and out of the house (I grew up with her), but she married a man with four kids. I’m an only child and, don’t get me wrong, I love them all very much, but if all of this had happened when I was Ashley’s age . . . let’s just say I would have behaved far, far worse than Ashley! Also, as a parent, I’ve seen many families change and re-form. I guess all of those things were part of the birth of We Are All Made of Molecules.