79 pages 2 hours read

Susin Nielsen

We Are All Made of Molecules

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2015

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Introduction

We Are All Made of Molecules

  • Genre: Fiction; young adult contemporary
  • Originally Published: 2015
  • Reading Level/Interest: Lexile HL710L; grades 7-9
  • Structure/Length: 49 chapters; approx. 336 pages; approx. 5 hours, 44 minutes on audio
  • Protagonist and Central Conflict: Teenagers Stewart and Ashley become stepsiblings when their parents move in together. They seem to be polar opposites—Stewart is academically gifted but branded a “nerd,” while Ashley is popular but struggles in school—but they gradually learn to appreciate what they have in common.
  • Potential Sensitivity Issues: Sexual assault; one instance of an anti-LGBTQ slur

Susin Nielsen, Author

  • Bio: Raised in London and Chatham, Ontario, Canada; studied radio and television arts after high school and got her first big break while working on the set of the TV series Degrassi Junior High, where she wrote a spec script and was hired to write more episodes; her YA novels have been translated into many languages; lives in Vancouver, Canada
  • Other Works: Word Nerd (2008); Dear George Clooney: Please Marry My Mom (2010); The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen (2012); Optimists Die First (2017); No Fixed Address (2018); Tremendous Things (2021)
  • Awards: Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers (nominee, 2016-2017); Pacific Northwest Young Reader’s Choice Award (nominee)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit: