Review: We Are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen

From Goodreads: 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. 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. And yet, they have one thing in common: they - like everyone else - are made of molecules.

My Rating: 2.5 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: Using the themes of death and divorce, Susin Nielsen’s We Are All Made of Molecules explores how families can change and adapt. Unfortunately, my enjoyment of the book was tempered by: 1) the character of Ashley and 2) the use of rape as a plot device.

Told from the alternating points of Stewart and Ashley, We Are All Made of Molecules chronicles what happens when two families decide to merge. Although I thought both Stewart and Ashley seemed very stereotypical, Stewart was at least a pretty decent character. Ashley, on the other hand, was not only mean and constantly putting others down, but Nielsen chose to highlight that Ashley wasn’t as smart as Stewart by having Ashley continually mix up words (e.g. using unconstipated instead of emancipated, etc.). This drove me crazy!

Another issue that I had with We Are All Made of Molecules was that Ashley wasn’t almost raped once but twice in the book - just so that she could experience some character growth! Also, nobody experienced any major consequences in the aftermath of either situation. It’s just too bad that a topic like rape was used as a plot device, and wasn’t handled more sensitively.

We Are All Made of Molecules will be released by Tundra Books on May 12, 2015. 

Comments About the Cover: Though I like its colourfulness, I don’t think it really matches the title of the novel.  

In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (Random House of Canada Limited) for free via NetGalley.

Review: Winter Shadows by Margaret Buffie

From Inside Jacket: It is the winter of 1856, and Beatrice Alexander has just returned from Upper Canada to her home on the Red River, in what is now Manitoba. As her father's new wife drives a wedge between her and Papa, Beatrice can only be sure of the comfort of her beloved Cree grandmother, relegated to a room upstairs. Shadows hover around Beatrice, who feels trapped by her circumstances and the growing prejudice against those, like herself, of mixed Cree and Scottish blood. As she explores her visions and her unfulfilled life through her journal, Beatrice is suddenly confronted by a fateful choice: Should she settle for a man she doesn't love and embark on a journey of adventure or stay where she is and hope to eventually find happiness? Five generations later, in the same house, Cass feels the same long winter shadows pressing in on her. Her mother has died and her father's new wife is cold and distant. Miraculously, when Cass discovers the star brooch belonging to Beatrice, her visions lead her to Beatrice's diary. Is she really able to communicate with Beatrice across time, or is it all in her imagination?

My Rating: 4 hearts

Thoughts on the Novel: It was initially hard to get into Margaret Buffie’s Winter Shadows because each chapter alternates between Cass and Beatrice so it was a little jerky, but it became a lot easier to read once both girls’ stories started to overlap a bit. I was also expecting that Cass would time travel, but she actually is only able to get glimpses of Beatrice and read her journal in real time, which I really liked because I believe that spirits can exist but time traveling … not so much.

Although Buffie does a really good job developing both Cass and Beatrice, I found Beatrice’s character more captivating because I’ve never read a book where the protagonist was Métis (a mixture of First Nations and European descent). Having always loved studying Canadian history, it was interesting to read a bit about some of the prejudice the Métis would have experienced by the full-blooded Europeans. Beatrice even used Cree words, which made her story more authentic!

Winter Shadows was released by Tundra Books on October 12, 2010.

Comments About the Cover: The colours work really well together and give off a mysterious and desolate feel. I’m also going to assume the diary is on a window ledge otherwise it just seems out of place, especially because there’s snow and footprints in the background.

Winter Shadows was received for free through Goodreads First Reads.