43 pages • 1 hour read
Nicola YoonEverything, Everything
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2015A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
Why do you think Yoon made The Little Prince so important in this book? What role does it play? Is The Little Prince more important to Madeline and to the story than the other books Madeline reads? If so, why? If not, what book is the most important and why?
The novel’s final climax reveals that Madeline’s SCID diagnoses is false, a delusion that stemmed from Pauline’s intense grief. Consider that Pauline unconsciously upholds the SCID diagnosis and doesn’t intend to harm her daughter, is Pauline’s extreme protection of Madeline justified?
Is the multimedia storytelling approach in Everything, Everything effective? Compare it with other 20th- or 21st-century books that use the same approach.
How might this book have been different if it had been set in the 1960s rather than the 2010s? Consider such elements as technology, race, medical advances, etc.
In light of Yoon’s intention to portray strong female bonds, consider the relationship between Pauline and Madeline. Does their dynamic exemplify a strong mother-daughter relationship? Is Pauline an admirable mother? Do you think Pauline and Madeline will eventually repair their relationship?
Risk is a key theme in the novel. Identify a risk taken by one of the characters. What motivates them to take this risk? Does the risks prove to be worth it? How does this relate to the book’s overarching theme about risk and danger?
Beyond Yoon’s identification of Madeline as a mixed-race protagonist, does race play a role in Everything, Everything? Provide specific examples from the text to help support your argument.
Compare Everything, Everything with other coming-of-age stories like A Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, or Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison. What similarities do you see between Madeline’s story and those of the other protagonists? What differences?
Madeline longingly imagines what it would be like to live a normal life and go to high school. Do you think her expectations would have been realized if she had the chance to go to school?
The SCID community has criticized the book’s portrayal of the disorder Are these concerns book justified? Why might it be important to present rare diseases accurately? Do authors have some measure of creative license in portraying diseases?
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