Every Little Thing in the World

by Nina de Gramont

Book Overview

Sixteen-year-old Sydney Biggs is a "good kid." Smart, pretty, self-aware. No one doubts that she'll go far in life. But, lately her mother worries that Sydney is wandering down the wrong path and getting all caught up in petty teenage rebellion and shenanigans. When Sydney and her best friend Natalia "borrow" a car to go to a party and then get escorted home by the police, their parents pack them up and ship them off to a hard-love wilderness camp--to...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416980156
• ISBN13: 9781416980155
• Release Date: April 2011
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 14 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 9 to 12

Customer Reviews

Engaging, surprising, true

A lovely story written with such detail that I have clear mental pictures of all the characters and settings. I genuinely cared about the characters. Highly recommended.

The Beautifully Written Relationship Complexities of a Pregnant Teen

With freshness and immediacy, Nina de Gramont takes us deep within the complex mind of a pregnant teenager in the absolutely incredible EVERY LITTLE THING IN THE WORLD. But this is more than just a book about teen pregnancy: it's also a lovingly detailed celebration and dissection of all different types of human interactions and relationships. It's been a while since I've read a YA book that gives such insight into human and teenage nature. Sydney's voice never feels forced, despite the astonishing range of observations she provides us, many of which are things we could only dream of having learned as a teen. The tensions she experiences in her relationships with the important people in her life are perfectly written and balanced. In this sense, then, EVERY LITTLE THING IN THE WORLD is so much more than a story about teen pregnancy: as Sydney canoes through the Canadian wilderness, she learns about friendship, lust, unrequited crushes, parents, and what really matters to her. This book doesn't try to present a moral; rather, it's an exploration into one teenager's mind. We may not necessarily agree with everything Sydney does, but after reading this book, we come to appreciate the thought processes that go into people making different decisions. EVERY LITTLE THING IN THE WORLD is so much more than it appears to be upon first glance. Read this for a beautiful and amazing in-depth look into teenage interaction and decision-making.

I couldn't put it down

When I finally sat down to read this book I couldn't stop. I had to read it straight through. The author has an amazing knack for remembering exactly how it feels to be a teenager. How strong every emotion is, how many decisions are made out of sheer defiance. I enjoyed every minute, even the tears.

A Fantasitc Book!

I know this may sound strange, but I love reading books that contain teen pregnancy. Some people say this topic is overdone and partially clichéd, but in my opinion each story presented the author takes this topic and turns it into a story that's all its own. Further more, this is exactly what happens with Every Little Thing In The World. Every Little Thing in the World is an emotional, enlightening, and fast paced tale of one girl's choice between what's right and wrong when it comes to her pregnancy and her. Sydney was a character that was easy to like from the beginning because while she had a big problem that none of you teens out there will hopefully have to face during your high school years, she also had others that were easy to relate to. Also, you could feel her frustration on which choice to make- have it or abort it?- and the different opinions that came from her friends on the situation, leaving you to constantly cheer for to come out doing what she wanted to do in the end. And while I do feel that she could have handled some of the situations differently, I still admire her for doing what was right for her in the end, not leaving others to influence her decision. Natalia, Syd's best friend, was a character that just surprised me ( usually not in a good way) throughout and while I'm dying to say more on this, I don't want to give too much about the story away. I did like the secondary characters, though, because I enjoyed how Nina had them each come from a different and diverse background that made them stand out in their own unique way. As said briefly above, the plot was just plain addicting, leaving me to finish this book in less then two days which is pretty good considering the loads of homework that usually dictate most of my time. I enjoyed how most of the story took place in Canada's wilderness and how I always felt like I was right there with the characters because of Nina's great descriptions that were never too little or too overdone. With saying that, Nina's writing was also pretty great and I'm excited to see what other stories she brings to us over the next few years. In all, Every Little Thing in the World is a definite must read even with the few flaws it does have! Grade: A+

A book for every woman, every teenage girl

Nina de Gramont's Young Adult novel Every Little Thing in the World is one of those rare books that can be enjoyed by both adults and teens equally well. The writing is subtle, the characterizations superb, and the story profound. The narrator, Sydney Biggs, has a big problem: she's 16 and pregnant and in serious denial about her state. Her divorced parents are fighting and she doesn't feel as though she can tell them about her "situation." She turns to her best friend, Natalia, for help, but Natalia soon proves to be unreliable in more ways than one. Sydney and Natalia are sent to a Canadian wilderness camp as punishment for a relatively minor infraction, and there Sydney must come to terms with her real predicament. What elevates Every Little Thing in the World into literature is the delicacy with which the author creates the very realistic characters and their very real flaws. No one is exactly what they seem. Just as in real life, even the most villainous-appearing people can surprise us with flashes of goodness, and even our best friends can at times betray us. I wish this book were required reading in high schools across America. It could prevent millions of girls from finding themselves in Sydney's situation. And for girls and women who've already been there, or nearly been there, Every Little Thing in the World will help them feel less alone. This novel is beautiful, complex, and timely.