SuitabookAll the Money in the World
Sarah Moore Fitzgerald
- Reading
- Before reading, mention that the story includes poverty, bullying and social disadvantage. Afterwards, ask which choices seemed genuinely freeing, which created pressure, and whether money changed Penny’s identity or only others’ responses.
- Themes
- Money, happiness and privilege: Penny moves from poverty towards the possibility of having a huge sum of money, prompting the question of whether money can buy happiness. The premise invites reflection on how money may alter opportunities and social position, but it does not establish the book’s final judgement.
- Identity, friendship and truth: An unlikely friendship and little white lies accompany Penny’s sense that she can change her life and herself. The situation raises questions about whether self-reinvention strengthens relationships or creates obligations, without establishing how the story evaluates Penny’s choices.
- Worth knowing
- Poverty, a small damp flat, bullying classmates, uninterested teachers and misery are part of Penny’s situation. The treatment of these experiences, and the seriousness of later consequences, remains unclear.