40 Fun Facts About Everything, Everything

Which condition, nicknamed 'bubble baby disease', is Maddy Whittier treated for in Everything, Everything?

SCID, or severe combined immunodeficiency, leaves the body almost defenceless against infection. Maddy has spent 18 years inside a sealed, air-filtered house because of it.

Which home-baked welcome gift do Olly and his sister bring to Maddy's door in Everything, Everything?

A Bundt cake is the gift, and Maddy's mother turns it away on the doorstep. Olly later stars the 'indestructible' cake in a week of comic skits to catch Maddy's eye.

Which Hawaiian island do Maddy and Olly secretly fly to in the novel Everything, Everything?

Maui is where a hotel receptionist welcomes the two teenagers as honeymooners. They also meet up with Zach, a good friend of Olly's, on the island.

Which athletic hobby is practised by Olly, the black-clad boy next door in Everything, Everything?

Parkour makes Olly at home in his body in a way Maddy is not, author Nicola Yoon has said. Maddy notices him the day the moving truck pulls up.

Which classic children's book, her favourite, does Maddy bring on the trip to Hawaii in Everything, Everything?

The Little Prince is the book Maddy takes along, and Olly flips through it at their hotel. Her own copy returns in the final scene.

Which actor, first known as Rue in The Hunger Games, plays Maddy in the film Everything, Everything?

Amandla Stenberg not only plays Maddy but also sings on the film's soundtrack, covering the song Let My Baby Stay.

Which actor, later the lead in Love, Simon, plays Olly Bright in the film Everything, Everything?

Nick Robinson came to the role after Jurassic World and a long run on the sitcom Melissa & Joey, where he played Melissa Joan Hart's nephew.

Which singer's debut single, Ocean Eyes, features on the soundtrack of the film Everything, Everything?

Billie Eilish first posted Ocean Eyes on SoundCloud so that her dance teacher could use it, and her brother Finneas wrote and produced the track.

What does Maddy learn about her illness after falling sick in Hawaii in the novel Everything, Everything?

She never had it: tests from the Hawaii hospital, later backed by a specialist, show no sign of the disorder. Years sealed indoors had simply left her immune system weak.

Who drew the illustrations in Nicola Yoon's novel Everything, Everything, beginning with a fish sketched at 4 a.m.?

Her husband, graphic designer David Yoon, drew them. She woke him before dawn to redraw her own attempt at Hawaii's state fish, and the two collaborated from there.

Where in New York does Maddy wait to surprise Olly in the final scene of Everything, Everything?

A used bookstore is where Olly finds her copy of her favourite book, with a note naming the finder's reward. Maddy then steps out from behind a shelf.

In Everything, Everything, what killed Maddy's father and brother when she was still an infant?

A car accident took them both, leaving Maddy and her mother with only each other. That loss turns out to shape everything her mother does next.

What rule does Carla set when she first sneaks Olly in to meet Maddy in Everything, Everything?

No touching is Carla's condition, and in the film she also keeps the pair on opposite sides of the room. The rule does not survive many visits.

Which subject does Mr. Waterman, the only tutor allowed inside the house, teach Maddy in Everything, Everything?

Architecture is Maddy's favourite class, and Mr. Waterman delights in the scale models she builds for it. Her other tutors only ever teach her online.

Which tiny figure does Maddy hide inside each project she builds for her tutor in the novel Everything, Everything?

An astronaut, sealed in a suit and cut off from the world, stands in for Maddy herself. In one model he sits in an ice cream shop, unable to eat through his helmet.

Which gymnastic move does Olly teach Maddy during one of his secret visits in Everything, Everything?

A handstand goes wobbly, so Olly grabs her ankles to steady her. Once she is back on her feet, the two end up holding hands.

What does Maddy secretly open online and later use to buy plane tickets in the film Everything, Everything?

A credit card pays for two seats to Hawaii. In the novel, Maddy applies for it simply because she wants a secret of her own.

In the film Everything, Everything, Maddy and Olly kiss as fireworks go off on which American holiday?

Fourth of July is the day Maddy invites Olly over, because her mother is working. The film's score includes a cue titled First Kisses.

In the film Everything, Everything, where does Olly write his phone number so that Maddy can see it?

On his window is where the number appears, facing Maddy's room. The two begin with text messages, then move to email as they get to know each other.

In which Canadian city did principal photography on the film Everything, Everything begin?

Vancouver hosted the shoot, which lasted about a month, even though the story is set in suburban Los Angeles.

Which Toronto-born filmmaker, who later made The Photograph, directed the film Everything, Everything?

Stella Meghie directed it a year after Jean of the Joneses and a year before The Weekend, working from a script by J. Mills Goodloe.

Which actor, the voice of Tiana in The Princess and the Frog, plays Maddy's mother in Everything, Everything?

Anika Noni Rose plays Dr. Pauline Whittier in the film. She is also a Tony Award winner, for the Broadway musical Caroline, or Change.

Which composer, later an Oscar winner for Black Panther and Oppenheimer, scored the film Everything, Everything?

Ludwig Göransson scored it a year before Black Panther, and by then he had already produced three albums for Childish Gambino.

In which room of the Whittier house does Olly first visit Maddy in the novel Everything, Everything?

The sunroom is where Carla lets the first visit happen, and where Olly describes to Maddy what swimming in the sea feels like.

At which Ivy League university did Nicola Yoon, author of Everything, Everything, study electrical engineering?

Cornell is where a creative writing elective got her hooked on writing, by her own account. She went on to a creative writing master's programme at Emerson College.

The Immune Deficiency Foundation criticised the film Everything, Everything for using which psychological condition?

Munchausen by proxy, in which a carer invents or induces illness in someone else, is how the charity read the mother's actions. It called the plot damaging to real patients.

On which blogging site does Maddy post her brief, spoiler-filled book reviews in the novel Everything, Everything?

Tumblr hosts Maddy's short reviews, each of which gives away the ending. They appear in the novel alongside her emails, chat logs and hand-drawn charts.

Which heart condition does the Hawaii hospital blame for Maddy's collapse in the novel Everything, Everything?

Myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, is the cause the physician gives for Maddy's heart stopping. The same email questions her lifelong diagnosis.

In the novel Everything, Everything, Maddy Whittier has an African American father and a mother of which heritage?

Japanese heritage comes from her mother's side of the family, while Maddy's curls are said to come from her late father.

Which country does Carla, Maddy's nurse in Everything, Everything, describe leaving when the runaways visit her?

Mexico is the home Carla left, and she tells Maddy the move brought her freedom and regret alike. Her point is that regret is part of living.

Which word game, her mother's favourite, does Maddy insist on playing on her birthday in Everything, Everything?

Phonetic Scrabble is a birthday ritual that Maddy fully expects to lose, and she does, spectacularly. Mother and daughter then settle down to their favourite film.

Which Mel Brooks comedy do Maddy and her mother watch on her birthday as their favourite film in Everything, Everything?

Young Frankenstein, the 1974 comedy horror starring Gene Wilder, is their shared favourite. They laugh at the same jokes every time they watch it.

What does Zach, the friend Olly and Maddy meet in Hawaii in Everything, Everything, secretly want to become?

A rock star is Zach's dream, one he has kept from his parents. He tells Maddy that part of growing up is disappointing the people you love.

Which daring activity do Maddy and Olly try in Hawaii, to her surprise without fear, in Everything, Everything?

Cliff diving comes after the pair go snorkelling. The film's score marks the moment with a short cue titled Cliff Jump.

What does Maddy's mother show her that inspires the secret trip to Hawaii in the novel Everything, Everything?

A framed photo shows all four Whittiers on holiday in Hawaii when Maddy was a few months old, shortly before her father and brother died.

What inspired Nicola Yoon to begin Everything, Everything, written from 4 to 6 a.m. before her day job?

Her newborn daughter made her a nervous first-time mother, and she imagined a teenager who needed that same level of protection. The book took three years to write.

Which job did Nicola Yoon hold for about 20 years before Everything, Everything became a bestseller?

Programmer was her job at investment management firms, where the working day began so early that she wrote before dawn. She quit in 2015, once the book could support her family.

Nicola Yoon, author of Everything, Everything, grew up in Brooklyn and on which Caribbean island?

Jamaica and Brooklyn were her two childhood homes. Natasha, the heroine of her second novel, is likewise an immigrant from the island living in Brooklyn.

Which second novel by Nicola Yoon, the author of Everything, Everything, was a National Book Award finalist?

The Sun Is Also a Star follows two New York teenagers and became a 2019 film starring Yara Shahidi and Charles Melton.

Which young adult romance imprint did Everything, Everything author Nicola Yoon launch with David Yoon?

Joy Revolution is committed to young adult romances written by people of colour and starring people of colour. Its first books arrived in 2023.