Catalyst - by Laurie Halse Anderson (Paperback)

About the Book

From the author of "Speak" comes a novel that confronts the conundrum of young adult life. Kate manages her life by organizing it as logically as the periodic table. She can handle it all--or so she thinks. Then things dramatically change.

Book Synopsis

Set in the same community as the remarkable Speak, this novel will make you think, laugh, cry, and rejoice--sometimes at the same time.

"It confronts moral issues, religious conundrums, and the dynamics of emotions in young adult lives as two girls driven by the past and present realize their impact on the future."--Kirkus Reviews

Kate Malone is a straight-A student, minister's daughter, and ace long-distance runner who thinks she can handle it all, until her organized life starts to fall apart like a chain of chemical reactions. First her neighbors' house burns down and Kate has to share her room with her nemesis, Teri Litch. Meanwhile, the days are ticking by and she's still waiting to hear from the only college she's applied to: MIT. Kate feels that her life is spinning out of control--and then something occurs that truly blows it all apart.

Review Quotes

"Intelligently written with multi-dimensional characters that replay in one's mind, this complex, contemporary story carries much of the intensity and harshness of Speak. It confronts moral issues, religious conundrums, and the dynamics of emotions in young adult lives as two girls driven by the past and present realize their impact on the future."--Kirkus Reviews

"Anderson is a gifted writer who makes the complex worlds of teenage girls real to the reader, from the competitiveness and casual cruelty of high school to the wisecracks between friends to the families struggling to connect. Anything by this author is well worth reading." --KLIATT

"Anderson's take on human relations succeeds through her fresh writing and exceptional characterizations."--The Horn Book

About the Author

Laurie Halse Anderson has received both the Margaret Edwards Award and the ALAN Award for her contributions to young adult literature. She has also been honored by the National Coalition Against Censorship in recognition of her fight to combat the censoring of literature. She is the author of the groundbreaking National Book Award finalist and Printz Honor Book Speak. She is also author of the critically acclaimed YA books Prom, Twitsted, Catalyst, Wintergirls, and The Impossible Knife of Memory. She has also authored a number of middle grade titles including The Vet Volunteers series, and the historical fiction Seeds of America Trilogy, which includes Forge, ALA Best Book for Young Adults Fever 1793, and the National Book Award finalist and Scott O'Dell Award-winner Chains. She and her husband live in northern New York State. Follow Laurie on Twitter @halseanderson and visit her at madwomanintheforest.com.