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Catalyst

Laurie Halse Anderson

2001232 pagesabout 4–5 hours
2001
first published
  • 2001Perfection LearningISBN 9780756915322
  • 2002Viking · 232 pages · ENGISBN 9780670035663
  • 2003Speak · 232 pages · ENGISBN 9780142400012
  • 2014Scholastic · ENGISBN 9781407145228
  • 2002Listening Library · ENGISBN 9780807209400
  • 2003Turtleback Books Distributed by Demco Media · ENGISBN 9780606284950
  • 2003Hodder Children's Books · 240 pages · ENGISBN 9780340854648
  • Scholastic FictionISBN 9781407138589

Meet Kate Malone—straight-A science and math geek, minister's daughter, ace long-distance runner, new girlfriend (to Mitchell "Early Decision Harvard" Pangborn III), unwilling family caretaker, and emotional avoidance champion. Kate manages her life by organizing it as logically as the periodic table. She can handle it all—or so she thinks. Then, things change as suddenly as a string of chemical reactions; first, the Malones' neighbors get burned out of their own home and move in. Kate has to share her room with her nemesis, Teri Litch, and Teri's little brother. The days are ticking down and she's still waiting to hear from the only college she applied to: MIT. Kate feels that her life is spinning out of her control—and then, something happens that truly blows it all apart. Set in the same community as the remarkable Speak, Catalyst is a novel that will change the way you look at the world.

How it reads

Worth knowing

Written forMiddle grade

When and where

ThemesFamily
How do you feel?