Catalyst, by Laurie Halse Anderson

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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.


I absolutely love Laurie Halse Anderson and am catching up on all of her YA books. Catalyst is set in the same community as Speak and a couple of the characters overlap.

I remember what it was like to be a senior in high school, stressing out about hearing back from the college that you absolutely HAD to go to. Pile on the AP classes, the extracurricular activities, and stress at home, and you're prepared for a nervous breakdown. Then that one final thing happens, and you completely lose it. You know that's what's happening to Kate Malone. But that one final thing? The one that pushed her over the edge and into a meltdown? I didn't see that one coming.