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Binding: PaperbackEAN: 9780142400012 ISBN: 0142400017 Label: Puffin Manufacturer: Puffin Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 240 Publication Date: September 15, 2003 Publisher: Puffin Reading Level: Young Adult Studio: Puffin Related Items: Alternate Versions: Click to Display Browse for similar items by category: Click to Display Editorial Review: Amazon.com Review: Chemistry honors student and cross-country runner Kate Malone is driven. Daughter of a father who is a reverend first and a parent second ("Rev. Dad [Version 4.7] is a faulty operating system, incompatible with my software.") and a dead mother she tries not to remember, Kate has one goal: To escape them both by gaining entrance to her own holy temple, MIT. Eschewing sleep, she runs endlessly every night waiting for the sacred college acceptance letter. Then two disasters occur: Sullen classmate Teri and her younger brother, Mikey, take over Kate's room when their own house burns down, and a too-thin letter comes from MIT, signifying denial. And so the experiment begins. Can crude Teri and sweet Mikey, combined with the rejection letter, form the catalyst that will shake Kate out of her selfish tunnel vision and force her to deal with the suppressed pain of her mom's death? "If I could run all the time, life would be fine. As long as I keep moving, I'm in control." But for Kate, it's time to stop running and face the feelings she's spent her whole life racing away from. Catalyst, Laurie Halse Anderson's third novel for teens, is a deftly fashioned character study of a seldom explored subject in YA fiction: the type-A adolescent. Teens will identify (if not exactly sympathize) with prickly Kate instantly, and be shocked or perhaps secretly pleased to discover that life is no easier for the honor roll student than it is for the outcast. Anderson earns an A plus for this revealing and realistic take on life, death, and GPAs. (Ages 12 and older) --Jennifer Hubert Product Description: 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. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Mixed feelings on this oneI recently discovered Laurie Halse Anderson in the YA section of my library and am in the process of reading all her books. Catalyst is probably my least favorite so far, although it's not a bad read at all. Since other reviewers have outlined the plot details so well, I'll limit my comments to what I chiefly disliked about this story, the way the subject of bullying is handled. Teri, the bully in question, treats Kate rudely, steals from her, and responds with ingratitude to the charity extended ... Read More Rating: - Starts great, but then...Like many others, I was interested in "Catalyst" because it's written by the same YA author as the fantastic "Speak." And I really liked the early parts of "Catalyst. In fact, I could hardly put the book down at first. In the beginning of the book, Laurie Halse Anderson is once again in top form, creating a completely believable, intriguing narrator with obsessive perfectionist high school senior Kate Malone. I also enjoyed the direction the book seemed to be taking early on. It was ... Read More Rating:  - Comes at you like Teri's sledgehammerApparently some readers have trouble relating to Kate and/or Teri. I did not. I love them both. Could not put the book down and read until 2 am, then lay awake after that. Don't know why some readers got bored. I found it pretty savage. Maybe it's because I was a nerdy, have-to-get-into-the-right-college, type A teen myself. It took a long time to understand the lessons Kate learns. Rating: - Good but not greatCatalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson is a sequel/companion to Speak. It's set one year after the events of Speak. This novel is narrated by Kate Malone: straight-A senior, science and math whiz, and daughter of the local reverend. Kate's also a great runner, which is good because Kate's been running from a lot of things: Kate has been the family caretaker since her mother died. She hasn't been sleeping as she waits to hear from her dream college (she runs instead). And now Teri Litch, Kate's ... Read More Rating: - A Wonderfully Written BookKate Malone, a senior in high school, is a science and math geek waiting to hear from the only college she applied to: MIT. On top of balancing school and a social life, Kate has been caring for her family since her mother's death nine years earlier. Kate thinks she can handle anything, but then her neighbors' house burns down. Teri Litch, a tough girl who lives for trouble, and her little brother, Mikey, move in with the Malones. Kate and Teri are enemy's and cannot find away to get along. At school ... Read More 
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