Catalyst

By: Laurie Halse Anderson

Narrated by: Samantha Mathis

Meet Kate Malone-straight A science and math geek, minister's daughter, ace long-distance runner, girlfriend, unwilling family caretaker, 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, like a string of chemical reactions, everything happens: the Malones' neighbors get burned out of their home and move in. Because her father is a Good Man of God (and a Not Very Thoughtful Parent), Kate has to share her room with her nemesis, Teri Litch, and Teri's adorable, troublemaking little brother. And through it all, she's still waiting to hear from the only college she has applied to: MIT. Kate's life is less and less under control-and then, something happens that blows it all apart, and forces her to examine her life, self, and heart for the first time.

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

Critic reviews

"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

The story is great but the narration is not

This was one of my favorite books growing up, I absolutely loved the story and was excited to listen to it on audible. However, the narration is not at all what I thought Kate would sound like—the narrator made her sound rude, stuck up, mean, and just not what I pictured in my head when I read the actual book. I wouldn’t have finished it except I already paid for it.

I enjoyed it

Preacher's daughter Kate Malone is smart, popular, and she has to get into MIT. It's the only school she applied to, and her dead mom is an alum. When she's not busy taking care of chores at home, including her father and younger brother, she runs track, works part time and she hangs out with her boyfriend and friends. Outcast Teri Litch couldn't be different. Both bullied and a bully, Teri is responsible for her baby brother's care and taking care of her brain damaged mother. When circumstances have both girls living under the same roof, can they call a truce or will tragedy cause both girls irreparable damage.
CATALYST, set in Merryweather High, the same school where Anderson's SPEAK takes place, addresses many important teen issues: school pressure, family dysfunction, bullying, popularity, anxiety, depression, and coming of age amid the expectations of self, parents and peers. Anderson has a way of capturing the minds of teens and creating imperfect, believable characters. Kate's voice is strong, vulnerable and realistic. While slower paced and less compelling than SPEAK, CATALYST is strong on it's own and an important read for teens.

love this book

I've been reading it since high school, 11 years later It still brings me to tears

One of her best works.

I wish she'd do more books for this series, could happen some day. The narration is excellent, though she's one I hadn't heard before, but she does an excellent job at it. Mikey's death, my God, almost made me cry, have a nephew about his age. Teri to, not Flo as in the summary, poor girl. I'll wait for more books from this excellent author.