The Fitter, Happier UnLibrarian's Blog of Young Adult Books: Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson

Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson

Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson

Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Publish Date: September 2003
ISBN: 0142400017
Page #: 240pp
Reading Level: Young Adult
Classification: Fiction
Genre: Coming of Age/Real Life

Subjects: Death, Family, Fathers and Daughters, GPA, High School, Neighborliness.

Annotation:

Kate Malone is a straight A-student, preacher's daughter, and long distance runner. Her dream is to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where her deceased mother went. The outside looks close to picture perfect, but underneath Kate is falling apart.

Summary:

Kate Malone is a brilliant math and science high school senior who has her sites set to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where her deceased mother went. She is motivated, intelligent, organized, and hard-working-every parents dream. Though her father, Rev Malone, is often too busy preaching to her to actually listen to her. This leaves Kate running in order to clear her mind and find mental focus, or mental nothingness as she does not want to deal with the life issues that haunt her. As Kate goes out for these runs to clear her head, the Litch family, her neighbors and long time enemy, are going through their own series of disasters. As Kate’s relationships with her friends begin to crumble, and her world begins to spiral out of control she somehow finds hope in her new found relationship with her enemy Teri.

Megan says:

Out of all the Laurie Halse Anderson novels (Speak, Fever 1793, Prom, Twisted, and newly released Wintergirls) , I chose to review Catalyst because of the deeply moving and serious storyline I found resonating with me long after I finsihed the novel. The domineering tale of Kate and Teri's plots intertwine to produce an overall plot line that speaks volumes. I highly recommend this novel to all teens and adults. Especially if you have not yet experienced the works of Laurie Halse Anderson, who is a literary legend!

Stars: ★ ★ ★ ★

Laurie Halse Anderson

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