[.ca] Catalyst (ISBN 0142400017)

From Amazon.com:
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 \oVersion 4.7\c 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

Reality vs. Denial:
Kate Malone is ranked 3rd in her high school class and has had dreams of attending MIT, her dead mother's alma mater. After being deferred early decision, she applies regularly. And to her utter shock and dismay, she receives the thin envelope. Ouch. It doesn't help matters that her boyfriend, Mitchell Pangborn, has been accepted early decision to Harvard. Sarah, her best friend, is off to Bryn Mawr (OT, but I live right near Bryn Mawr College!!!). While they know where they'll be next year, Kate does not. It's a secret, but she didn't apply to Syracuse and Drexel, her safeties. At first, she thinks there must be some mistake. How could she have been rejected with her grades? Her mother did go there, after all. She can't face it. It can't be the truth, can it? It is. Pretending to be her mother, she phones MIT to appeal her rejection and finds that she doesn't have the "oomph" of the chosen ones, despite being very bright. And her writing skills "could use some work." :( Mr. Malone, Kate's father, is a preacher, a doer of good deeds. This urge of wanting to always to the right thing is the main reason why the Hatchers have moved in, meaning Teri Hatcher, her son, and her mother, Mrs. Hatcher. Teri is a student at Kate's school and also happens to be an enemy - she bullied Kate when the two were younger and is known as a school bully. A cafeteria scenario in which jocks choose to egg her on turns into a huge gang brawl. Teri both cries and causes tears. This is prior to the fire that partially wrecks her home. That's why Mr. Malone invites her to live with them temporarily. Kate shudders at the thought of Teri, who has stolen a necklace Mitch gave her, plus a watch. Kate learns to cope with rejection. An unexpected friendship blossoms and she realizes that although things do not always go according to plan, she'll move on from the letdowns. Good character depth and nicely assembled plot, although there were some slow moments. Anderson has created a book where things aren't perfect and ideal in the protagonist's world, and I think that is what adolescents need to read about. It can either serve as an escape from their problems or help them deal with their own issues. Or they can relate. Either way, this novel is enjoyable.

Handling Rejection:
It seems as if protagonist Kate Malone's world has been flipped upside down. Her rejection to MIT, her dead mother's alma mater, is heartbreaking as it is surprising. In fact, she was so sure that she'd get in that she didn't even apply to Drexel or Syracuse. Or her other safeties. BIG mistake. Her boyfriend, Mitch Pangborn, has been accepted early decision to Harvard. Her best friend, Sarah, is heading off to Bryn Mawr. While her friends and peers have the security of knowing where they'll be next year, poor Kate is up in arms about what to do. Denial has set in and reality has not. And then there's her father, the minister, who insists on helping a family whose house has been wrecked by a fire. Too bad the daughter just so happens to be outcast and nemesis Teri Hatcher! Too bad she's now living with Kate and her father, along with her son, Mikey. And too bad she's been stealing Kate's personal belongings, including a necklace from Mitch and a watch. Anderson's depictions of coping with rejection, along with her abilities to allow you the ideal insight into Kate's mind, will keep you reading. Although a tad slow at times, Anderson has definitely authored a worthwhile read.

As Great As Speak:
I didn't think it was possible, but this book is just as great as one of my favorite books of all time (the book in the same series as this one), Speak. I recommend everyone who has read Speak to read this book.

Anderson Rocks the World Again:
First, there was Speak, a life-changeing, thought-process-altering insightful novel about a believable character. Then there was Fever, another life-changing, incredible novel. Now Catalyst. (...). This book will rock the foundation of what you think is life and what you take for granted, if you let it. It is an emotional cleaner that will have you shouting "No no no no no no no" at Ms. Anderson and wondering if you can even finish the book. Take a long lunch, because you will not be able to put it down. I can recommend this to the geeks of the world, especially, the ones like me who got accepted to most of the colleges they applied for and graduted magna cum laude--or those people who want to understand us.

A Great Read:
Laurie Halse Anderson has produced another excellent novel. Catalyst, like Speak, is full of strong voices and memorable characters. I really love the author's style of writing - always sharp-witted and original.