Reader reviewed by Matt Hill

In this novel, Kate Malone, a high-school senior, a minister's daughter, and an excellent scholor & scientist, has been waiting and waiting for acceptance into MIT - the school that her mother, now deceased, went to. But, in the midst of all this, her enemy's barn and house caches fire, and her father takes the family in, much to Kate's dismay. But, as far as problems with Teri are concerned, she eventually gets to know her better, and they reconcile, if only for a little while! I highly recommend this book to anyone, especially if you are in high school, or deal with the college acceptance stress a lot. This is a great read; go out and get it today!

Reader reviewed by The Lit Chick

i like this book because it tells the inside story of a braniac like kate. so she's smart, but that doesn't mean life for her is an easy ride or a sure thing. laurie halse anderson uses her signature first person view and that gives readers insights into kate's minds. so the emotion's there.

Reader reviewed by Hillary

Catalyst is one of my very favorite books. It was written by the author of Speak, Fever 1793, and several other books. Her most recent book is Twisted which I am not so patiently waiting for it to be released in paperback. Darn books, why can't they all just be the same?

This book is about a high school girl named Kate Malone. Throughout the book, she's waiting to get her college acceptance letter from her first, and only, choice college. All of a sudden, something horrible happens and everything changes. Her entire lifestyle gets a total makeover and she doesn't take it very well. She still tries to keep up her grades, life, and sanity but everything seems to be falling apart. By the end of the book she seems to have gone through so much emotional turmoil that a normal person would have checked themselves into a hospital but she seems to hold it all together pretty well. The ending to the book tied it together quite nicely in my opinion.

The book was wonderful. I could really relate to the main character. She was very likable. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a more serious book to read. Though it isn't a mainly funny book, it had some moments where I couldn't help but laugh, no matter how weird it looked. I liked it so much that I made my sister read it. She enjoyed it too, even though she doesn't normally read that much.

Reader reviewed by Dede

Kate is the preachers daughter and struggles to be the good Kate that every one expects her to be.  She has a bad Kate side to her that she feels at times.  Kate is getting ready to graduate and she only applied to one college, MIT, because that is where her mother went to college and it's the only place she wants to go.  (Her mother died years ago)  Kate is popular and outgoing, the total opposite of Teri, who is an angry outcast and a thief and takes care of her little brother and out of sync mother after her father was jailed for beating her mother up.  I didn't like Kate's character very much at the beginning, but as she grew outside of her comfort area and looked at the world through other people's eyes, I began to feel more for her.  When her letter from MIT arrives and it's a rejection, she panicks and feels like her life is over.  When Teri's house burns partially down, Kate's dad takes Teri and her little brother in until volunteers can fix up their house.  Kate slowly gets to know Teri better and starts to understand her.  Then a catastrophe happens which opens up a whole new reality for everyone.  Kate runs alot starting in the beginning of the book and it's interesting to learn why.  This book will make you look at things differently.  It may have been even more powerful if the author would have switched perceptions/stories from Kate to Teri after the catalyst happened, but this is still a very powerful book. 

Reader reviewed by angela

this book was awesome!! i loved it!!

Reader reviewed by Mrs.Siorek

This was a very good book about a high school girl who set her college expectations too high, and learned some very important life lessons. Kate, the main character, learned to put her differences aside, and help out a girl her age in need. This was a great book that made a big impact on the way I treat others.

Reader reviewed by lookwhaticando

This book is really good. The main character,Kate, is an overachiever who wants to get in her number on college. Throught out the story she meets someone that shows her there is more than life that meets the eye. This book made me laugh,cry, and wish it would never end!

Reader reviewed by Dylana

This book was very captivating and keeps you glued to the page because you want to know more. Laurie Halse Anderson is a wonderufl, true, and realistic writer. Especially when it comes to teenage girls.
This book is about Kate Malone, a senior in high school. She's the daughter of the minister, loves science and math, a great runner, and has her sights totally set on getting into the one and only school, MIT. She's just like any other girl, worrying daily about that college acceptance package that supposed to arrive in the mail. Then her world seems to crumble when a rejection letter arrives instead. She doesn't know what to do because she applied to no other "safety" school and no one else knows.
Things couldn't seem worse until her enemy, Teri Litch, has her house burned down. Teri and her baby brother Mikey have to stay in her house. Teri is a thief and very aggressive. Kate really doesn't need all this pressure on her right now.
You get to read about Kate's life and how she deals with it. Things seem out of control and really stressful. And things get even worse and even more heartbreaking with a surprise that will make you want to cry. This surprise changes everyone related to the situation. You'll have to read the book to find out!!!

Reader reviewed by Roxanne

I think that Catalyst is the perfect example of "don't count your chickens before they hatch".
Thanks to Catalyst I look at the world a lot different. If I had to share my life with one of my worst enemies then I think I would go insane!

Reader reviewed by BoogerCoatBrady

Catalyst was awesome, I loved how it opened with her running at night. It was so sad how her mom died, and she nor her dad wanted to talk about it, but her brother wanted to know all about it.
It was really nice of her family to share their home with someone whose house had burnt down.