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Catalyst

Author Laurie Halse Anderson

Paperback

$10.99 US

Penguin Young Readers | Speak

5.5"W x 8.25"H x 0.74"D | 10 oz | 44 per carton

On sale Sep 15, 2003 | 272 Pages | 9780142400012

Age 12 and up

Reading Level: Lexile HL580L | Fountas & Pinnell Z

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Set in the same community as the remarkable Speak, this novel will make you think, laugh, cry, and rejoice—sometimes at the same time.

"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

Kate Malone is a straight-A student, minister’s daughter, and ace long-distance runner who thinks she can handle it all, until her organized life starts to fall apart like a chain of chemical reactions. First her neighbors’ house burns down and Kate has to share her room with her nemesis, Teri Litch. Meanwhile, the days are ticking by and she’s still waiting to hear from the only college she’s applied to: MIT. Kate feels that her life is spinning out of control—and then something occurs that truly blows it all apart.

Laurie Halse Anderson is a New York Times bestselling author whose writing spans young readers, teens, and new adults. Combined, her books have sold more than eight million copies. She has been twice nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. Two of her books, Speak and Chains, were National Book Award finalists, and Chains was short-listed for the prestigious Carnegie Medal. Laurie was selected by the American Library Association for the 2009 Margaret A. Edwards Award and has been honored for her battles for intellectual freedom by the National Coalition Against Censorship and the National Council of Teachers of English.

In addition to combating censorship, Laurie regularly speaks about the need for diversity in publishing and is a member of RAINN’s National Leadership Council. She lives in Philadelphia, where she enjoys cheesesteaks while she writes. Find out more about Laurie by following her on Twitter at @halseanderson, Instagram at halseanderson, Facebook at writerlady, and Pinterest at halseanderson or by visiting her website, madwomanintheforest.com.

View titles by Laurie Halse Anderson

WINNER
ALA Notable Book

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"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

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WINNER
ALA Notable Book