Catalyst

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

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.