Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson

Kate Malone is the “good girl” who may think of a sarcastic response but settles for what people would expect the pastor’s daughter to say. She is the cross country runner and straight-A student who pushes herself to excel in everything she does. She is the girl who is crazy enough to apply to ONLY ONE COLLEGE! When neighbor, and school outcast, Teri Litch ends up living at Kate’s house (because her own house suffered major damage in a fire), Kate’s “nice girl” act is about to get out to the ultimate test… And when Kate finds out that she didn’t get into MIT, “Bad Kate” threatens to take over. I don’t know of too many authors who can manage to fit both heart-wrenching and hilarious into the same book, but Laurie Halse Anderson makes it look easy.

Happy Reading!