Meet Kate Malone -- straight A science and math geek, minister's daughter, ace long-distance runner, unwilling family caretaker, emotional avoidance champion. Kate manages her life by compartmentalizing it, not unlike the periodic table. She can handle anything -- or so she thinks. Then, like a string of chemical reactions, everything happens: the Malones' neighbors get burned out of their home and move in. Because her father is a Good Man of God (and a Not Very Thoughtful Parent), Kate has to share her room with her nemesis, Flo Litch, and Flo's adorable, troublemaking little brother. Kate's ex-boyfriend keeps trying to get back together. And she gets rejected from the only college she has applied to: MIT. Kate's life is less and less under control -- and then, something happens that truly blows it all apart.
Laurie Halse Anderson grew up in Syracuse, New York, and now lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two daughters. Her first novel, Speak, a Printz Honor and National Book Award finalist, is available on audio from Listening Library