Catalyst by Laure Halse Anderson

Kate Malone is driven- a science and math geek, minister's daughter, long-distance runner, and her family's caretaker- she keeps herself organized and together the best that she can. Her rejection letter from MIT arrives (the only school that Kate applied to) and her neighbor (and classmate) Teri and her younger brother Mikey move into Kate's room after a fire destroys their home. Anderson returns to the setting of Speak during the following school year (Melinda does make a cameo appearance) but this is a very different story. While the story starts with a focus primarily on Kate and her life, the book switches and the focus changes more to Teri and Mikey. Kate never resonated with me- I found her obnoxious and annoying. It was Teri's story that grabbed me and forced me to keep reading. The ending came as a complete shock.