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- Print length384 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Grade level7 and up
- Lexile measure810L
- Dimensions6.25 x 1.5 x 8.5 inches
- PublisherScholastic Press
- Publication dateSeptember 14, 2008
- ISBN-100439023483
- ISBN-13978-0439023481
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
If there really are only seven original plots in the world, it's odd that boy meets girl is always mentioned, and society goes bad and attacks the good guy never is. Yet we have Fahrenheit 451, The Giver, The House of the Scorpion—and now, following a long tradition of Brave New Worlds, The Hunger Games. Collins hasn't tied her future to a specific date, or weighted it down with too much finger wagging. Rather less 1984 and rather more Death Race 2000, hers is a gripping story set in a postapocalyptic world where a replacement for the United States demands a tribute from each of its territories: two children to be used as gladiators in a televised fight to the death.Katniss, from what was once Appalachia, offers to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, but after this ultimate sacrifice, she is entirely focused on survival at any cost. It is her teammate, Peeta, who recognizes the importance of holding on to one's humanity in such inhuman circumstances. It's a credit to Collins's skill at characterization that Katniss, like a new Theseus, is cold, calculating and still likable. She has the attributes to be a winner, where Peeta has the grace to be a good loser.It's no accident that these games are presented as pop culture. Every generation projects its fear: runaway science, communism, overpopulation, nuclear wars and, now, reality TV. The State of Panem—which needs to keep its tributaries subdued and its citizens complacent—may have created the Games, but mindless television is the real danger, the means by which society pacifies its citizens and punishes those who fail to conform. Will its connection to reality TV, ubiquitous today, date the book? It might, but for now, it makes this the right book at the right time. What happens if we choose entertainment over humanity? In Collins's world, we'll be obsessed with grooming, we'll talk funny, and all our sentences will end with the same rise as questions. When Katniss is sent to stylists to be made more telegenic before she competes, she stands naked in front of them, strangely unembarrassed. They're so unlike people that I'm no more self-conscious than if a trio of oddly colored birds were pecking around my feet, she thinks. In order not to hate these creatures who are sending her to her death, she imagines them as pets. It isn't just the contestants who risk the loss of their humanity. It is all who watch. Katniss struggles to win not only the Games but the inherent contest for audience approval. Because this is the first book in a series, not everything is resolved, and what is left unanswered is the central question. Has she sacrificed too much? We know what she has given up to survive, but not whether the price was too high. Readers will wait eagerly to learn more.
Megan Whalen Turner is the author of the Newbery Honor book The Thief and its sequels, The Queen of Attolia and The King of Attolia. The next book in the series will be published by Greenwillow in 2010.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From School Library Journal
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Review
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
From The Hunger Games
The moment the anthem ends, we are taken into custody. I don't mean we're handcuffed or anything, but a group of Peacekeepers marches us through the front door of the Justice Building. Maybe tributes have tried to escape in the past. I've never seen that happen though.
Once inside, I'm conducted to a room and left alone. It's the richest place I've ever been in, with thick, deep carpets and a velvet couch and chairs. I know velvet because my mother has a dress with a collar made of the stuff. When I sit on the couch, I can't help running my fingers over the fabric repeatedly. It helps to calm me as I try to prepare for the next hour. The time allotted for the tributes to say good-bye to their loved ones. I cannot afford to get upset, to leave this room with puffy eyes and a red nose. Crying is not an option. There will be more cameras at the train station.
My sister and my mother come first. I reach out to Prim and she climbs on my lap, her arms around my neck, head on my shoulder, just like she did when she was a toddler. My mother sits beside me and wraps her arms around us. For a few minutes, we say nothing. Then I start telling them all the things they must remember to do, now that I will not be there to do them for them.
Product details
- Publisher : Scholastic Press (September 14, 2008)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 384 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0439023483
- ISBN-13 : 978-0439023481
- Reading age : 10+ years, from customers
- Lexile measure : 810L
- Grade level : 7 and up
- Item Weight : 1 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.25 x 1.5 x 8.5 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #11,113 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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About the author

Suzanne Collins has had a successful and prolific career writing for children's television. She has worked on the staffs of several Nickelodeon shows, including the Emmy-nominated hit Clarissa Explains It All and The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo. Collins made her mark in children's literature with the New York Times bestselling five-book series for middle-grade readers The Underland Chronicles, which has received numerous accolades in both the United States and abroad. In the award-winning The Hunger Games trilogy, Collins continues to explore the effects of war and violence on those coming of age. Collins lives with her family in Connecticut.
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Seventy-four years after brutal war, the United States is divided into 12 districts headed by the capital city of Panem. As punishment for the war, every district must submit two tributes, one boy and one girl, to take part in the annual Hunger Games, a fight-to-the-death competition that is broadcasted for all to view, with the winner's district being rewarded with extra food until the next Games rolls around. Katniss is a sixteen year-old girl from District 12, the region that provides the Capital's coal. She lives in poverty with her distant mother and her younger sister, Primrose. The family's breadwinner since her father died in a mining accident, Katniss spends most of her time illegally hunting for food to trade and consumption and is often the only thing that keeps her family alive. During the reaping, her sister's name is pulled to be District 12's female tribute. Knowing Primrose doesn't have a chance at surviving, Katniss volunteers to go instead with the understanding that she also likely won't return. Paired with the kind yet determined Peeta as her fellow tribute and their cynical mentor Haymitch, Katniss is whisked off to the Capital, where she faces untold horrors and almost certain death in the seventy-fourth Hunger Games.
This is an exciting premise, to be sure. Unfortunately, I'm going to start this review with one of my main complaints with the story. While the concept is interesting and exciting, it doesn't hold up particularly well to scrutiny. The population can be split into two groups when it comes to the Hunger Games: those who are entertained by the carnage and drama and those who just passively accept it. I'd be willing to buy that if we were talking about adults being forced to fight...but we aren't. These are kids, some as young as 12, being pitted against one another. I find it very difficult to believe that there hasn't been some pushback from the population. Today, we see parents go to great lengths to protect their children, particularly in war torn countries where kids are often pressed into service as soldiers or forced into servitude. These parents know they face certain death, yet their willing to do what needs to be done to find and protect their children. Collins tries to explain away the passive attitude toward the games by saying that the population is too beaten down to care or object. Really? There hasn't been anyone, a single family or even a lone parent, that has tried to make a stand? It simply isn't believable when taken at more than face value.
That aside, "The Hunger Games" is an exciting read. The beginning is a little slow, but the pace really picks up once Katniss leaves District 12. Collins deserves a big pat on the back for pacing this so well. It's difficult to find a good stopping point; hard to quit reading when you just want to know what happens next. The story flows well from element to the next and it never feels forced, stilted, or, worse, boring. A lot of the YA novels I've read lately have had incredibly bloated middle portions that slowed the pace of the overall book to a crawl - thankfully, that's not the case at all here. It's also worth mentioning that nothing feels unnecessary. The action is placed where it needs to be and never feels gratuitous, and the more relaxed sequences (even in the beginning) are never seem longer than they need to be and always serve a purpose. It's riveting, it's hard to put down - it's a well-plotted and well-paced story that never bores or strays from its plot.
The plot also deserves recognition because it's damn good. One of my major complaints with books that I've read recently is how predictable they are, especially in the Young Adult genre. "The Hunger Games" is far from predictable; the twists are unexpected and genuinely surprising, and not in a nonsensical way. As I mentioned above, implausibility aside, the premise is engaging and, for the most part, different. I don't think it's a surprise to anyone that Katniss survives, what with there being two more books being told in the first person point of view. How she gets there, though, is quite a journey, full of surprises and twists, some good, some terrible. I was also pleased to see that the dystopian aspect was executed well. I've always loved "1984" and "Brave New World," and wondered how a Young Adult novel would portray the horrors and hardships of a dystopian society. Collins doesn't pull any punches with what is shown. It isn't as gritty as it could be, but we see enough to be bothered, enough to hate the people in charge of this world, and enough to make us think.
Writing-wise, "The Hunger Games" won't be winning any awards for prose in the near future, but the style used is successful for the type of story told. Collins' writing is borderline minimalistic at times, which actually ends up being a good thing. The book isn't padded out with fluff and the story is never lost in a sea of description. Rather, we get enough to understand the setting and what's going on, which gives us a book that gets right to the point and doesn't mire itself in unnecessary prose. This is a story that's meant to move quickly and keep the reader constantly turning the page, not spend pages explaining a room or the history of a particular region. There's no info-dumping here; enough background is provided to make sense, and it's incorporated into the story to not bog down the pace. Some reviewers have complained about the use of fragments, and while that's sometimes a bit of a writing peeve for me, it somehow works in this book to provide excitement and sometimes suspense between pages and, in some cases, even paragraphs. While perhaps not the most complex or technically perfect prose, the writing used in "The Hunger Games" more than serves its purpose: telling the story in a satisfying manner.
On a side note, Rue's death is easily one of the saddest things I've read in a while. To give a little background on myself, I don't like children and really dislike it when authors try to use kids to tug at readers' heartstrings. So the overall premise of the novel wasn't quite as abhorred to me as I'm sure it is to some readers. But, damn, did this little girl's demise kick me hard in the gut. I had to stop what I was doing to cry...and I'm not a terribly emotional reader. It happens so quickly that even if you know it's coming, you don't want to believe it. I expected a lot of death with such a bloody competition and a lot of attempts to make the reader tear up, but Rue's manages to be touching in a very unique way, as does Katniss' moment of defiance to honour her young friend.
Like most Young Adult novels, this one has a love triangle. Unlike many YA books, it doesn't dominate the story. That's not to say I enjoyed the romance, simply because I almost never enjoy romance, but at least the romantic elements were a little different than what we usually see. The relationship between Katniss and Peeta is initially created and played up strictly as a source for televised drama, and Katniss and Gale only have a vague flicker of romance between them with a long friendship that cements their bond. Though Katniss begins to realize she has feelings for both boys at various points in the novel, it never takes over the plot (though it - or at least the act that Katniss and Peeta are putting on - does play a significant role in at least one event). It's also worth noting that both romance options are likable. It's far too typical that the protagonist has to choose between a supernatural bad boy and her loyal best friend, but here she has two decent guys with their individual flaws and attributes. At least in this book, I never saw one as being an obviously better option than the other. Not surprisingly, she doesn't make a decision at the end of the novel, but that's ok since her romantic struggles weren't the focal point of the book.
I'm going to have to rave for a moment about how much I liked Katniss' character concept. She stands out so much from other YA protagonists I've read simply because she doesn't have a lot of the common traits. She isn't a special snowflake with unique powers that is somehow destined to save the world; she doesn't have an inferiority complex that makes her see herself as ugly while everyone else is fawning over her beauty; she doesn't see people strictly for how attractive they are; she isn't a damsel in distress...instead, she's a tough girl hardened by a rough life that has supplied her with a few key useful skills. She's a survivor, first and foremost, and has the abilities necessary to do whatever needs to be done to ensure that her family doesn't starve to death. Her archery skills quickly set her apart from the other tributes, and she's good, but only because her family relies on her to hunt for food. Better yet, she's confident in what she can do...she knows she's good and uses that to her advantage. It's hugely refreshing to read about a character that doesn't simper endlessly about how useless she feels. In the few moments where Katniss feels useless, it's because there's really nothing she can do, not because she's mired in her own self doubt. She can be cold and even caustic, but not to the point of it being annoying...in fact, it's actually portrayed as something of a fault in her character. This is a protagonist to root for, not to pity. You want her to succeed, not because you feel sorry for her or know that the fate of the world is resting on her shoulders, but because she pulls herself up and strives to survive. Well done, Collins, Katniss is one Hell of a good character as far as her design goes.
This makes it all the more tragic that she's a terrible narrator. As a character, I like Katniss quite a bit, but as the story's point of view character, she's incredibly dull. There's nothing particularly unique about her point of view, now interesting bias or flavour to how she sees things. She tells everything in a straightforward manner exactly as it is, and we never really get to get inside her head. The book likely would have been better if written from the third person point of view simply because Katniss is too boring to completely carry the story. It's also problematic that she doesn't really grow as a character. She starts as a life-hardened teenager that's been forced to grow up too fast and as a result holds some disdain for the government...and ends in pretty much the same way. I found myself wishing that she had been from District 1 or 2, someone raised to love the Capital only to be forced to realize how terrible it is after being thrown into the arena. With her beginnings being what they are, there's no room for her to really grow.
I was also disappointed that she never had to make any tough decisions regarding killing other tributes in the arena. It could have been a huge moment for Katniss, being forced to murder someone who, like her, is there for no reason other than chance. Instead, every death that Katniss witnesses or is somehow a part of is set up as chance (Fox-Face), is a mercy killing (Cato), or the victim has been made so unlikable that you don't really care that they've died (Glimmer). Others die around her, but she isn't in any way responsible for it, which absolves her of any guilt she may feel. I wanted to see Katniss struggle with these tough decisions and live with her choices. Instead, Katniss never really faces any moral dilemmas like you'd expect, and her kills are set up like mercy killings or coincidences, which is incredibly disappointing in a book that has the premise of teens being forced to kill their peers for sport.
The other characters vary in their portrayal. Katniss' family is also pretty dull. Primrose is almost sickeningly innocent and sweet. Yes, it helps us see why Katniss feels the need to protect her at all costs, but it doesn't seem terribly realistic given their life of extreme poverty and the plight of those around them. Katniss' mother is distant and uncaring, which essentially takes her out of the picture, as Katniss hates her for shutting down after Katniss' father died. It's almost too convenient as a way to take both of Katniss' parents out of the picture. Gale is more interesting since he seems to want to take a more active role in defying the government, but holds himself back because he has to support his family. Peeta initially seems too nice, but his little speech to Katniss about wanting to die on his own terms shows that there's more to him than just being a nice guy. We don't get to fully know Rue since she dies so quickly, but what we did see was satisfying. Haymitch holds a lot of promise when he isn't drunk, and I hope we get to learn more about him in the next couple books. Most of the other characters fare similarly: they have a lot of potential, but we don't see enough of them to really figure them out.
Despite my complaints, I really enjoyed "The Hunger Games." The premise is interesting and somewhat unique in the genre, even if it doesn't hold up well under scrutiny. The pacing is great and the writing style is very functional for the type of story, making the book an enjoyable reading experience. The dystopian elements are executed well and there are some truly emotional moments in the novel. There is a love triangle, which may initially make some (including me!) groan, but it manages a different take on what is typically seen, as most of the romance is fabricated to create drama for the media. What's better is that both of Katniss' choices of romantic partners are good, interesting characters with their own issues. Katniss is a refreshing, competent character with confidence in her abilities - a real treat with so many YA protagonists suffering from inferiority complexes while possessing superhuman abilities. However, despite her great character design, she's an incredibly boring point of view character that never really grows despite what she faces in the Hunger Games. Many of the other characters vary with Katniss' family being rather dull and most of the other characters showing promise. I have my complaints, but I'll still give it 4 stars. It was highly entertaining and kept me turning the pages for hours. Perhaps more importantly, it stands out in the Young Adult genre for many reasons, all of them positive.
I am an aggressive reader now, for sure, but I didn't used to be. As such I found out about Hunger Games via a trailer on Apple.com. It looked intriguing and the main character had a lean and angry feel to her that I hadn't seen in a while. I like kick ass female heroines and the story seemed to tick all my desirability boxes.
Then a few reviewers said the movie wasn't as great as it could be, so I passed and decided to wait for the DVD release. However, a couple of weeks ago I was trawling for a good book and I thought: Hunger Games, why not? I'm currently writing my own YA book and I thought that I should be pragmatic and check out the competition. I didn't expect it to be good, I certainly expect it to be great. It was just the new Twilight that I had to read because the world demanded it.
COVER
The cover for the Kindle version I purchased is the movie tie-in edition. I'm not sure what to think of that. I know that keeping your marketing material the same is a good idea, but would it be such an ask to have a unique Kindle cover that really takes advantage of its grey scale processing? We're not talking a single independent writer here, this is a professional squad. Surely they could design something that grabs you straight off from the get go.
The cover itself is fine. It's Katniss' mockingbird on fire and I already knew it looked great in print at the local bookshop. In greyscale, however, not so much. All the vividness and contrast has been drained out of the picture; therefore, even though it's in super high definition, it doesn't grab me on the Kindle.
It's also strange that the cover suffers from the 'blank space' issue a lot of books have around its left and right sides. I went off at Alan Parr last week about and I haven't changed my opinion. This is really lazy work and whoever put the book together for the Kindle should be spoken to about it. Yes, they would have to modify the file but it would be worth it.
BOOK LAYOUT
Even though the book still starts right into the novel (please, can we not do that?), I found it had all the essentials: TOC, chapter headings, acknowledgments and a really great way of promoting the next book. Unfortunately, I'm not a huge fan of the way the TOC had been laid out and although I understand it's not the Kindle version creator's fault (because he / she was staying true to the source material) it really reeks of sloppiness.
I can comprehend that fans of the novel would want it changed as little as possible from one version to another, but I'm not sure they would complain about aesthetic changes like chapter headings. I say this because the TOC chapter listings are 1, 2, 3 and so on. It works when you create a printed book because you can make those numbers really large but as TOC headings, it looks like an eighth grader put the table of contents together. Surely they could have changed them to One, Two, Three and kept the spirit of the book.
One thing I love about the layout is their marketing. At the very end of the novel is a picture promoting the new novel: Catching Fire, and it's great. It let's you know that the other book is available, what it's called and it's not trying to force you to read anymore. I'm already thinking for picking it up in the Christmas period (or when I have holidays) to add to my list of reading material.
STORY
The story is pretty well known by now: Katniss has voluntarily put herself forward to compete in the Hunger Games so that she can save her sister from a likely death. This games are a survival tournament between the 12 different districts that is held in the Capitol and features participants from the ages of 13 (?) to 18.
The main story: survival, is added to with the possibility of romance, audience manipulation and defiance against an oppressive regime. I loved it. I really loved it. The story arc is tightly wound and just goes up and up in its tension as the book progresses.
I found Suzanne Collins totally ruthless as an author (for this kind of book she needs to be) and that was overwhelmingly refreshing for me as a reader. No-one is spared. Friendships are made because of the need to survive and then characters are dispatched as if the Hunger Games was happening in reality right now. There's no sentimentality in this book or inauthentic moments and that's what makes the story work because it feels as if you're right there every step of the way with Katniss and the other competitors.
Also, the book ends. The Hunger Games end and that makes it a compelling (and fulfilling) read.
CHARACTERS
It's been a long time since I've read characters who I've cared about so deeply. I love Katniss and her strength, her confusion, her struggle with humanity versus survival. It's powerful, it's evocative and it made my heart jump more than once. She's a character that hasn't just turned up with a bow because that's what the author wants, she's a character who grew to use a bow because of her fierce determination to survive. I feel that things are going to go badly for her in the next two novels but you can't help but hope she makes it somehow.
There's a great mentor in Haymitch who I hope will be fleshed out more in the second book, a complex and volatile love interest in Peeta, an uncertain ally in Cinna and a fascinating interviewer in Caesar. I think what I loved about all these characters was the fact that they arrive as real people. They have histories, secrets and their own goals Suzanne hasn't told us about yet. Nothing feels deliberately hidden in the book but you can feel it lurking beneath the surface and just waiting to explode.
I think Cinna was probably my favourite outside of Katniss and I'm looking forward to seeing if he gets more space in the next novel.
WRITING
Wow. This is incredibly written. The end of the book says that Suzanne Collins explores the effects of war in her novels and you can feel that. She writes with a purpose and drive that I did not feel in Twilight or Switched. Everything feels stripped back, every word feels as if it should belong on the page and there's no fancy literary games to be played with the author. I felt as if Katniss was speaking to me directly all the way through.
It's written in the first person perspective and in the present tense. I think the narrator is a little unreliable (she's only 18) but has a unique and strong voice that you can hear in each sentence on the page. After reading the big ones: Switched and Twilight, I'm pretty comfortable saying this is in a whole different league. There was nothing wrong with Stephanie Meyer or Amanda Hocking's writing ability in those books, but they were not at this level. Not this gripping, not with this strength of tone and force behind each word. It was like being kicked in the teeth and then pulled behind a chariot for three thousand metres.
CONCLUSION
Is it worth five dollars? Yes. Hell yes.
I can't tell you how much of a relief it was for me to read Hunger Games. I really struggled through the last two books and thought that maybe I had lost my ability to enjoy well written novels because I was writing more myself. I wasn't. The last two books just weren't that good.
Hunger Games grabbed me from the first page and held me until its bittersweet end. I started it at ten o'clock at night and finished the novel the next morning. It's about 80,000 words but it didn't feel like it. It felt so much smaller than the other two novels I had just read. I loved Hunger Games and it made me believe that there was some more Young Adult fiction out there for me.
You don't need to like YA to enjoy Hunger Games, you don't need to like vampires, love torn women or any of the tropes of the genre. This is fiction at its finest with an immediacy that would have made George Orwell proud.
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Top reviews from other countries
The Hunger Games is written from the perspective of a sixteen year old girl called Katniss Everdeen. Having lost her father at a young age, she lives with her mother and younger sister in `District Twelve', which is the last of the twelve districts that surrounds the `Capitol', Panem. Every day is a daily struggle for Katniss; her family live in near-poverty and she has to hunt to get food on the table for her vulnerable sister and her mother, who was almost immobilised by depression after her husband's death. The action is set in a barely recognisable future version of the USA. There was once a District Thirteen, but it was destroyed by Panem for daring to bring about an uprising, and every year, to mark the betrayal of District 13, and as a warning to all the other districts to keep in line, the Capitol stages the so-called `Hunger Games', in which 24 teens between the ages of 12 and 18 - a boy and a girl from each district, are selected to fight to the death via a lottery of sorts, and there can only be one winner.
When her 12 year old sister is selected as the girl `tribute' for District 12, Katniss offers to take her place. And so she is entered into the Hunger Games, with the boy tribute from District 12 being Peeta Mellark, a baker's son, to whom Katniss quite literally owes the life of both herself and her family...
The Hunger Games is a compelling read, full of so many twists and turns it is more or less impossible to quite predict what the outcome will be. Not only is Katniss thrust into an arena full of 23 other tributes out to kill her, but she must work out her feelings towards fellow District Twelve tribute Peeta, and how she will deal with potentially having to kill the person to whom she owes her life. In addition there are traps set by the Gamemakers, who have power over the weather in the arena, and can drown the tributes in torrential rain or blast fireballs at them to spice up the action when things get boring. All of this is filmed and broadcast across the Capitol and the Districts, and is required viewing for everyone. People can place bets on who will survive.
It's like a twisted form of reality TV; Big Brother crossed with a gladiatorial arena
Of course, the Hunger Games is nothing truly new - Collins claims she got the inspiration for the novel while channel surfing one night and seeing footage of Big Brother on one side and real life news coverage of a war zone on the other, and she combined the two together in her mind. The book, however, bears a marked resemblance to the Japanese survival thriller movie Battle Royale, released in 2000, in which a class of teens were entered against their will into a contest in which they were forced to fight to the death on a desert island.
What struck me though, is how awkwardly the moral message of the book is handled, really, considering the weightiness of the issues that make up its foundation. Every now and then Katniss reflects on the unfairness of the Capitol's treatment, but then again, most of the time she is just fighting to stay alive. Perhaps that's all I'd be doing in her situation. Peeta expresses it most succinctly: "(...) (W)hen the time comes, I'm sure I'll kill just like everybody else. I can't go down without a fight. Only I keep wishing I could think of a way to... to show the Capitol they don't own me. That I'm more than just a piece in their Games." It's all about retaining humanity in a world where you are literally forced to kill, where thousands are gawking at you on a screen, placing bets on how long you'll survive.
The violence in the book is somewhat restrained; a thrown knife here, a splash of blood there, without going into particularly graphic detail; it is a teen novel after all. Perhaps the most gruesome deaths are when a girl is stung repeatedly by giant wasps and when a boy is slowly eaten alive by a band of genetically engineered dog-like creatures called `mutts' that are released into the arena by the Gamemakers (perhaps the most shocking scene in the entire book but because of the nature of the mutts as well as the nature of the boy's murder).
If you like kick-ass heroines, this is definitely for you - Katniss is THE kick-ass heroine. Some of the supporting characters are intriguing too; it's just a shame that not many of them are given a chance to develop. Peeta Mellark is an interesting character but is unfortunately stifled by his role of `is he, isn't he?' lover boy. The book does require some mighty suspension of disbelief at times too, with some of the contraptions that the futuristic citizens of Panem take for granted (there is a sort of box, that when touched, sends an electric current to your head that immediately dries, parts and styles your hair. What?!)
Despite its flaws, the book is a compelling read with plenty of suspense to keep you going until the end, but upon finishing the first book in the series, it seems doubtful to me that there is enough material to work with with which Suzanne Collins will be able to draw out another two books, and yet she has done just that.
As teen fodder goes, this is good, but not astounding.
Earlier I was thinking that reading novels is waste you get nothing out of it, but hunger games showed me reality.
After first movie of hunger games, I thought let's try book.
Next day I purchased book and in a week i completed all three books it was soo good story for me, I cried when "Finnic" died.
All books were over and I felt same vibration in my body as I was child and playing cricket in field and my summer vacation was near end,
A feeling that after two days there will be schools and I won't be able to play in field anymore.
When I read THE END, i felt that from tomorrow there will be no more of Katniss, there will be no more to read about HUNGER GAMES.
And in real life after that feeling, my family moved from village to city and I was not able to feel that vibration again until I read HUNGER GAMES.
Thanks Suzanne for bringing HUNGER GAMES in my life.
"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor."
Effie Trinket, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is hands down my favourite book. I actually found this book through Lynne. She had talked about the book non-stop while she had read it earlier in the year. I had really liked the sound of it and I'd made a note to read it. For one reason or another, I didn't get around to reading it until Christmas. I settled in to read it after Boxing Day. I didn't couldn't put the book down, and read until the early hours of the morning. "Didn't" wouldn't be accurate because I tried to put it down. I'd just end up picking it back up within a few minutes to continue the story. There just wasn't any natural place to put this book down. It is non-stop action from start to finish!
The Hunger Games is set in the future, in a place named Panem (formerly North America). Panem has been divided into thirteen districts, and is ruled by The Capitol. Prior to the start of The Hunger Games book, the Capitol destroyed District Thirteen as a punishment for everyone rising against The Capitol. As a reminder to the other districts, the Capitol started The Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is an annual event where one boy and one girl between 12 and 18 years old, from each district, are chosen to participate in a fight to the death. The Hunger Games are televised live to the Capitol and the twelve districts, and viewing is mandatory. The Hunger Games follows Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year old girl living in District Twelve, which suffers from severe food shortages. On the Reaping Day for the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss' sister, Primross Everdeen, is selected. She is only twelve and Katniss steps in to take her place, even though she knows it will mean her death. This all happens near the beginning of the book, and the rest of the story follows what happens to Katniss. The penultimate question is will she survive The Hunger Games or will she be killed?
I think that part of what makes The Hunger Games so good is the use of present tense. This really pulls the reader into the story, and you feel as though you are there in The Hunger Games yourself. This is what makes it so hard to put down because it literally feels like the story is waiting on hold for you to return. Plus, the sheer desperation that you feel all the time from the districts, from the other 24 people in The Hunger Games, and especially from Katniss, again makes it difficult to put down. I think that I needed to keep reading so I can find out what happened in the end, and have the desperation lifted as The Hunger Games ended.
I also think that the strength of Katniss' character appealed to me. She is tough and although she doesn't want to kill anyone, she will if it comes down to her life or theirs. She also doesn't lose sight of what her aim is--which is to survive because her family needs her--when a romance of sorts occurs. There are too many fantasy books that have weak female characters that are dependent on a male character to save them. Also, too often in novels the female characters fall in love and forget everything else. In this book, Katniss remembers that she has a responsibility to her family and she lets nothing get in the way of her survival. While Katniss could be criticized for how she led Peeta on during The Hunger Games, she did it so she could live. Wouldn't we all do the same if our lives were on the line?
The book is violent, but I don't think it is inappropriately violent. It's just enough to keep you hooked and to give the reader mixed feelings of hope, despair, and horror. These are the very emotions that the characters feel in The Hunger Games, and that's needed so you understand the true horror of The Hunger Games. This book has been criticized for the level of violence considering it is a young adult book. I think that young adults are more than capable of reading this book and enjoying it without becoming scarred. I think we need to give young adults a little more credit. There are so many movies that are rated a 12 or a 15 (USA equivalent is roughly PG13) that young adults can go and see that are MUCH more violent than The Hunger Games. I'll name just a few of the top US grossing horror movies (according to IMDB), which are all rated suitable for 12 or 15: Paranormal Activity, Silent Hill, The Ring, The Grudge, The Cabin in the Woods, Scream franchise, The Final Destination franchise...need I go on? In fact, I have seen some of these horror movies, and at 24 years old, they can still give me nightmares! So, why can young adults cope with violent movies that they can see happening, and not a book, which isn't even as violent? I like the fact that The Hunger Games isn't toned down. It treats young adults as just that, young adults. Also, there doesn't seem to be many reviewers suggesting the Twilight trilogy should be censored by parents! This is potentially more damaging in my eyes because it teaches young female adults to be weak and dependent on men. In the second book, New Moon, Bella actually passes several months of her life like a robot, just because Edward has left. She also puts herself in life threatening situations just so she can hallucinate and see his face! Then, when he returns, she instantly forgives him for leaving. When I have children, I know which book I am giving them to read. I know which female character is the better role model.
I found the publicized element of the Hunger Games eye opening. Since reading the book, I am actually disgusted by reality TV shows. Take The X Factor (UK version) which is on TV at the moment. The contestants are continuously humiliated in the papers. For example, Lucy Spraggan has been in the news for being a lesbian, and Jahmene Douglas has been in the news because his dad went to prison for abusing his mum. I actually dread seeing Rylan Clark perform purely because Gary Barlow's comments make me uncomfortable. He is so harsh, and doesn't just criticize the contestant on his singing ability alone! We seem to relish in reading these kinds of things. For example, I haven't stopped watching the show! It's a strange paradox where people find something like The X Factor entertaining partly for those reasons. I actually commented recently that the show is lacking since Simon Cowell left because he used to tear the acts a new one. Also, the contestant's appearances always change for the live shows, and they seem to act differently to try and attract more supporters. In the first week of The X Factor, for example, James wore eye-liner, which really didn't suit him and wasn't something he'd worn on the original audition. This is all too similar to how Katniss is dressed up and paraded around. Plus, when Peeta (the other contestant from District Twelve) admits on live TV that he's in love with Katniss, and the ratings soar, they are soon known as the Star Crossed Lovers and they are told to play to the cameras. In fact, their mentor only sends valuable aid to Katniss when she kisses Peeta, and plays her role.
Final Verdict: Take a day off school or work to read this. You'll need it.
I am already prepared to read the next books, however, I am going to split up the reading and choose something else first. I had seen the first film but could not fully remember the story. I had high hopes for the first book and I was not disappointed. Katniss Everdeen lives in District 12 of Panem in North America with her widowed mother and her younger sister, Primrose, Prim. Following the death of her father in the coal mines Katniss has no choice but to become to main wage earner and provider for her family by any means possible. She uses a variety of skills, in particular, the ability to use a bow and arrow, and techniques she has developed, along with the help from her friend Gale, to provide for her family.
Every national of Panem is entered into the reaping between the ages of 12 and 18. A person can be entered on more than one occasion depending on their financial status and needs. Every entry into the reaping gives a family more food and support for the family, this is known as tesserae. Katniss, at the age of sixteen, has her name entered twenty times. Gale, at eighteen, is entered forty-two times. Prim has only been entered once as Katniss will not allow her to be entered anymore. Unfortunately and unexpectedly Prim is pulled from the selection, Katniss nominates herself to takes Prim's place and a whole range of incidents and unexpected outcomes are waiting for Katniss. in my opinion, the Capitol use the Hunger Games as a way to keep the less privileged and lower social classes in their "rightful" place. Unable to uprise against the Capital as had previously happened in Panem. The Capital use this barbaric and, frankly, ridiculous technique to show the others who is in charge. What absolutely baffled me was not that the Capitol were sending people into a controlled environment to slaughter one another for no other reason than being told to, but the fact that they were only, at a push, teenagers which were being forced to act in such a way. This system definitely had a sense of William Golding's, Lord of the Flies. The, to be perfectly honest, children are expected to murder, slaughter and if they feel like it, eat one another to survive. What an awful concept, just to keep the Capital happy with their control.
Katniss is the female chosen to enter the arena and Peeta is the male chosen. Peeta makes a confession during his pre-contest interview about his feelings towards Katniss. Katniss is unsure if this declaration is true or whether Peeta has found a way to appeal to the audience for both their sakes. The couple were separated for a large period of the story. However, a change in the rules means that both Katniss and Peeta could survive and leave the arena together means they need to strive to not only stay together but survive. During this time together the pair are able to visit and discuss their feelings towards one another. It is an unfair and controversial last minute rule change which makes us think that perhaps the couple will not end their story together. A Romeo and Juliet moment has the Gamemakers have a quick change of heart. I did feel very concerned for the lovable characters, were they going to survive? Would another contestant try and challenge them to the death? Would they ever get back to District 12?
There are a number of people to "help" Katniss and Peeta to prepare and progress through the games. Cinna, Katniss' stylist. He becomes a dear friend to Katniss when no one else will listen to her problems and worries before entering the games. Effie Trinket, the Capital representative for District 12. A lady who has never found anything interesting or rewarding come from the district until Katniss and Peeta. Haymitch Abernathy, the only ever Hunger Games winner to come from District 12, now a drunken...bafoon. Other than Gale, Katniss has an affiliation with Madge Undersee, the Mayor's daughter. Madge provides Katniss with a keepsake from District 12, the notorious Mockingjay pin which is seen as a stand to the Capitol as the bird was a mistake made on their part. The Mockingjay bird helps Katniss on a number of occasions through the books and brings her a little reminder from home each time. There is without no question of a doubt that Katniss would not have been anywhere near as successful in The Games without the help from Rue from District 11. Rue becomes Katniss' friend and companion for a period of time in The Games and with her help, they continue to survive and strive. Well done Rue, well done!
I would absolutely, definitely recommend this book to someone else. It has been such a good read and I can't wait to read the next two books. I did feel like Katniss is slightly self-centred and self-absorbed about her own gains and benefits. She doesn't often take in the thoughts and feelings of Peeta and has more interest in what Gale may be thinking of her whilst he is watching the games unfold. The games have a feeling of Big Brother, minus the murder...well, who knows what the series may lead to, in order to encourage viewings! The contestants are constantly watched and constantly need to be on guard for what they are doing and saying.
I look forward to the next books. To read more on my reviews visit threeminutesfortyfiveseconds.blogspot.co.uk



















