by Suzanne Collins Published by Scholastic Press ISBN: 978-0439023481 384 pages I am a little late to The Hunger Games party, but finally was able to read it. Reading a book that already has such a huge and loyal following is a little like going on a trip to a place you've heard lots about while trying to decide if it's really for you. I wasn't disappointed though. Set in the future of what was once North America, The Hunger Games follows the main character Katniss Everdeen. We learn that society has self-destructed and what remains is a country known as Panem, 12 districts and an all-powerful Capitol city. As punishment for a failed rebellion, the Capitol has instituted the Hunger Games, a no-holds-bar battle to the death masked as entertainment. To add insult, the competitors are children between the ages of 12 and 18, chosen by a random draw and forced to fight for their lives, while their families must watch from home. The games are the worst of reality television, pagentry, manipulation, punishment, and reward wrapped into one. Each competitor or "tribute" wants to win, because it means his or her own survival, but winning also means killing the other tributes who might have been your friends if they had not been thrown into the arena with you. Katniss is a complex character. At sixteen, she is the provider for her family. After her father's death in a mining accident and her mother's resulting depression, Katniss does what she must to keep her family alive. She strays out of the boundaries of District 12 to hunt, an activity punishable by death if she's caught. She learns to trade some of her catch for other essentials to keep her family from starving. The harshness of Katniss life forces her to guard her emotions. Life under the Capitol's control has taught her to hold her tongue to avoid bringing retribution to her family. Once selected for the games, the rules change. Although she hates the Capitol and sees the Hunger Games for what they really are, punishment for the districts' rebellion 70 years ago, she has to play along for the sake of her family and her district. As most people are aware, there's a lot of violence in this book. The tributes endure brutal attacks from each other and must survive the whims of the Gamemakers, those in the Capitol responsible for keeping the Hunger Games entertaining. I found myself wincing more than once while reading. This is a book I would recommend for my mature middle grades readers who aren't overly squeamish. The Hunger Games is a great book full of intrigue and action. I'm looking forward to reading the next two books in the series. |
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