"WINNING MEANS FAME AND FORTUNE. LOSING MEANS CERTAIN DEATH. THE HUNGER GAMES HAVE BEGUN...."In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to death on live TV.
"Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before--and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love."
This is another book I will be teaching in my Children's Literature course. I wanted to teach some "science fiction" story, and it worked out perfectly because the film adaptation of this book will come out at the perfect time for the students to do a comparison paper. My twelve-year-old cousin really enjoyed this series so I thought this might be something interesting to teach. I've been meaning to read it too, and now I am really glad that I did. I was a little hesitant about assigning it when I saw how long it was (they have to read 6 other books, have journals, essays, quizzes, and a textbook to read as well), but I read this book in just about 24 hours, so I think they'll manage! I really enjoyed it! It definitely sucked me in with its vibrant characters, dystopian society, and just enough hardships and violence to keep me utterly captivated.
Katniss, though a bit harsh at times, was still a relatable character and she really kept the story moving. Her dilemmas were touching and her hardships were often tragic. The supporting characters were just as well-written and made the plot extremely rich. The background of the storyline itself was extremely interesting. While futuristic, I was really impressed with how believable it actually was. I think this was my main issue with this series. I was worried that it would not grab me like many other books in this genre don't. I'm pleased to say that I was wrong. Overall, I'm glad that my little cousin gave this book such rave reviews. I can't wait to tach this book to my class! (To be honest, I'm looking forward to picking up the next two books in the series!)
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