The Hunger Games (Hunger Games, Book One): Suzanne Collins

"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!)

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes: Chris Crutcher

"Sarah Byrnes and Eric have been friends for years. When they were children, his fat and her terrible scars made them both outcasts. Later, although swimming slimmed Eric, she stayed his closest friend.

"Now Sarah Byrnes--the smartest, toughest person Eric has ever known--sits silent in a hospital. Eric must uncover the terrible secret she's hiding, before its dark currents pull them both under."

WOW.....I have been on the world's longest hiatus and there are not enough words to describe how depressed this makes me. I wish I'd read more over the past few months and cannot believe I am only getting back to it at the end of the year. I suppose I fail miserably at trying to increase my yearly reading amount by at least one book each year... Anyhow... I can regret getting stuck on the book that shall remain nameless until I actually finish it, but all the regret can't take back how busy I've been. I suppose that's another sort of blog entirely!

On to the review. I suppose a little bit of back story is required because this is so not what I normally read. I'm co-teaching a children's literature class next semester! I cannot wait! The professor has basically handed control of the class over to me. I chose most of the material, I designed the syllabus, created the reading guides, quizzes, journal prompts, and help with the designs of the essays. This book was not one of my own choices to have the students (hah! that feels so funny to type...especially since I have a feeling I may actually be younger than many of the students). I'm sure I'll end up reviewing the other two that I have yet to read before the semester begins. For now, we'll focus on this one.

I thought I knew what to expect from this book, but I was wrong. It was a lot deeper than I thought it would be...and darker. I don't think the professor has read this book yet either because I've known him for four years and can't imagine that he would have been so adamant about having this book in the curriculum had he read it. I think he was solely going off of the fact that his office-mate has this book on the shelf above her computer. While the book was good and I actually enjoyed reading it (so much so that I finished it in just over 24 hours), the story was much darker than I was expecting. I'm not all that certain which angle I am going to approach teaching this book as children's literature. The characters were almost too believable and the situations were incredibly tragic and heart-wrenching. I believe a lot of this has to do with the fact that the author is a family therapist and a child protection specialist. I don't think there is all that much that I can say without giving something away. The book was good...sad and terribly tragic, but good. I've got quite a challenge ahead of me now! (FYI, I'm not recommending this book for anyone less than fourteen...)