The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
Scholastic press, 2008, 374 pp., $ 17.99
ISBN – 13: 978-0-439-02348-1
ISBN – 10: 0-439-02348-3
"The rules of the Hunger Games are simple. In punishment for the uprising, each of the 12 districts must provide one girl and one boy, called tributes, to participate. The twenty-four tributes will be imprisoned in a vast outdoor arena that could hold anything from a burning desert to a frozen wasteland. Over a period of several weeks, the competitors must fight to the death. The last tribute standing wins.”
~ The Hunger Games, page 18.
The Hunger Games takes place in the future, in what used to be North America. Katniss Evergreen, a normal girl from district 12, suddenly finds herself competing in a tournament where the champion gets eternal glory and the loser dies. Literally. Katniss has been chosen to compete in the Hunger Games, a fight to the death broadcast on live TV. Katniss is good at surviving--she hasn’t had a decent meal since her father died. She single-handedly feeds her family with the help of her friend Gale, and it has strengthened her mentally and physically. But is it enough for her to win? And can she actually kill someone?
Katniss is alone from her district except for the mysterious Peeta Mellark--a boy who has been kind to her in the past, but never spoke to anyone. Katniss is strong and determined to make it to the final round of the Hunger Games-but so is Peeta. Their personalities clash, but then they find themselves in love--with each other! The only problem is that only one person can win. Katniss and Peeta know they will have to kill each other, or else get killed in the process.
The Hunger Games is a gripping story of competition, love, and loyalty, and it is impossible to put down. Competition as Katniss battles her way to the final stages of the games. Love as Katniss and Peeta weave together a scheme sure to win them sponsors. And loyalty as both of them stay true to each other and to the people of district 12--or at least, they attempt to. The Hunger Games is written in first person, and Suzanne Collins makes you feel as if you are that person. I really felt like I was there with Katniss through the horror of her first kill, but also through the thrill of her first love. Collins is an amazing new author that I had never heard of before, but will definitely look for again.
When I read The Hunger Games, I lived, slept, and breathed it. It was impossible to put down, and I can’t wait until the sequel (Catching Fire) comes out in September. I usually wouldn’t pick up a book like this, but I got it for Christmas and it is now by far my favorite novel ever.
I would recommend this book to both genders, and to ages 12-100. It is very descriptive in the gory details, so I don’t think little kids would like it, but teens and adults will revel in the intensity of the bloodbath that you encounter when reading. The Hunger Games is the best book I have ever read, and I would definitely recommend it.
~ reviewed by Emily
