Hunger Games

By: Suzanne Collins

" I groaned, giggled uncontrollably, squeaked in fear, and sighed blissfully."

     Be careful with your words in Panem, the futuristic North America. Say anything against the capital, and well, let’s

just say there’s no more District 13 for a reason. In order to remind the people of Panem that the capital can, and will,

do whatever it pleases, it holds the Hunger Games every year. During the reaping each district must provide a girl and

boy tribute. When the name of her younger sister is called, Katniss Everdeen steps in her place. Leaving her mother,

sister and her best friend and hunting partner, Gale, she travels with Peeta, District 12’s other tribute, to the Games.

However, there can only be one winner, as it is a televised fight to the death.

     In The Hunger Games, Collins creates three-dimensional young characters who deal with adult issues, such as killing

people to survive, figuring out how to die as oneself, keeping a family alive, knowing when a government is wrong and

being in love. As a girl who’s grown up feeding her family and trying to keep them safe from the government, Katniss

can handle a bow and arrow with ease. Still, she can’t quite pinpoint love, though it’s not as if guys aren’t standing in a

line clear as day. During the Hunger Games, she finds herself stuck between Gale, who’s been with her through the

worst of times, and Peeta, who’s stood off at a distance for most of her life, watching, waiting for an opening. When

she begins opening her heart, is it just for the audience, an act of survival? The Hunger Games turns even the most

important issues into a game.

     A bit of advice: do not read this book when you have five hours of homework waiting for you. Before you register

what you’re doing, your eyes fly from the end of one chapter to the start of the next. Collins perfectly balances bloody

battles and logic with emotion and relationships between the twenty-four tributes so you are never bored. Collins also

slips in humor seamlessly. As I read I groaned in frustration, giggled uncontrollably, squeaked in fear, and sighed

blissfully. When I reached the last page, I craved more. Lucky me; it’s a trilogy.

-Haley P.

"bloody and disturbing, but entertaining and addictive"

     Don't start reading Hunger Games late at night. You're not going to want to stop reading, and you'll probably have

nightmares.This book is very violent, very bloody, and rather disturbing - but highly entertaining and one of the

most suspenseful books I've read in a while.

     The setting is a society called Panem where a lottery is held every year in each district to decide which teenager

will be shipped off to the capital to become a gladiator. When Kaitness's younger sister's name is drawn, Kaitness

volunteers. She tells her family goodbye, believing she'll going off to her death.

     A love triangle develops when she teams up with a guy named Peeta, even though she's still crushing on her best

friend that she hunts with for food to feed their families. There are enough plot twists to keep you turning pages,

and I guarantee you'll be hooked by the middle of the book. I absolutely had to know what happened. The open ending

leads back to a decision she'll have to make in the next book about which guy she winds up with.