Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she is
forced to represent her district in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the
death on live TV. But Katniss has been close to death before – and survival,
for her, is second nature. “The Hunger Games” is a searing novel set in a
future with unsettling parallels to our present. Welcome to the deadliest
reality TV show ever.
Reviews
Stephen King-“’The Hunger Games” is a violent, jarring, speed-rap of a
novel that generates nearly constant suspense … I couldn’t stop
reading.”
Stephenie Meyer (Twilight) -“The story kept me up for several nights in a
row, because even after I was finished, I just lay in bed wide awake thinking
about it …The Hunger Games is amazing.”
“Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen cannot believe it when her younger
sister Prim is chosen as the female tribute from their district at the Reaping.
In this futuristic society, each district is required to send two tributes to
the Games in the Capitol where they must fight to the death while the whole
country watches on live television. To protect her sister, Katniss volunteers to
take her place, knowing that she will probably never again return home.
Twenty-four young people are dropped off in a remote area and must fight for
survival against the harsh conditions and each other. Only one is allowed to
live. Katniss and Peeta, the other tribute from District 12, form an uneasy
alliance that blossoms into romance amid the brutality and deprivation of the
Hunger Games. Katniss and Peeta try to rebel against the Gamemakers but discover
that they must play the game to its end. Collins moves up a level from the
Gregor the Overlander books in this gripping story that is the first of a new
trilogy. Themes of government control, "big brother,” and personal
independence are explored amidst a thrilling adventure that will appeal to
science fiction, survival, and adventure readers. The suspense of this powerful
novel will keep the reader glued to the page long after bedtime." Reviewer:
Deborah L. Dubois, VOYA
“Katniss Everdeen is a survivor. She has to be; she's representing her
District, number 12, in the 74th Hunger Games in the Capitol, the heart of
Panem, a new land that rose from the ruins of a post-apocalyptic North America.
To punish citizens for an early rebellion, the rulers require each district to
provide one girl and one boy, 24 in all, to fight like gladiators in a
futuristic arena. The event is broadcast like reality TV, and the winner returns
with wealth for his or her district. With clear inspiration from Shirley
Jackson's "The Lottery” and the Greek tale of Theseus, Collins has created a
brilliantly imagined dystopia, where the Capitol is rich and the rest of the
country is kept in abject poverty, where the poor battle to the death for the
amusement of the rich. Impressive world-building, breathtaking action and clear
philosophical concerns make this volume, the beginning of a planned trilogy, as
good as The Giver and more exciting.." (Science fiction. 11 & up) (Kirkus
Reviews)
