Collins, Suzanne. 2010. THE HUNGER GAMES. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 0439023521
In a society where reality television is viewed in almost every home, author Suzanne Collins has found a way to draw readers in to what must be considered the most dramatic televised experience ever. In The Hunger Games, the United States has ceased to exist and in its place it Panem- a country made up of 12 districts (13 if you count the one destroyed by the Capitol during the uprising). To prove the Capitol’s power, each district must send two tributes, one boy and one girl, to fight to the death in the annual Hunger Games.
Sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen becomes District Twelve’s female tribute after bravely offering to take her younger sister’s place. Katniss is paired with Peeta the baker’s son, and together the two travel to the Capitol where they are primped, polished and paraded around as competitors before being sent into the Arena where they will have to fight to the death in order to make it back home. Katniss is the perfect mixture of defiance and humanity as she attempts to help Peeta and another tribute escape death. Knowing that every move she makes is televised, she is able to win over the hearts of Panem and her fellow tribute. When Katniss and Peeta use their fledgling romance to defy the game’s rules in order to both make it home, their elation is soon curbed by the Capitol’s disapproval of their antics.
Collins has created the perfectly imperfect heroine in Katniss Everdeen; this character is dynamic and charismatic, always teetering on the line between good and evil. Readers can empathsize as she bravely takes her sisters place a District Twelve tribute, can sense her need for survival and raw nerves as she embraces the rules of the Hunger Games, and can watch as she cements herself into a relationship with Peeta, knowing he is the key to her survival but risking her life to save him. The characterization of Peeta as a mild mannered baker’s son, and of Haymitch as the drunken former victor and disagreeable mentor don’t go unnoticed either.
While the setting for The Hunger Games is set sometime in the future, a timeframe is not provided, nor is it necessary to understand the overarching themes present in this first installment of the trilogy. The use of a deteriorated United States serves to warn young readers of the perils of war, as much of the country was destroyed by nuclear missiles. In fact, readers will have many topics to dissect and discuss throughout the pages of this novel: war, power, defiance, love, the value of entertainment, and poverty are all laced throughout Katniss’s journey from District Twelve to the Arena and back.
Reviews:
From Publishers Weekly-
Starred Review. Reviewed by Megan Whalen Turner
“hers is a gripping story set in a postapocalyptic world where a replacement for the United States demands a tribute from each of its territories: two children to be used as gladiators in a televised fight to the death. Katniss, from what was once Appalachia, offers to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, but after this ultimate sacrifice, she is entirely focused on survival at any cost. It is her teammate, Peeta, who recognizes the importance of holding on to one's humanity in such inhuman circumstances. It's a credit to Collins's skill at characterization that Katniss, like a new Theseus, is cold, calculating and still likable. She has the attributes to be a winner, where Peeta has the grace to be a good loser. It's no accident that these games are presented as pop culture. Every generation projects its fear: runaway science, communism, overpopulation, nuclear wars and, now, reality TV…... It isn't just the contestants who risk the loss of their humanity. It is all who watch. Katniss struggles to win not only the Games but the inherent contest for audience approval. Because this is the first book in a series, not everything is resolved, and what is left unanswered is the central question. Has she sacrificed too much? We know what she has given up to survive, but not whether the price was too high. Readers will wait eagerly to learn more.”
Praise for The Hunger Games
#1 New York Times Bestseller
A Publishers Weekly Bestseller
A Horn Book Fanfare
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2008
A School Library Journal Best Book of 2008
A Booklist Editors' Choice
A New York Times Notable Book of 2008
A Kirkus Best Book of 2008
A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice
USA Today Bestseller
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