Summary:
The
Hunger Games follows the perspective of a young woman named Katniss Everdeen as
she struggles to survive life in a dystopian future. The country of Panem consist of an affluent
capital where the weathy and those with power reside and 12 (once 13) outer
districts. Life in the districts is hard
and those who live there work to provide the capital with its much needed
resources. Katniss lives in District 12,
where she often spends her time poaching with her friend Gabe to provide extra
food to her family: younger sister Prim, and her mother.
The
Hunger Games are an annual event where two children from each of the outer
districts are chosen to fight to the death with other children from the other
districts. The Event is orchestrated to
keep the citizens of the districts in line and provide entertainment to the
capital citizens. The even where
children are chosen are known as the Reaping.
At this years Reaping Katniss’ sister Prim is one of the children chosen
to fight, which prompts Katnis to volunteer in her place.
Peeta is
the other district 12 representative chose to fight in the hunger games. Katniss and Peeta are then sent to the
capital where they are paraded for the wealthy and quickly trained for combat
by previous winner from the Hunger
Games, a drunk named Haymitch.
When the
games start the fighting is brutal and Peeta is split up from Katniss after he
becomes injured. Katniss forms an
alliance with a little girl named Rue from District 7, whom reminds Katniss of
her little sister. Rue is eventually
killed, and Katniss takes her first life when she shoots Rue’s killed with a
bow and arrow. The game nmakers then
announce that teams consisting of two members of the same district will be
allowed to win the match as a team for the first time in Hungergames
History. Katniss realizes she must
reunite with the very injured
Peeta. She then pretends to be in love
with him to garner sympathy from the audience and get medicine sent her her in
the games. Peeta and Katniss manage to
survive the games after a harrowing battle with some Mutts (genetically
engineered creatures that look like a cross between the dead competitors and
dogs). Katniss and Peeta believe they
will be allowed to leave the arena together when they are informed that the
previous ruling about allowing competitors from the same district to work as a
team as been repealed and they must now kill each other. The decide they will instead commit suicide
together with some poisonous berries instead, which forces the game makers to
allow them both to live rather than end the games with no champion. The book ends with Peeta and Katniss
returning home, but an ominous threat from President Snow, ruler of Panem,
tells us Katniss isn’t out of the fire yet.
Collins,
S. (2008). The hunger games. New
York, NY: Scholastic Press.
My
Impressions:
This is a
great book, and I’m sad it took me so long to read it I have already started reading the second
book in the series and it is just as good as the first. I know back when this first came out all my
students loved this book and told me I should read it, and I really don’t know
what took me so long, I will have to check out the movies now as well.
Reviews:
Gr 7
Up-In a not-too-distant future, the United States of America has collapsed,
weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war, to be replaced by Panem, a country
divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year, two young representatives
from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games.
Part entertainment, part brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts, the
televised games are broadcasted throughout Panem as the 14 participants are
forced to eliminate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to
watch. When 16-year-old Katniss's young sister, Prim, is selected as the mining
district's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and
her male counterpart, Peeta, the son of the town baker who seems to have all
the fighting skills of a lump of bread dough, will be pitted against bigger,
stronger representatives who have trained for this their whole lives. Collins's
characters are completely realistic and sympathetic as they form alliances and
friendships in the face of overwhelming odds; the plot is tense, dramatic, and
engrossing. This book will definitely resonate with the generation raised on
reality shows like "Survivor" and "American Gladiator."
Book one of a planned trilogy.
Baird, H. J. (2008). [Review of The hunger games by S. Collins]. School
Library Journal, 54(9), 176-177. Retrieved from: https://libproxy.library.unt.edu:9443/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=brd&AN=518495691&scope=site
Usage
in a Library Setting:
The
Hunger Games could be used as part of challenged book display to generate interest in those who like the
“taboo” even though I feel that there is nothing wrong with the book. Or it could be used along with the movie to
compare and contrast the two versions in a book club type program.
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