The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins Buy This Book Now

Suzanne
Rating:


Review
Sixteen year-old Katniss Everdeen has been the chief hunter and provider for her mother and younger sister ever since her father died in a mine accident.  But even this invaluable skill may not be enough when she ends up in the Hunger Games, an annual fight to the death between 24 kids that the government puts on live TV every year. This plot line gave me vague flashbacks to Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, and indeed in some ways it’s a typical post-apocalyptic survival story set in a cruel world run by an oppressive government. Not so original, but it’s no wonder it’s so popular – it’s the ultimate reality show for teens, in book form.  Katniss is what made this book a thumbs-up for me.  She’s clever and likeable and an underdog in the Games, and I do like to root for the underdog. The story is easy to read and a page turner, so it made for good reading on an airplane.  I enjoyed it, but I wasn’t dying to read the next book in the series.

Best Line:
“Only…I want to die as myself.” (pg. 141)

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Kim
Rating:


Review
I resisted picking this book up because of two things: It’s marketed as a teen read, and it’s about kids killing kids. What I didn’t know is that it is set a few hundred years in the future, when North America is now called Panem, and instead of 50 states there are 12 Districts under complete control of the Capitol, an evil and unforgiving Big Brother if ever there was one. Every year, the Capitol hosts the Hunger Games, where one girl and one boy from each District are chosen from a lottery to fight to the death in an arena the Capitol makes as nightmarish as possible, and it’s broadcast live on TV to boot! From District 12, Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her sister Prim’s place when she is chosen, and Katniss is paired with Peeta Mellark, the son of their town’s baker and all-around nice boy. Katniss is a serious girl, but plenty resourceful, as she has been illegally hunting for the past five years to put food on her family’s table after her father is killed in a mining accident. She is a sure shot with a bow and arrow, which comes in handy once the Games begin, so Katniss and Peeta become allies at their mentor’s request and do their best to survive until what they think is the inevitable end of the Games – one of them must die. This story surprised the hell out of me, so much so that I quickly bought the following two books (there are three books in this series), and devoured them as well. I enjoyed all of the characters immensely, though Katniss is so well defined and crazy likeable that I fell for her quickly. I’m looking forward to seeing the movie version coming out in 2012.

Best Line:
“Taking the kids from our districts, forcing them to kill one another while we watch – this is the Capitol’s way of reminding us how totally we are at their mercy.”