by Suzanne CollinsPublisher: Scholastic Press
Genre: Fiction, YA, sci-fi
Hardback 374 pages
Book Source: the library (2009)
My Rating: 95/100
Summary from Scholastic.com:
Twenty-four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives.
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to the death – televised for all of Panem to see.
Survival is second nature for sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who struggles to feed her mother and younger sister by secretly hunting and gathering beyond the fences of District 12. When Katniss steps in to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, she knows it may be her death sentence. If she is to survive, she must weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
My Thoughts:
Loved this book!! What else can I say about this story that already hasn't been said?? Great idea for a story, wonderful characters to follow, the world it is set in is believable, and Katniss and Peeta are inspiring. Each comes from one side of the tracks but have much in common, whether they realize it or not. They are forced into a set of circumstances that is horrifying and unbelievable, but never underestimate the lengths that people in power will go to to maintain their power.
This book brings up issues that make you think. What would you do if you were Katniss and Peeta? What about the people who live in this post-apocalyptic world? Fighting for food, fighting to survive, and oh yeah, send your kids off to fight to the death.
I sweated, worried, bit my nails, and prayed for these fictional characters as I read this book. I think that says it all.
For more information about Suzanne Collins, please visit her website: http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/
