The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games, #1

Winning will make you famous.
Losing means certain death.
The nation of Panem, formed from a post-apocalyptic North America, is a country that consists of a wealthy Capitol region surrounded by 12 poorer districts. Early in its history, a rebellion led by a 13th district against the Capitol resulted in its destruction and the creation of an annual televised event known as the Hunger Games. In punishment, and as a reminder of the power and grace of the Capitol, each district must yield one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 through a lottery system to participate in the games. The ‘tributes’ are chosen during the annual Reaping and are forced to fight to the death, leaving only one survivor to claim victory.
When 16-year-old Katniss’s young sister, Prim, is selected as District 12’s female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart Peeta, are pitted against bigger, stronger representatives, some of whom have trained for this their whole lives. , she sees it as a death sentence. But Katniss has been close to death before. For her, survival is second nature.

Buy on Amazon // Add on Goodreads

*sighs* Ok, I guess I’m going to have to admit that I really loved this book. You win, Sarah Briel! You win. I actually enjoyed a dystopian young adult novel!

I couldn’t put it down from page one to the end. It was absolutely fascinating. The plot was intriguing. The characters were all well-developed. The writing – even though it was first person, present tense, or perhaps because it was – was amazing!

Characters

Katniss Everdeen
Katniss and me got along well. I would say we’re similar (according to 16Personalities, we have the same personality type), but I like to think I’m good with people. And more charismatic. And a better actor. But I still like to think of myself as her. Even though we’re almost nothing alike. So … I like her because she’s like me. 😉
Gale Hawthorne (even though he doesn’t appear in this book too much …)
I like him better than Peeta. I know you probably already know this because I’ve been saying it at every change I get (I’m such a rebel!), but I seriously mean it! Sure, Peeta may be cool in his own good-natured, bread-making way … but Gale is so much awesomer! Yes, that is too a word, spell-check!
Peeta Mellark
Sweet, good-natured, charming. Very good with people. Which, I suppose, makes him better for Katniss if they intend to be near human beings. But … but … GALE!!!
A couple others that stuck with me …
Cinna is amazing. And I started liking Haymitch a lot as I got to know him. Effie was sweet. Silly people always amuse me in books. 🙂 I didn’t see much of Prim … but she annoyed me a little. Reminded me of Caroline from Jacob I Have Loved. Even though she wasn’t much like Caroline at all. Hmm. And I felt so sorry for Katniss’s mother! And there were other people … but I won’t list them all. 🙂

Plot

Very good. It all seemed to come together well. It was really fast-paced!

Setting

Very easy to slip into. Not exactly the kind of place you’d want to go, though.

Content

Violence. It didn’t bother me (old iron sides …) at all, but it probably would disturb some people … a lot.

Overall Rating

4/5 stars. Though I loved the book, it wasn’t my favorite ever.

Sorry for the short, somewhat undescriptive review. I wasted a lot of today and am now in a hurry. 🙂

~Kellyn Roth

About Suzanne Collins

Since 1991, Suzanne Collins has been busy writing for children’s television. She has worked on the staffs of several Nickelodeon shows, including the Emmy-nominated hit Clarissa Explains it All and The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo. For preschool viewers, she penned multiple stories for the Emmy-nominated Little Bear and Oswald. She also co-wrote the critically acclaimed Rankin/Bass Christmas special, Santa, Baby! Most recently she was the Head Writer for Scholastic Entertainment’s Clifford’s Puppy Days.
While working on a Kids WB show called Generation O! she met children’s author James Proimos, who talked her into giving children’s books a try.
Thinking one day about Alice in Wonderland, she was struck by how pastoral the setting must seem to kids who, like her own, lived in urban surroundings. In New York City, you’re much more likely to fall down a manhole than a rabbit hole and, if you do, you’re not going to find a tea party. What you might find…? Well, that’s the story of Gregor the Overlander, the first book in her five-part series, The Underland Chronicles. Suzanne also has a rhyming picture book illustrated by Mike Lester entitled When Charlie McButton Lost Power.
She currently lives in Connecticut with her family and a pair of feral kittens they adopted from their backyard.
The books she is most successful for in teenage eyes are The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay. These books have won several awards, including the GA Peach Award.