Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Title: Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins

Publication Date: 2008

ISBN #: 9780439023481

Number of Pages: 384

Trend: Tough Girls, Science Fiction, Dystopian, survival

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Collins, S. (2008). The Hunger Games. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.

Summary: The beginning of The Hunger Games by Susanne Collins depicts a stark, cold world with little food, drab clothing, and a sense of hopelessness. Much of that is attributed to the lack of finances that the protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, and her family have due to the death of her father while working in the mines. The only way for her family to survive is for her to poach game outside of the boundaries of her district. It is later known that she is living in District 12, one in twelve districts that create resources for The Capital, the massive city where the rich and privileged live. Due to an uprising many years before Katniss was even born, there is an annual game where two young individuals from each district must fight to the death in an arena, as a reminder of the uprising. The individuals who are chosen to fight are chosen randomly unless there is a volunteer. Katniss’s little sister is chosen, so Katniss volunteers to take her place. She fights in the arena and in the ends sabotages the game, and thereby sets in motion a coup to over overthrow the government that plays out in subsequent novels. The themes of the book are really about government (or the higher class, wealthier people) look down on the lower class to the point of enslavement in the form of the districts. The story also focuses on survival and the key elements that a person needs to survive (including love, not necessarily romantic, but from family and friends)

Curricular connections: This book would be an excellent book to show the importance of balance in society so the scales do not tip to one sides favor over the other. The book can also demonstrate the power of reality television and if that is a good thing, how far will it go to get good ratings.  This book is already set up in so many displays through the library the most I could do, would be to offer books that will appeal to Hunger Game fans.

Review Sources: Francisca Goldsmith of Booklist attests to the suspense and action that Katniss faces in the first installment of the three part series, “each new plot twist ratchets up the tension, moving the story forward and keeping the reader on edge” (Goldsmith, 2008), she goes on to explain that though Katniss is adept at survival, it is her personal sentiments that are her real struggle. Goldsmith also found the characters to be very well drawn and three-dimensional.  In the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, Hunger Games is positively reviewed for same reasons, of the well loved characters, the intenseness of Katniss and Peeta’s relationship and even the fact that the book is not so dark as to be devoid of humor.

Personal response:  This book was very moving to me for many reasons. The first is that the character if Katniss was such a strong (both mentally and physically), tough female that I think we really needed in our YA fiction. I am also happy the romance aspect of the book takes a back seat, not focusing on that topic as a point of premise.