by Suzanne Collins
Genre: YA Fantasy, Sci-Fi Pages: Hardcover, 374
Publisher: Scholastic
Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don't live to see the morning?
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
My students started after me about this series last year. Of course, I had it in my ever-growing pile but when I got my hands on the audiobook it became even harder for me to resist… not that I purposely was! I spend over an hour in the car a day traveling to and from work and I have found that audiobooks are a God-send!
These books truly are “the next Harry Potter” for a multitude of reasons. I loved Katniss as a narrator and the complete view we get of her. Collins has written her so well and I felt like I was right with her throughout her journey. Stress, fatigue, emotional outbursts, loss and just plain ole confusion were felt through Katniss as she was learning to be the citizen representing her district. Many times female authors are thought to only be able to write romance (or “the mushy stuff” as my boys say), but Collins has proved them all wrong. Yes, there is a “love story” woven throughout but it is in no way mushy.
As I was listening to Katniss’ survival in the Hunger Games I was brought back to my eleventh grade English class when we read The Lord of the Flies. That book amazed me because of the raw nature of the boys and what they did to survive and Katniss reminds me of that. She did what she had to do to survive and surprised herself most of all throughout her trials and tribulations. I am glad that I don’t have to wait for Catching Fire or even Mockingjay because I have them both on my shelf and on audiobook.
For those of you wondering… I am TEAM PEETA all the way!
The Hunger Games will hit theaters
March 23, 2012
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