Science Fiction (5 of 9) The Hunger Games

https://www.goodreads.com/book/photo/2767052-the-hunger-games

Collins, S. (2009). The hunger games. New York, NY:  Scholastic Press.
ISBN-13:  9780439023481
Format:  Hardcover
Cost:  $17.99

Annotation:  There are 12 districts surrounding the city capitol, Panem, and each district must send one boy and one girl as a tribute to the annual Hunger Games, a televised fight to the death with only one winner. Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year-old from District 12, volunteers to take the place of her precious 12-year-old sister, Prim, in the games, and is determined to survive no matter what the cost.

Awards:  2008 School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
2008 Boston Globe - Hornbook Award
2008 Cybils Award for Young Adult Fantasy and Science Fiction
2009 Golden Duck Award for Hal Clement Award for Young Adult
2009 The Inky Awards for Silver Inky
2010 Red House Children's Book Award for Older Readers and Overall
2010 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award
2011 Rebecca Caudil Young Reader's Book Award
2012 BILBY Awards for Older Readers

Booktalk:  This first book in a series, takes place in a post apocalyptic world in which the evil  President Snow of the Capitol, keeps the surrounding 12 districts under control by annually requiring one boy and one girl from each district to participate in the televised Hunger Games that are only over when all are dead but one.

Katniss Everdeen, who volunteers to take the place of her sister, Prim, and Peter Mellark, the baker's son from District 12, travel to the Capitol to prepare for and participate in the games. Katniss is quite talented using a bow and arrow, a skill she learned while spending many hours hunting with her friend Gale (and possible love interest), and discussing the unfair and cruel current conditions of the world. Peeta only knows how to decorate cakes. When Haymitch Abernathy, the mentor assigned to Katniss and Peeta for the games, discovers Peeta's secret love for Katniss, they hatch a plan to have both of them survive the games. Peeta doesn't want to loose his soul in the process of the games, but Katniss just wants to survive and win, no matter what. Once the games begin, Katniss becomes an ally with Rue, the 12-year-old from District 11, that reminds her of Prim. Together, they form a plan to take out the enemy's food supply, but Rue is killed in the process. In chapter 17 on page 236, we see Katniss overwhelmed with this horrible turn of events:

"I can't stop looking at Rue, smaller than ever, a baby animal curled up in a nest of netting. I can't bring myself to leave her like this. Past harm, but seeming utterly defenseless. To hate the boy from District 1, who also appears so vulnerable in death, seems inadequate. It's the Capitol I hate, for doing this to all of us.

Gale's voice is in my head. His ravings against the Capitol no longer pointless, no longer to be ignored. Rue's death has forced me to confront my own fury against the cruelty, the injustice they inflict upon us. But here, even more strongly than at home, I feel my impotence. There's no way to take revenge on the Capitol. Is there?"

Will Katniss and Peeta be able to beat the system and both survive the Hunger Games? More importantly, will Katniss be able to hold on to her humanity in the process?

Available Formats:  Paperback, Kindle, Library Binding (Hardcover), Audible Audio Edition, Audio CD, Video (Movie Version).

Teen Quote:  18-year-old Kaitlyn M. likes to read science fiction books, but she reads almost anything that looks or sounds good! She reads the summaries on the back or inside cover, and if she likes what it says, she will most likely read it. She loves to read and reads almost every day. To keep up with what's happening in her world, she uses both Facebook and Instagram.

This is what she thought about The Hunger Games:

"The Hunger Games was, in my opinion, better written out than on the big screen. I think that it was a very good read and I would read it again!"

Multimedia:  In 2012, the movie, The Hunger Games, came out in movie theaters. Here is the official movie trailer:

Extra! Extra!  Did you know that Suzanne Collins started her writing career as a writer for children's television? She also wrote another series of books before the Hunger Games series called, The Underland Chronicles. You can find out more about Ms. Collins and her fabulous books at her website here:  http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/index.htm.

If you would like to follow Ms. Collins, her Twitter account is:  @_SuzanneCollins