Module 8: Hunger Games

Book Summary:North America is gone and in it's place lies the nation of Panem, twelve outlying districts controlled by the Capitol. The Capitol keeps the districts oppressed each year by forcing them all to send two teens between the ages of twelve and eighteen to fight to the death in the Hunger Games. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen volunteers to compete in order to save her younger sister, Prim, from this fate. Her skill with a bow and arrow and alliances with other tributes could make her the winner.

APA Reference of Book:Collins, S. (2008). The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic Press.

Impressions: I didn't love Hunger Games as much as many people did. I thought the book was entertaining but I actually expected more shock value. I thought that the way that most of the deaths were handled made them very anonymous and thus it didn't really affect me. It was scenes of Katniss looking for water and sleeping in trees and then "Oh 10 people died today". I know some people felt that the victims being faceless made it even more tragic, but it did not strike me that way. However, I do find this to totally be worth reading and, as a whole, the trilogy is very strong. In my opinion, Catching Fire was a stronger book because you developed more of a relationship with the characters. Also, for as much as the love triangle from these books is discussed, its barely present in Hunger Games. Gale is no where around for 95% of the book and, although Katniss interacts with Peeta, it is all very forced. Their relationship builds much more genuinely in book two.
 

Professional Review: Gr 7 Up-- In a not-too-distant future, the United States of America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war, to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year, two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts, the televised games are broadcasted throughout Panem as the 14 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss's young sister, Prim, is selected as the mining district's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart, Peeta, the son of the town baker who seems to have all the fighting skills of a lump of bread dough, will be pitted against bigger, stronger representatives who have trained for this their whole lives. Collins's characters are completely realistic and sympathetic as they form alliances and friendships in the face of overwhelming odds; the plot is tense, dramatic, and engrossing. This book will definitely resonate with the generation raised on reality shows like "Survivor" and "American Gladiator." Book one of a planned trilogy.

Baird, J. (2008). The hunger games. School Library Journal, 54(9), 176-177. 

Library Uses:I think this book is engaging enough that it could be used to help encourage reluctant teen readers to get interested in other books. Specifically, some of the other YA dyspotian novels like Divergent and Insurgent. Teens who like Hunger Games might also like Graceling.