The Hunger Games

Title: The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins

Series Reading #1 

It has been a long time since I have found myself staying up all night to finish a book and that is exactly what happened with The Hunger Games; I literally couldn’t put the book down. Set in the future in a country known as Panem (modern day North America) that is broken up into twelve districts and a capitol, the story follows a young girl named Katniss and her struggles to survive in district 12 with her family after the death of her father. In Panem, The Hunger Games is an annual event that requires one boy and girl from each district aged 12 to 18 to be randomly chosen to participate in a televised event in which they must fight to the death to find the ultimate victor. Without giving too much of the story away, Katniss finds herself being a part of the event and the remainder of the story follows Katniss as she enters the games. 

There are so many aspects of this book that I enjoyed; I don’t even know where to start. I guess first of all I enjoyed that there was a strong female character to lead the story. I saw a lot of myself in Katniss which is a big part of why I think I enjoyed the story so much. I also enjoyed the character dynamics and the relationships presented. The bonds Katniss clearly has with her mother, her sister, and her friend, Gale, from home are clearly undeniable. However, she also forms some important bonds while competing in the game. Some of the death scenes are very heartbreaking because of this. Another reason I loved the story is because of the excitement and suspense Collins was able to keep up throughout the book. I never knew what was going to happen next and the story kept me guessing the entire time. Finally, being the sucker for romance that I am, I absolutely adored the love triangle between Peeta, Katniss’s fellow district 12 in the games, Gale, her friend from back home, and Katniss herself. Though it wasn’t the center of the story, it was tastefully intertwined with the rest of the plot.

Stories like these are great for classroom use because almost anyone can enjoy them. Males will like them because it isn’t all about a cheesy romance; there is definitely a survival/outdoorsy element to it that boys would enjoy. Females with like it because there is a strong main character they can relate to and that romantic aspect. Both will enjoy it for the suspenseful element. Though the subject matter itself is rather gruesome, there aren’t any particularly “inappropriate” scenes. I would feel comfortable using this text as young as fifth grade and could see many assignments and projects that could stem from the use of the text. Collins has truly created a masterpiece here. The Hunger Games has quickly become one of my favorite novels of all time.