YA Monday: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

WHAT THIS BOOK IS ABOUT

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 is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival.

THEMES IN THIS BOOK

MY REVIEW

Suzanne Collins is the new Stephenie Meyer in my book. Hunger Games is the first in an upcoming series of an amazing story. It is set in a post-apocalyptic world, in which a corrupt government keeps it citizens impoverished and subdued. The government forces the districts to give up their youth (one boy & one girl) once a year to the Hunger Games. There can only be one winner in the Hunger Games, so the children are forced to kill each other until only one is left. The story is told through the eyes of Katniss a young girl from the 12th district. After her sister is selected to be `tribute’ in the televised bloodsport, Kat volunteers to take her place. Also selected is Peeta who will become an ally to Katniss. The teenagers are helped to enhance their skills, dressed elegantly and paraded around and then dumped to fight to the death, with cameras following their every move, for the delight of the country. Remind you of anything? The movie Running Man came to mind while I was reading Hunger Games. What I loved about this book was the way I was immediately caught up in Katniss’ story. Her struggle to survive even before the Hunger Games and her strength and wits throughout the battle is inspiring. She is a strong character for young girls to read about and enjoy. The romance was another factor that kept me glued to the page. I would say this is a PG 13 for a YA book because of the subject matter of the brutal games. The romance was PG which was nice to see. I am looking forward to her next book in the series and I highly recommend this book to fill in the Twilight gap now that that series has ended.

YOU CAN ALSO READ A RAVE REVIEW FROM PRESENTING LENORE AND YOU CAN  READ A SAMPLE CHAPTER HERE.  YOU CAN BUY THE HUNGER GAMES ON AMAZON