The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I will have to say that this is one of the first books that kept me up until the wee hours of the morning to finish reading in a long time. I have done so a few times in my life but it has been many years.

This novel takes places in the future but has parallels to the present. There is suspense and adventure enough to catch the male readers but enough philosophy and romance for the female. The main characters of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are both in their late teens and face the challenge of the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games are used as a way for the ruling class to keep the masses controlled. The Hunger Games are a fight to the death between a male and female from each of the twelve districts that ring the Capital of Panem, a nation that is where North America is today. The winner is rewarded with riches and fame, where the loser gives their very lives. This is all done on live TV.

I started reading the book with one of the students in my classroom. I was going to try to read only as much as he did so that we could talk about the book as we read. It did not work. I was hooked on the book in the first chapter. The student did read a fair amount, I never told him that I finished the book in one day. (I hope that he does not read this post.) He was involved in reading and really had some wonderful things to day about what was going on in the story. There were a few words that he had to look up in the dictionary but he is in the 8th grade.

If you are looking for a page turner that has something for everyone in it, read this book. I am patiently waiting for the next one to come out. (The book ends with the words END OF BOOK ONE). The second book comes out in September 2009!
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Posted by Helen in Book Reviews on May 27th, 2009 |