The Hunger Games, a fictional young adult novel written by Suzanne Collins, has grown in popularity within the past year. With a board game already created inspired by the book, and a feature film due for release March 23, many are curious to know what all of the buzz is about. Curiosity got the best of me, so I bought the novel, which was so engaging that I finished the book in two days. This action-packed story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world in the country of Panem, which is what remains of North America. The story unfolds from Katniss Everdeen’s point of view from the twelfth district, considered the poorest district. The government rules from the central city of Panem, known as the Capitol, and holds the power over all twelve districts. There was once a thirteenth district that decided to rebel against the Capitol, and in return was demolished. In order to keep the civilians in each district “behaving,” the government created the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games are an annual event where one boy and one girl (aged 12 to 18) from each of the 12 districts is selected to compete in a televised battle in which only one person can survive. The children are chosen at random, and are immediately sent out to prepare to fight for their lives in the arena. The arena changes each year, and can be any type of habitat from a hot scorching desert, to freezing snowy mountains. The participants are challenged mentally, physically and emotionally. The more survival skills they have, such as hunting, hiding and most importantly, killing, the better chance they have at winning the game and returning home to their families. Only 1 of the 24 participants would survive. When Katniss’ fragile 12-year-old sister got chosen to play, she voluntarily took her sister’s place. Katniss had hunted her whole life, and knew she had a better chance of surviving than her sibling, although that chance was still slim. Many of the other competitors from the wealthier districts 1, 2, and 3 had trained their whole lives to compete in the Hunger Games, treating the ordeal like a sport rather than a battle to the death. While Katniss was determined to keep to herself and focus on her goal of surviving, unexpected alliances changed the flow of the whole game, within the arena and outside of it. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat with suspense. It is full of unexpected triumphs and tragedies. The biggest surprise comes right at the end of the book, and leaves the reader wondering what will happen next. Luckily, The Hunger Games series is a trilogy and there are two more books to dive into after the first. Make sure to get your hands on Catching Fire and Mocking Jay, also by Suzanne Collins, and don’t forget to watch the film which comes out next month!
Published: Saturday, February 25, 2012
Updated: Sunday, February 26, 2012 01:02