Summary
This book follows the dystopian society in the nation of Panem. Every year, tributes are culled from the 12 districts to fight to the death on live tv. This is partially for the amusement of the people in the Capitol, and partially to remind the district dwellers never to rebel again. Katniss is a hunter and provides for her family. When her younger sister is called as a tribute, she volunteers to take her sister's place. She is transported to the Capitol along with the male tribute from District 12, a boy named Peeta who Katniss feels obligated to for helping save her life when her family is starving. They are trained by the only other winner from District 12. After days of training and ceremonies, they are transported into the arena where they will have to kill each other off. The violence begins immediately. Katniss gets away and uses her survival skills to succeed. She avoids Peeta because she does not want to be the one who must kill him. Then, a rule change is announced that two people can win if they are from the same district. She finds Peeta, saves his life, and the two team up. They make it in to the final 3, and the last boy dies. Then it is announced that the rule change is invalid and only 1 person may win. They plan to commit suicide by eating poison berries so that no one wins and the Capitol is left unsatisfied. They are stopped and both are allowed to win, but this puts them in peril as the Capitol sees their act as one of rebellion. They manage to convince the Gamemakers that they are deeply in love and that was the reason for their decision to eat the berries. They are allowed to return home as victors.
My impressions
I loved the movie, so I was very excited that this book was on our reading list. Reading the book filled in a lot of the blanks for me, because the movie would have been too long to explain everything but there were things I didn't understand because the details were missing. (Side note: when I saw the movie for the first time, I went with a friend who had already read the book. If not for her whispered elaborations, I would have missed on on some of the significant subtext going on). The book was much better than the movie and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Reviews
Reviewers found this book to be powerful. A Kirkus staff reviewer stated that this book features "impressive world-building, breathtaking action and clear philosophical concerns make this volume, the beginning of a planned trilogy, as good as The Giver and more exciting" (Anonymous, 2008). Horn Book's Jonathan agreed, noting that "Collins has written a compulsively readable blend of science fiction, survival story, unlikely romance, and social commentary" (Hunt, 2008).
Use in a library
This book really lends itself to a book/movie comparison. It would be interesting to have the students start with the book, then watch the movie, and talk about the differences. The plot is pretty much the same, but the book's characterization was much richer. It would be a good way to get readers talking about how the characters are drawn, why the book is better than the movie, and how an effective character can be rendered. Some of the events were more clearly explained in the book also, so it would be interesting to have the readers talk about what worked and what didn't. Readers could also discuss how some of the internal thoughts are externalized, like the explanation of the tracker jackers and how it goes from Katniss' thoughts in the book to a Gamemaker aside in the movie. It could also be good to have the students read the next two in the series and write the screenplays for the sequel movies. Because this book can be controversial among parents, it would be wise to get releases or to talk with parents ahead of time so they can decide if it is appropriate for their children to participate.
References
Anonymous. (2008). Collins, Suzanne: The hunger games. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from Literature Resource Center.
Collins, S. (2010). The hunger games. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.
Hunt, Jonathan. (2008). Suzanne Collins: The hunger games. The Horn Book Magazine: 84(5): p. 580. Retrieved from Literature Resource Center.
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