Looking for a book (or three) that will keep any teen or tween flipping pages instead of clicking a mouse? The Hunger Games trilogy, a young adult series written by Suzanne Collins, is guaranteed to do just that.
The first installment, The Hunger Games, was published on September 14, 2008. The next two installments, Catching Fire and Mockingjay came in 2009 and 2010, respectively. They are written in first person from the perspective of the sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in District 12 of Panem, a post-apocalyptic world that exists where North America once was. Panem and its 12 districts are all ruled by the Capitol. Every year, to remind the citizens of its control, the Capitol holds a televised battle known as the Hunger Games, in which one boy and one girl, aged 12 to 18, are chosen from each district, and are forced to fight each other to the death in a specially devised arena. This year, Katniss will participate in the games, one of the two participants from her district. Peeta Mellark, a boy who has had a crush on her ever since he first spotted her at age 5, will be the other participant. Let the games begin.
Giving even a brief description of either the second or third novel reveals some knowledge about the outcome of the first novel, so we won’t get into those details. I wasn’t necessarily impressed by the literary content of the series, but I agree with the fans who comment on how impeccably the plot was woven together. I found myself anxious to know what would happen next, though not exactly excited to read every word that would get me there. However, especially in the first book of the trilogy, Collins was able to tie together every detail. The only loose ends are the ones that keep you hanging until you can get your hands on the next book. I don’t know anyone who started the series and didn’t finish.
The novels take on some tough themes: rebellion, the ambiguity of violence and its effect on people, loyalty, war, poverty, and of course, love. It wouldn’t take a genius to guess that The Hunger Games would become a motion picture. Sure enough, the movie comes out this year. If you hurry to the bookstore, you should be able to read through the series before it makes its way into theaters on March 23! What are you waiting for? Get started! (Oh, and make sure you don’t have anything important to do any time soon.)
