My Overall Rating:
5/5

Age Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to any strong reader who can handle violence and gore. The writing itself is not difficult to grasp.

Cover Art:
The cover art is extremely simple. I really like this since it does not lend any outside interpretations into the book, while it still supplies an eye catching cover to attract interest. I am also incredibly fond of this cover art because of the meaning that it has for the novel as well as the fact that it does not give away any hints to the story.

Summary:
Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated.


As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games." The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When Katniss' sister is chosen by lottery, Katniss steps up to go in her place. 


My Thoughts:
While this is incredibly similar to the plot of Battle Royale, there are quite a few significant differences. The first is that this book is not the end of the tale. Battle Royale is solely about sending children into battle against one another where only one can live because of the uprising that children have had against adults. Similarly, in The Hunger Games, children are sent into the battlefield once a year as a tribute to remind all districts of the mistakes they made when they attempted to revolt against The Capitol. The difference is that The Hunger Games is not only about sending these children off to war. The significance of the story is much greater than that and has an immensely important message to be taken away by the reader.


When I sat down with this book, I was sucked into a world of which I could not escape. While Katniss is slightly annoying due to her whiny personality, I found myself growing fond of her and her family as I got to know them. Because of the superb writing that Collins has given us, I found myself in Katniss' place in the games.


The use of description in this book is so incredibly vivid that I felt as though I was watching a film. When Katniss felt pain, so did I. I honestly did not think that I would be so sucked into this book after finding out how similar it was to Battle Royale, but after reading both, the differences are enough to where I can have a separate place for both.


Collins kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book, anticipating what would happen next. I have to say that I am so greatful to have jumped on The Hunger Games bandwagon after all three books have been published because after reading this one, I definitely had to immediately dive into the next.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Pages: 384
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Release Date: September 14, 2008
Purchased from store