The Hunger Games

Collins, S. (2008). The hunger games. New York: Scholastic.

Grade Level: 6-8

Genre: Modern Fantasy- Set in the future world of Panem, featuring the unusual situation of the Hunger Games, a fight to the death

Summary: In The Hunger Games, Katniss, a young girl from District 12, is forced to fight for her life and cheat death in the annual Hunger Games. For the Hunger Games, the evil, controlling Capitol chooses two representatives from each of the twelve districts in a televised live fight to the death. On the way to the games, Katniss is faced with plenty of intrigue from the Capitol and has to hone not only her fighting skills but her skills in deception. The big question is whether love can help her chances in survival or bring betrayal.

Reflection: This book was an intersting take on the future North America, broken into regions based on what commodities each can produce (for example, District 12 produces the coal). Where there should have been prospering districts, the life was sucked out of those districts by an over-controlling government, embodied by the Capitol. This is the beginning of the interesting character development in this book. Because of the adversities they faced, these characters developed strengths that helped them survive the desolate worlds and eventually in the Hunger Games. The strongest character in this book is Katniss, who taught herself how to use the bow and provide for her family and district (illegally). She is definitely the protangonist in this story and shows her good side (the self-sacrificing love she has for her sister) and her bad side (lying to Peeta for self-gain). The fact that it is written from Katniss' first-person point-of-view really draws the reader in to the story. I really connected to Katniss in the story because of her use of the bow. I like to target shoot the bow, but after reading this book it made me want to learn how to hunt with the bow in case I ever ended up in some kind of Hunger Games! I think it would be interesting to have students explore writing the story from the point-of-view of other characters in the story and explain why they chose that character. Students could even write about what they think their greatest survival skill would be if North America ever turned into Panem.