The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Every year, the Capitol of Panem requires that each District send two tributes (a boy and a girl, aged 12 to 18) to participate in the yearly Hunger Games.

The Hunger Games is reality television at its most extreme—a live telecast of 24 children battling for their lives in an enclosed arena. The tributes will face wild animals, natural (and unnatural) disasters, hunger, and most dangerous of all, one another. Only one tribute will survive. The Hunger Games is at once a form of punishment for the Districts and invaluable entertainment for the Capitol.

This year, in place of her 12-year-old sister, Prim, Katniss Everdeen of District 12 has volunteered to go to the Hunger Games. In the history of the Hunger Games, only two winners have come from District 12—and for good reason. District 12 is the poorest and most neglected of the Capitol’s districts and its tributes have always been at a distinct disadvantage compared to the well-fed, well-trained tributes of wealthier districts. With the odds against her, Katniss must fight to survive and to retain her humanity in the mounting inhumanity of the Games and the Capitol.

The Hunger Games is an absolutely thrilling read. With a true voice, an extremely likable protagonist, conspiracies, action, and intellectual depth and maturity, The Hunger Games is a truly stellar book. Everyone will find something to like in The Hunger Games. Readers may find echoes of books such as Ender’s Game, The Handmaid’s Tale, Graceling, and Battle Royale in the novel, but Suzanne Collins has made The Hunger Games distinct and marvelous in its own right. The only complaint I have is that I won’t be able to get my hands on the sequel, Catching Fire, quickly enough. Although Katniss is a female protagonist, I am sure both boys and girls will find themselves enthralled by the book. And though readers of action-fantasy will particularly enjoy the book, I believe its appeal so wide that I would hesitate to pigeonhole its potential readers.

Collins, Suzanne. Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic Press, 2008. Print.