The Hunger Games (Reviewed by Mary)

THE HUNGER GAMES
SUZANNE COLLINS

By: Mary

How different can it be from killing an animal? Gale asks me…
In the act, it’s not different at all.
But the aftermath of killing a person is worse than the aftermath of killing an animal.

Katniss Everdeen is sixteen and has entered her name in District 12’s reaping forty-two times. Her best friend, Gale, is eighteen and has entered his name seventy-three times. Her sister, Primrose (Prim) Everdeen, is twelve and has entered her name once. A reaping is when each of the 12 districts of Panem picks two names from a ball. One girl and one boy. The tributes must compete in a fight to the death called the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games are a reminder to the country of Panem that they must obey the capitol and that if they rebel, there will be another Dark Days. The Dark Days was a time when the whole country of America began to rebel against each other. If you are poor and need food, you may enter your name extra times each year. Each time you put your name in, you get grains and salt. Katniss has to enter her name 42 times this year to pay off for all of the grain and salt. When you turn twelve, you have to enter your name until you’re eighteen. At the reaping, Prim’s name is pulled. Katniss hurries up to volunteer and take her sister’s place. The next tribute is Peeta Mellark. She’ll always be in debt to Peeta. One day he practically saved her family’s life by giving them bread. Now she might have to kill him in the arena. When she gives her last good-byes, her sister makes her promise to try to win. And because it’s a promise to Prim, Katniss has to keep it.

There were absolutely positively definitely no weaknesses at all in this story! Suzanne gave it a twist by having it in the future but in present-tense. It’s written in first person so you feel like you are Katniss Everdeen defending your little sister, poaching with Gale, and fighting for your life. It creates a very, very, very engrossing tale. Stephanie Meyer said that she took it to dinner and read under the table just so that she wouldn’t have to stop reading. I know what she means. It’s almost to engrossing to be a book! She also uses good vocabulary like spontaneous. It also creates the best mental images. For example, “tendrils rolled out, stretching and pulling the fog, the edges rolling and curling like fingers…” See? I can think of all these strengths, but not a single weakness!
I recommend this book to anyone from 5th grade and up. It’s a bit mature. It’s very dark and suspenseful. And, it’s high vocabulary might be confusing to anyone younger than 11. If you need something to hook you up back into reading, this book will have you begging and pleading for more! Then I recommend reading the second book, Catching Fire, and then waiting for the third book to come out this August. I think that you’ll be just like the Capitol after reading The Hunger Games. Hanging in the air, begging for more, and on edge of your seats waiting with anticipation for the next tragedy. That’s why I recommend The Hunger Games to all of the people out there that are 11+.
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