Thursday, November 06, 2008

The Hunger Games


Collins, Suzanne. 2008. The Hunger Games.

When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold.

By now, chances are you've heard of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It has been making the rounds on book blogs everywhere. And almost everything--note the almost--has been positive, gushing praise even.

What's the premise?
"In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV."
Our heroine is a young and spunky girl named Katniss. She's smart. She's got several years of hunting experience. But will that be enough--can that be enough--to survive the seemingly impossible task ahead? When Katniss takes her sister's place as "the sacrifice," she's got everything going against her. 24 teens. 12 Boys. 12 Girls. 23 opponents or enemies she'll have to outwit or outbattle to survive and be crowned the victor. Only ONE person will be coming home. But her sister, Prim, wants her to try--to earnestly try--for her sake. And try she will. But does she has what it takes to become a killer? Especially when she starts to develop feelings for some of her opponents?

Of course the book is intense. What else would you expect in this dystopian thriller? And chances are that you won't want to put it down once you've started. There is a second book in the works as well. So much to look forward to...

This one goes on the highly recommended list. Especially for when it's time for future 24 Hour Readathons, 48 Hour Readathons, and my second IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT challenge which will be this summer. It might also be something to consider for my reading group--Reading With Becky--on google groups.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

12 comments:

Zoe said...

I want this book so bad!

Zibilee said...

Do you know what age group this book would be appropriate for for YA readers? I have a 14 year old boy and a 12 year old girl, and was thinking of getting this book for them, but I'm not sure yet. Thanks for any info you can give me!

Lenore Appelhans said...

I didn't see this on the Cybils list. Do you know why?

Becky said...

Zoealea--it's worth it!
Zibilee--It's YA. I know 14 is old enough. And I would imagine that there are many 12 who could handle it. But you know your kids best. This is a fight for survival so it does get a bit bloody at times. But it's a good read.
Lenore--It is on the Cybils list. Just not the YA list. It's on the Fantasy/Science Fiction list.

Lenore Appelhans said...

Oh ok - I guess I just overlooked it. Thanks.

Jen Robinson said...

I agree, Becky. This would make an excellent read-a-thon book, since you can't put it down anyway. This is one of my very top picks for 2008.

1morechapter said...

Glad you liked this. I thought it looked good.....

Sherry said...

Must read this book. I asked at my library, but they don't have it yet. It's on order. Oh, well, I probably shouldn't be reading anything besides Middle Grade Fiction right now anyway.

Becky said...

3M--It is good. :)
Sherry--I probably *shouldn't* be reading anything but YA. But I just can't help myself.

Laura H said...

Just finished this book today after reading it till 2:30am. Great book. When is the next coming out????

Booklogged said...

Another 'highly recommended' nudge for this one. I guess there's nothing for it but to read it.

Really like your reaction thing at the end of your posts.

Cheryl Vanatti said...

Please note that I added a link to your review on my sites: Random Wonder