Thursday, February 5, 2009

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

Title: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Published: 2008
Pages: 375
Chapters: 27
Pages per Chapter (on average): 13+
Date Started: Feb. 5-----Date Finished: Feb. 7
My Reading Speed:125 pages a day, or 9 chapters a day
The Main Characters: Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, two teens from District 12 competing in the Hunger Games.
My Brief Synopsis: Another kind of alternate future, except it's clear that there used to be an America. There is now this country called Panem, and it's divided into 13 sections. I don't now whether to call them states or something, but there are 12 Districts, numbered 1 through 12 (quite unoriginal) and the Capitol in the center. Kind of like Emerald City being in the center of Oz. The Capitol controls the districts somehow, and they make the poor Districts compete in these terrible games every year that are all televised and about survival. One boy and one girl from each district, aged between 12 and 18, that makes 24 kids, must battle to the death in the wilderness, with very few supplies, to be the last one standing. Now, the story follows Katniss, a girl who hunts to keep food on the table for her family. Her father's dead. She lives in District 12, the poorest and worst reputed district in the country. District 12 players rarely ever win the Hunger Games. Katniss volunteers for the games instead of her little sister, who was initially chosen.
The Conflicts: The boy from District 12, a boy named Peeta, is secretly in love with Katniss, even though she barely knows him. So there's a little romance. But that's a problem, because only one person can survive the Hunger Games. It's a very serious competition, kind of like those survivor game shows (I never watch them) except you actually have to kill your opponents. I didn't see any real bad guys except for Katniss' opposition.
My General Comments: Well, I really liked it. The story is much more exciting than I've described it, trust me. I don't think I did it justice. It's just hard to describe. I think the story reminded me a lot of the 7th Pendragon book's plotline. You know, The Quillan Games? The Hunger Games? Very deadly contests? If you liked that, I believe you'll enjoy this story.
My Favorite Part: I liked the part a little before the Hunger Game begins, like when Katniss and Peeta enjoy more food than they're used to, and they go in a parade and get interviewed, and Katniss' stylist, a kind man named Cinna, turns her very beautiful with wild costumes, and she scores an 11 out of 10 for her training score because she surprised the judges or something. I also like the part where the game is almost over and Katniss and Peeta make an alliance and try surviving together. I won't give too much away though.
My Favorite Things About the Book: I like how the characters seemed so believable. Like, you can believe that people like them could really exist. Even the funny ones, like this lady named Effie, who's a bit fussy and annoying, and Haymitch, the last living District 12 victor, who is a bit of a drunk at first but then really helps Katniss and Peeta becuase he believes they can survive, they seem very real. One of my favorite characters was definitely Cinna. He's very skilled at being a stylist, and he brought out the best in Katniss' looks.
A Personal Shout Out to Suzanne Collins: I don't when you plan on unveiling the 2nd book, or what's going to happen next (in the end, the Hunger Games are over and it's very open-ended. I won't say who won though), but I think your series is one worth following. Keep up the good work!
Here's the link to the Hunger Games's Wikipedia Article.
Below is the Suzanne Collins's website:
What is your favorite part? If you haven't read this book, sorry for all the spoilers, but you can comment and say if this book review was helpful. If you have read this book, please give me a comment or email me so we can discuss it. This would be the closest I've ever gotten to a book club, you know.

1 comment:

Moon Child said...

This was an amazing book!
I really enjoyed it. I cried though lol! I cried when Rue died. Idk it was so touching. Anyways ty for the book really enjoyed it xD