Review: Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I don't always go for the trendy books that everyone is reading, but I decided to read this after my co-worker started reading it himself at work. I'll admit that I caught the Harry Potter craze and I did Twlight too.



This book is a bit out of my ordinary because I normally hate survival stories.  I was forced to read Hatchet in 7th grade and hated every moment of it.  But it's not your typical survival story.



The book is set somewhere in the future.  All that is left of North America is the Capitol and 12 districts.  There used to be 13 but at some point there was a rebellion and the 13th was destroyed completely.  To make sure that is never happens again, they invented the Hunger Games.  Each year, two children between 12 and 18 are chosen from each of the 12 districts.  They are placed in an arena in a battle to the death.  The winner wins extra supplies for his or her district and a comfortable life.



Katniss, our main character, finds herself as one of these 24 contestants after her younger sister is picked and she goes in her place.  She has been feeding her family by illegally hunting outside the district and is used to going hungry as her family is poor.  She's also a skilled archer.  Joining her is Peeta, the baker's son.  They enjoy the lap of luxury before going into the arena.  Peeta cooks up a romance story for the two of them which plays out throughout the games as they struggle to survive while trying to entertain the audience in hopes of getting extra help from the outside.



The story is well written and keeps you glued to the pages.  The main character is a very strong, well written, non-sterotypical female character which I think is part of the book's appeal.



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