Collins, S. (2008). The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic.
Wow. This book was horrifying and engaging and raw and violent and suspenseful.
And I get to teach it in one of my classes.
A post-apocalyptic novel set on the ruins of what was once the US, life is now bleak. There is fairly rigid caste system, and most of society works very hard and is still deeply poor.
The main character (one of the poor ones), sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, is a competitor in the Hunger Games, a yearly ritual to remind the members of society what happens when you revolt against the Capitol.
The twenty-four chosen tributes, aged 12-18, fight to the death until one is left standing, with the entire society watching on TV, Olympics-style. The arena is different every year, and the competitors don't know what they're in for until they are released into the landscape of the arena. And as much as you despise what is happening, you can't stop watching. Or reading, as the case is.
Lord of the Flies meets The Road meets The Goblet of Fire. And a little love story thrown in for good measure.
I can't wait to talk about it with my students. And read the rest of the trilogy. And see the author at Wild Rumpus this fall. So much to look forward to.
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