Module 8: Hunger Games

Citation: Collins, S. (2008). The hunger games. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.

Summary: Katniss Evergreen learns early on how to survive in her poor district within the futuristic North America.  Her father is no longer with her and her family, which leaves the sixteen year old as the sole provider for her, her twelve year old sister and her depressed ridden mother.  She lives her life hunting as a means of providing and soon that skill will help her when she needs it the most.  The Hunger Games, which is hosted by the government of Panem, which is made up of 12 districts, is held yearly as an event to remind the districts that they are in control.  This gaming event consists of 2 tributes, a boy and girl ages 12-18, whose name gets picked from a bowl with slips of paper from each district.  But when Prim, Katniss’s sister, is the one chosen, it only leaves Katniss one choice but to offer herself in her sister’s place for the games. This is where Katniss’s hunting for survival skills enables her to get farther within these televised games.  Katniss’s journey to survive is being watched by all the districts in Panem and the people eagerly await while her and Peeta, the other tribute from District 12, compete to be the final tribute standing.  Peeta, a rather strong and attractive boy, may be able to further her in the game.  Through a in love approach to win over viewers and sponsors, Katniss and Peeta are able to get a little further in their survival and with a new rules applied to the games anything is possible.

Impression: Nothing Peaceful, Love & Love it! & a Definite Must Read! 

Okay friends, at the moment Hunger Games is all the rage right now because of the movie coming out. I would say there is nothing peaceful about reading this book because there is just too much excitement.  I was in love with the learning more about the love twist in this brutal game of trying to be the last one alive in all the fight to the death encounters that the gamers have with each other. Love and brutality all in the same story, I have to say that is a brilliant way to grasp a well balance group of both female and male readers, therefore this is a must read!

Reviews: Gr 7 Up-- In a not-too-distant future, the United States of America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war, to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year, two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts, the televised games are broadcasted throughout Panem as the 14 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss's young sister, Prim, is selected as the mining district's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart, Peeta, the son of the town baker who seems to have all the fighting skills of a lump of bread dough, will be pitted against bigger, stronger representatives who have trained for this their whole lives. Collins's characters are completely realistic and sympathetic as they form alliances and friendships in the face of overwhelming odds; the plot is tense, dramatic, and engrossing. This book will definitely resonate with the generation raised on reality shows like "Survivor" and "American Gladiator." Book one of a planned trilogy.

Baird, J. (2008). The hunger games. School Library Journal, 54(9), 176-177. 

Survivor meets “The Lottery” as the author of the popular Underland Chronicles returns with what promises to be an even better series. The United States is no more, and the new Capitol, high in the Rocky Mountains, requires each district to send two teenagers, a boy and a girl, to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a reality show from which only one of the twenty-four participants will emerge victorious—and alive. When her younger sister is chosen by lottery to represent their district, Katniss volunteers to go in her stead, while Peeta, who secretly harbors a crush on Katniss, is the boy selected to join her. A fierce, resourceful competitor who wins the respect of the other participants and the viewing public, Katniss also displays great compassion and vulnerability through her first-person narration. The plot is front and center here—the twists and turns are addictive, particularly when the romantic subplot ups the ante—yet the Capitol’s oppression and exploitation of the districts always simmers just below the surface, waiting to be more fully explored in future volumes. Collins has written a compulsively readable blend of science fiction, survival story, unlikely romance, and social commentary.

J., H. H. (2008). The hunger games. Horn Book Magazine, 84(5), 580. 

Use in Library: -This book would be a great to use with a reading club that can meet weekly to discuss what has occurred within the book.  Students can make predictions on what characters have a strong chance at surviving the games.  They can also complete an activity in thinking of  what futuristic special skill they would like to have if they were a gamer in the brutal Hunger Games and illustrating that skill in pictures that can be on display within the library.