The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is one of those breakout novels that if you haven’t heard of it yet then you are missing out. It’s seriously worthy of all the buzz that it’s getting. I borrowed The Hunger Games from Steph at The Children’s Literature Book Club and three weeks later it was still sitting unopened on my nightstand. Not that I wanted to not read it but because it kept getting pushed back. Once I finally started reading it, it’s all that I could do to stop. I totally regret those three weeks of the book sitting there. Why didn’t I realize what I had?
The reason that I was initially holding off on reading The Hunger Games was because of the brief synopsis: a girl fights for her life while on a reality TV show. Yeah, I don’t think so. Not my type of book. Reading about reality TV? Not my thing. And it’s considered science fiction? Another strike. But it simply could not be ignored.
Briefly stated, The Hunger Games takes place in an undetermined time in the future. America as we know it has been completely destroyed and in its place is the capital and twelve districts. There used to be thirteen districts and during an uprising, the thirteenth was destroyed. Each year, as a reminder to its tributes of the power and will of the capital, two tributes, one boy and one girl, are chosen from each districts and forced to participate in The Hunger Games, a televised event in an outdoor arena where only one tribute can bring home honor to his or her district. To win means killing all of your opponents. To lose means that you’re dead.
Sixteen-year-old Katniss’s younger sister is chosen as tribute and in a moment of bravery Katniss volunteers to go in her stead. Her district hasn’t won the game in decades and she knows that she has little chance of winning. But that’s not going to stop her from using her bow and arrow skill to have her coming out on top. But things get complicated when the other tribute in her district is Peeta, the bakers son whom she knows from school and once gave her starving family an act of kindness by giving them bread. Not only must Katniss and Peeta kill and stay alive from the other 23 tributes, they must square off against each other, not easy to do when they have such mixed feelings for each other.
The Hunger Games book trailer:
Really exciting stuff. Seriously. Like stay up until three in the morning exciting. You can’t stop thinking about it. AND it’s going to be made into a movie! AND Suzanne Collins is writing the screenplay. I can not wait for both the movie and the sequel, Catching Fire, which comes out in September. Reviewers are going to be scrambling for ARC’s for this one. *cough,I want, I want, I want, cough*
Hunger Games totally lives up to the hype. It’s fun, it’s different. Just make sure you have plenty of time to read it because you’ll want to read it in one or two sittings.
Suzanne Collins website.
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Category: Book Reviews, Fiction, Young Adult
Tags: A-D Author, book club, book trailers, Cybils finalist, dystopian, E-H Title, Fiction, IRL book club selection, published 2008, videos
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What in the world happened? I had to re-subscribe to you since Google Reader stopped updating you and because I’ve been so busy (Reader says I’m 341 posts/reviews behind) I didn’t even realize it!
I’ve got to read this book! The plot reminds me of a Stephen King (as Richard Bachman) story but it never recieved the buzz this has gotten. I believe the movie rights were purchased by Lionsgate? Can’t wait!
on March 30th, 2009 at 5:35 amThe synopsis doesn’t sound good to me either (for all the same reasons you stated) but I’ve yet to read a bad review of this one. I think I’m going to have to get my hands on a copy.
on March 30th, 2009 at 5:49 amI so want to read this book! Everyone loves it!
on March 30th, 2009 at 6:23 amI had the exact same reaction about the synopsis. It sounded like a ya version of Running Man or something, I figured it would be stupid and derivative. I finally decided to try it when both Trish and Amy loved it so much and wow, were they right. A review copy of Catching Fire would be amAzing. I’ve been stalking our library’s catalog, waiting for them to add it so I could put it on hold. By the time I finally saw they had added it I was already the 8th person in line (luckily they got 5 copies).
on March 30th, 2009 at 7:45 amI haven’t even heard of this book! Like you, reading about TV and Scifi is a big turn off but I will have to pick up a copy now. The parallel universe thing reminds me of Bones of Faerie, I thought I wouldn’t like that kind of thing but was pleasantly surprised.
Thanks for this review.
on March 30th, 2009 at 9:55 amI loved this one
I can’t wait for the sequel to come out 
on March 30th, 2009 at 10:29 amI’m so glad you liked it! I love this book and cannot wait for the sequel. There is a similar Japanese book called Battle Royale but I did not think that one was as good as The Hunger Games.
on March 30th, 2009 at 11:17 amLike you, I loved this book, and booktalked it all over the library. Can’t wait for the next one!
Lesa Holstine
on March 30th, 2009 at 11:38 amhttp://lesasbookcritiuques.blogspot.com
I agree – this book is amazing! It is my top read of the year so far, closely followed by Blindness, which coincidently has many similar themes. I’m really looking forward to the film, although I’m not sure how it can be as good as the book.
on March 30th, 2009 at 11:59 amAwesome review! I absolutely loved The Hunger Games! I was excited to read it, but it wasn’t at all what I expected! It was brilliant. I will link to your review from mine
on March 30th, 2009 at 12:24 pmIsn’t it just a fantastic read?! I made the mistake of starting it with the intention of just reading a few chapters… Yeah right like that was going to happen!
on March 30th, 2009 at 1:04 pmI loved this book. I couldn’t put it down. You know, it would be so amazing to have an ARC for the next book. I am excited it is being made into a movie. That is so cool.
on March 30th, 2009 at 3:07 pmI bought this book after reading a few reviews but I’ve left it on the shelf. Sounds like I better bump it up. Oh gracious, there’s probably 6 in that category of “bumped up”. Which do I read first?!
on March 30th, 2009 at 3:28 pmUm, yeah. I loved this book. I hate reality TV. Go figure. (I think I would hate it even more if this actually was something on TV). And if you happen to get an ARC, please, please, please pass it on!
on March 30th, 2009 at 4:13 pmFunny about the comment about Battle Royale…I bought that recently. It’s supposed to be a lot gorier.
Have you heard of that TV show Harper’s Island coming on? I think it might be similar to this, one person a week is supposed to die (of course it’s fictional) I think they could have gone the route of a mini-series with Hunger Games.
on March 30th, 2009 at 6:44 pmI’ve heard such great things about this book! I’ll have to check it out soon.
on March 30th, 2009 at 9:25 pmBattle Royale was more violent but it started to drag because there are 47 students who have to kill each other off and you pretty much see every one of them and most of them have a side story to them. So it took forever to get through.
on March 30th, 2009 at 9:42 pmI’ve been putting this off for the same reasons you did. Now with your endorsement added to all the others….I’m really going to have to read it, aren’t I?
on March 31st, 2009 at 12:01 amI am looking forward to reading this book when it comes in for me at the library!
on March 31st, 2009 at 4:36 amNow, I REALLY must move it up on my TBR list!
on March 31st, 2009 at 2:10 pmHmm, my instinctual reaction was “not my type of book” as well, but you make a compelling case for it!
on March 31st, 2009 at 2:40 pmLadytink_534 – Yeah, my feed has been giving me troubles and I’m not sure why. It’s updating for some and not for others. So far resubscribing has seemed to fix the problem. I’m glad you didn’t forget about me!
Kathy – I haven’t read a bad review of it either. It really is worth all the hype.
Julie – Read it!
Jen – My library catalog hasn’t added this one yet! I just went and looked. Even if they did it takes them a few weeks to process new releases. I might just have to *gasp* buy this one.
Pam – You’re welcome! First time commenter? (And if you’re not – eek – I’m embarrassed). Glad to have you. Go check this one out. You won’t regret it.
Becky – I can’t remember commenting on your review. I’ll have to go look for it.
Debbie – I think I’ll skip Battle Royale. Can’t wait for the sequel.
Lesa – Way to spread the word!
I’ll have to respond to other comments later, my boy is having meltdown.
on April 1st, 2009 at 9:03 amI think I’m just going to have to buy this book. I’m seeing rave reviews of this book everywhere..
on April 3rd, 2009 at 9:02 amMy Scholastic Rep gave me this audio, and I just started listening to it with my kids. We recently finished The Giver, which also takes place in a post-apocolyptic US, so our minds are already there. I have heard nothing but amazing things…can’t wait to get through it!
on April 3rd, 2009 at 5:51 pmGlad you finally read it. I started it New years eve and was going to read “a couple of chapters” . I read till 2 am. Went to bed. Got up at 6 am and kept reading. So good. I tell everyone about it. I had it sitting on my shelf for a long time too. The cover is ugly and did nothing for me. But the book….oh so good. Cant wait for the sequel.
on April 4th, 2009 at 3:40 pmI can’t wait to read this one.
on April 4th, 2009 at 8:16 pmNow this one sounds really exciting to me. I love YA, I love scifi, and I’ve seen a number of positive reviews of this book. But the fact you weren’t sure if you’d like it, and you ended up loving it… well that is just the frosting on the cake.
on April 5th, 2009 at 4:31 pmI keep hearing great things about this one, but really don’t enjoy scifi at all…Maybe I need to pick it up anyways.
on April 6th, 2009 at 9:35 amI wasn’t too sure about this book when I read the description but once I started reading I could not stop. Can’t wait for the next one.
on April 7th, 2009 at 4:55 pmThis is one of the books on my tentative Read-a-thon list. I bought it weeks ago but I’ve been saving it for Saturday. Now I’m even more excited!
on April 14th, 2009 at 6:05 pmI just finished an ARC of Catching Fire…
on June 12th, 2009 at 12:00 pmYou will NOT be disappointed. Another edge-of-your-seat, cannot-put-down, gripping story. For the majority of it my only thought was, “How are they going to get out of this one?!”
Sorry, doing a bad job with following up with comments. Yay for Hunger Games!
on June 12th, 2009 at 7:08 pm[...] Maw Books Blog [...]
on July 3rd, 2009 at 12:16 pmI agree that it was a very enjoying read. I read it in an afternoon and defenitly am gonna pre-order the sequel.
on August 26th, 2009 at 11:53 am[...] The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins [...]
on December 30th, 2009 at 9:34 pm