The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

     I first read The Hunger Games last year. I checked it out from the school library after one of my friends recommended it and I couldn't put it down. From the very first page I was hooked. Class? Homework? Chores? There was no chance that I would be doing any of this. :)

     The story opens on the day of reaping, a day dreaded by almost everyone in the country of Panem, all except for those in the Capitol. Katniss Everdeen is 16 years old and when her baby sister, Prim, is chosen for the Games, she takes her place. The Games pit Katniss against 23 other 'tributes' in a fight to the death. 

     Suzanne Collins has definitely outdone herself in writing this novel. I love that it has a bit of everything in it: adventure, suspense, love and futuristic gadgets. The Hunger Games truly makes you think as well.

     Katniss has had practice surviving in harsh conditions, ever since her father died, and she will need every bit of that if she wants to go home to Prim again. The problem is that it isn't that simple. How do you kill someone? How can you live with yourself afterward?

     The jacket cover says that The Hunger Games has "unsettling parallels to our present." I never realized just what they meant by this until I reread the book a few weeks ago. In my opinion, the Capitol resembles developed countries such as those in Western Europe and North America. Within the book residents of the Capitol are quite naive and even selfish. They live with full bellies and nearly anything they want. The Games are entertainment for them. The rest of Panem starves to death and has to send their children to die. What kind of people must they be to find that enjoyable to watch? What kind of government slowly kills its country?

     Rating: 10

     The Hunger Games is a fantastic read. You can find it nearly everywhere including Walmart, Books a Million and Amazon.