The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1)

Reader reviewed by Idris

If you are tired of reading books about vampires, werewolves, angels or
ghosts, maybe you should consider reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne
Collins. This story is about normal people who are forced to
participate in a deadly game& where the strongest will be the only
winner.



The story talks about Katniss Everdeen, a really strong girl of only
sixteen years old, who has learned to care for her family, and who
volunteers for the Hunger Games in place of her younger sister, Prim.
Katniss will have to start making choices against friendship and love
if she wants to come back home alive.



I just finished reading the first book of the Hunger Games Series& and
what can I say? Its just amazing. I couldn't stop reading until the
end. Suzanne Collins brings us a different story, an amazing and
breathtaking one& and sometimes cruel.



I highly recommend this book to everybody. Its a must-read.

Reader reviewed by kenz

The Hunger Games is a thrilling, adventurous book about a 17 year old girl

named Katniss Everdeen. Katniss lives with her mom and sister Primrose, in a place

called District 12. There are 13 districts and they are all within a place called Panem.

The capitol is where the president lives. Each district has its own mayor and they each

produce something important to the capitol. 12 produces coal and district 13 produced

nuclear weapons. A long time ago district 13 started a rebellion against the capitol, but

they ended up getting destroyed... district 13 no longer exists. Now every district

celebrates the annual hunger games, a battle to death between 24 tributes to remind

everyone of the rebellion and what can happen if you disobey the capitol. There are

two tributes from each of the 12 districts, a boy and a girl, between the ages of 12 and

17, your name gets taken out of the drawing when you are 18. Prim is now old enough

to enter the Hunger games and since her name is only entered once, all odds are in her

favor. But, during the ceremony, Prims name gets called along with a boy named

Peeta, and Katniss volunteers to take her place. She then promises Prim she will win.



In an epic adventure filled with romance and sorrow, i found this book to be

absolutely AMAZING. From the setting and plot down to the dialogue, everything was perfect. This book is great for any gender boy or girl because its filled with violence and mushy romance. I found its so good i ended up reading all three books within 2 days! I wouldnt suggest this book for anyone under ninth grade, maybe eighth, because it is a bit hard to follow sometimes, but definitely the best book for teens. There was also a good meaning behind the story. What i got out of it was that you need to have faith and stand up for yourself. If someone is treating you unfairly or threatening you, stand up to them. Katniss is a brilliant character and I think a lot of teens will be able to relate well to her. Everyone expects Katniss to be this brilliant rebel but she doesnt really believe in herself. A lot of teens out there feel the same way... like they dont have the confidence, but as Katniss finds it within herself, others can too. I read all three books cover to cover without stopping, I suggest you pick up this book and read it.



As I said before, readers my age will absolutely love this book. I can honestly say it was the best book I have ever read, and i didnt expect it to outdo twilight but it did! I would like to suggest to start reading all three books because there is a movie coming out soon which should be exciting because even if you dont like reading, you can at least watch the book. But seriously, read read read ! I guarantee you will love it.

Reader reviewed by Chandler Jarrels

    Hunger Games, written by Suzanne Collins, is about a young girl named Katniss surviving the cold, gloomy coal town she lives in known as District Twelve.  The futuristic world that Katniss lives in is now divided into twelve districts.  All these districts are run by the strict Capitol District that lives off the industries of the other capitols.  As if running all the districts was not enough, every year the Capitol puts on the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is a game of survival of the fittest.  Each district is expected to come up with two contestants, a boy and a girl, who are supposed to fight to the death while killing off the other contestants.  The last one standing wins the games and is set for life with anything that could be imagined.  These contestants are chosen every year through what is known as a Reaping.  A Reaping is like a city wide raffle for ages twelve to eighteen.  As a citizen of any district your name is put in every year.  This year Katniss little sister, Prim, is picked for the Hunger Games.  Since Prim is barley twelve years old she is assured death. Katniss is in shock, for Prim to be chosen out of the thousands of teens in District Twelve chances were so slim but still possible.  Katniss steps in front of her and volunteers to save her sisters life in turn of her own.  She is scared and sad at the same time, Katniss can barley keep from crying as Prim holds on to her, remembering that the reapings of each district are televised she keeps her compsure. After she is picked, the contestants are put into a controlled forest and sent to fight to the death to win the Hunger Games. The games take many twists and turns, through romantic love scenes to bloody battles.
    Hunger Games is more than just a girl fighting for her life. It has deeper meanings and themes that run in through the book. One such theme being that adults cannot control kids so effortlessly as they think. This theme means that kids do have a choice in not only their future but their present time as well.Today parents play a huge role in the lives of kids. Having good parental influence is a great thing in a maturing child, but sometimes parents can become over controlling not letting a kid have a stress free childhood.In some scenarios kids end up having not respect for there parents but either fear or discouraging feelings around there parents. Parents or authority figures are supposed to be someone your not afraid of but respect them them for their caring and affectionate attitudes to a child. An example of this is how Katniss and Peeta are able to outsmart the Capitol and fake their suicides in an attempt to both survive the games.  Another deeper meaning in the book is Katniss lack of confidence in herself.  She believes she is going to die.  As she trains, however, she becomes more aware of her talents. One great tool she discovers is her talent with a bow and arrow.  Like Katniss, so do many kids too often underestimate themselves in certain aspects of their life. Katniss learns to let go and allow herself to believe in her skills to potentially survive the Hunger Games. Underestimating ones self creates many downfalls. People need to be confident in themselves, if confidents is not there then success can not happen. Also when people underestimate themselves it does not let them reach there fullest potential to rise above and succeed.
    This book has definitely targeted teenagers between the ages of fourteen to eighteen years old. It has dramatic violence, illusionary romance and a theatrical storyline thats grabs and keeps the interest of the reader. The twisted love triangle between Peeta and Katniss creates drama and tension in the games and the violence is enough to keep any action junky satisfied.  Hunger Games is well deserving of the highest five star rating and highly recommended for any fortunate reader. 

Reader reviewed by nicole

The Hunger Games:

Book review

            In the book the Hunger Games there is a teenage girl named Katniss, she has the privilege of having to provide for her sister and mother by hunting in the forbidden forest and trading through the black market. Katniss is a well trained warrior, trained by her dad, and knows how to work her way around a bow and arrow. She risks her life every day to make sure her family can stay alive. There are 12 districts in this country that they live in and a powerful government called the Capitol holds all the power. Every year two members from each district will participate in a little thing called the Hunger Games. The drawings are chosen randomly but by the time you are twelve you are eligible to be in the games, it s cruelty. One boy and one girl are chosen from each district and all 24 of them have to fight till the death. They have to fight for their lives and use every tactic they know to stay alive. In the games you have to really watch your back because you never know what will happen next. The games are televised on TV to keep all the districts in check. The reason in the first place for the hunger games is so that what happened to district thirteen never happens again. There are many things you can do during these games but most all of them involve taking a big risk. Only one person survives in the end.

            I believe that this book I well written and the author did a great job with characters. She made the people stand out and make you try to understand what the characters were going through in the book. She made everything appeal to your senses. This book makes you stop and think that as much as we complain about a lot of things we have it pretty much made, we dont necessary have to wonder where our next meal will come from or if our government just decide to kill us all one day. Those things are not in our imagination and that is what Katniss has to go through every day.

            I do suggest that teenagers read this, it is a great book. It makes you slow down and think; maybe appreciate life a little more each day. Next time when you feel like your life sucks, stop and think about the kids who are suffering.

Reader reviewed by Kayleigh

Book Review

            In the book, The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins first writes about Katniss Everdeen, a sixteen-year old girl from District 12, waking up in her bed on the day of the reaping. Her mother and her sister Prim get ready to go to the square to watch the annual name drawing for the 74^th Hunger Games. The Hunger Games consists of 24 tributes, 2 from each district and they are not your ordinary, friendly competition games. Winning means surviving, also fame and fortune; losing means death. Prim Everdeens name is chosen to be a tribute until Katniss runs to the stage to volunteer to take her place. Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are tributes for District 12 in the 74^th Hunger Games. They will embark on a life changing journey to the Capitol to train, be interviewed, and compete in the Hunger Games.

            At the beginning of Suzanne Collinss book, The Hunger Games, it starts off as an average day and then in the blink of an eye, everything changes. The two main characters head off on their life changing journey together and embark on the most terrifying and fierce battle for their lives. But its not until you reach part two in the book when all the action is set in motion and the gears start turning in this action packed machine of a book.

And then the action takes a back seat and romance takes control, but its not until right before part two where we actually see this romance develop. The book becomes more of a pretend romance as the two main characters pretend to be in love. Collins does a good job with the imagery that the romance creates, especially during the cave scenes. I felt as if I was actually watching the Hunger Games. She creates a mood that is terrifying yet romantic all at the same time.  

But right when you think the book couldnt get more engrossing, a twist is introduced to the story. It involves a sad and horrifying way one can meet their demise as a tribute in the Hunger Games. Even though the topic is gruesome, Collins delivers the right amount of graphic detail without turning the book into a horror novel. She also makes the spilling of blood less gory by turning the death of a girl into a girl that falls asleep in a meadow surrounded by flowers.

So even though Suzanne Collins talks of death and bloodshed, she also talks of romance and how two lovers try to save each others life. The Hunger Games covers a variety of genres- Romance, Action, and a hint of Horror. But it is still a well written book. I would recommend this book for anyone who likes an adventure with little infusions of romance here and there or if one likes romance and action twisted into one little convenient book. I can surely guarantee that that most readers will be in for delightful surprise.

Reader reviewed by Stefanovich

The book  is about a
girl named Katness.  She and her friend, Gale,
hunt and fish outside their poor village. 
They eat what they catch and sell the rest to make money for their
families.   The country she lives in is called Panema; it's where North America once was.  The government
is really strong; it broadcasts a show called The Hunger Games.  One person
from each region is picked to be in the game. 
In the reality show 24 contestants from the same country fight against
each other.   The games are broadcast all over the country and
everyone watches the brutal show. You never know what will happen next.  Katness was the first  in her region to ever volunteer.   Why
would anyone volunteer?   Who was she protecting?
 Youll have to read the book to answer
those questions.

The book  was written
very well; once you got to the games you never wanted to put it down.  In fact the only change I would make is to
get to the games right away.  I felt it
started out slow, but was easy to get into because the reaping" happened so
fast;  all of a sudden she's volunteered  for a  game show that would change and could even end
her life.  It's action packed from then
on.  The whole aspect of her fighting for
her life on a game show was really an interesting idea.  The writer does a great job describing how it
must feel to fight other people from your country who all want to win.  It makes you think about the world we live in
and how different it could be.  The book
goes into detail and really gets your attention.

This book is great for ages 12 and up because it
moves fast.  It also talks about reality
shows which are popular.  I
think that that most readers will be able to imagine themselves in the
story.  Its also good to read books that
make you think.  You can learn a lot from
The Hunger Games, and it isnt boring, so give it a chance.  

Reader reviewed by Danielle

You don't even understand how great this book is!!! I had to read it for a class and I wasn't too excited about it but then once I started reading it I got so into it I just couldn't put it down!! When I finished the book I picked up the second one right away and started reading it...It's so catchy and I love the love setting and the hidden love story it has. It's a great book and if you like books that will keep you attached, you'll love The Hunger Games! <3

Reader reviewed by Nick Burns

Outside Read Book Critique

The Hunger Games is a book that will grab you and not let go until the last page. It starts off with a girl named Katniss who gets chosen to compete in the countries tradition, The Hunger Games. This is an arena in the wild with a total of 24 kids two from each district. While in the arena the kids fight to the death and the winner is honored for years to come. In some cities children are trained from a very young age to survive these Hunger Games. Katniss knows this and is sure she will die a gruesome death in the arena. She believes this until the rankings of all the competitors comes out and she is ranked highest for her skills with a bow and arrow. She feels some confidence but is nervous about competing with boys who are twice her size and strength. When she hits the arena she runs into the forest as quick as possible to avoid being killed early on by the strong men. She lasts a long time and makes a lot of smart strategic moves to give her the best chances of winning. After many twists and turns she finds herself in an almost winning position until the unthinkable happens. To figure out these twists and turns you must read the book.

The content of this book is heart racing and keeps you on the edge of your seat. The first person narration gives a good perspective for this book. It explains how Katniss has had a hard life because her dad was killed in a mining accident. She had to make the decision of starvation or illegal actions to obtain food for her little sister. This forced her to grow up really quick and weakened her relationship with her mom. The city rules say that if humans go outside the city limits to get food they could be punished by death. Although there are rules in place she occasionally sells her food to the city officials so they dont enforce the rules well. The city officials are corrupt and are only doing their jobs for themselves not the people of the city. This first person perspective foreshadows the actions of Katniss actions in the arena. In the beginning of the book it gives insight to her personal life like the many stories of her childhood which includes helping her family survive food shortages. If this story were told in third person it would answer a lot of questions throughout the book. It would tell us why Peeta confessed his love for Katniss. It would inform us of why the capitol made changes in the middle of the games. It would have given us a different view on everyones thoughts during the game whether they had confidence in themselves or not. We could all see what Haymitch is thinking about when he is helping the two kids and who he thinks has a better chance at winning. It would tell us if president snow likes to see people die during the games.

The information in this book would seem to appeal to readers of all types and ages. If you like an action book with many twists and turns this is the book for you. It is an easy read and although appears long it will grab you and not release until the very end. I highly recommend this book.

Reader reviewed by Jillian

Would you be able to survive in the wild, while being hunted by other humans? Could you survive? The novel, The Hunger Games, tells the story of a poor young girl who takes a big risk. Her name, Katniss Everdeen. The game: Hunger Games. Katniss lives in the small District 12, in Panem, or what used to be North America. The people are controlled by the harsh Capitol, who constantly reminds the citizens that THEY are the ones in control. And one way they remind the citizens of this is the Hunger Games, a horrific game to duel to the death of 24 people from the ages of 12- 18. Each district sends one boy, and one girl. There can only be one victor. So when Katniss Everdeen and her younger sister go to the annual drawing of the contestants for this game, Katniss steps forward to take her sisters place, which is practically a death sentence! As we read we watch Katniss try to survive obstacles with the capitol, dueling, and even love.

For having no desire to read this book, I have found myself to have become fascinated with it. It was more then I had imagined it to be, and I couldnt put it down! Having the book be in first person really let you see what Katniss was seeing and what she was feeling during all the moments of the book. The kill or be killed idea really makes this novel a page turner. Also the idea that this is a game show, shows the reader the struggles and training that the contestants must go through, and they realize that their actions will be broadcasted around the districts. Being the first book of a trilogy I know that I will be rushing to the book store to buy the next two books. The Hunger Games is an outstanding young adult novel, with plenty of adventure, incredible characters and a hint of romance.

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Reader reviewed by brooke

THE HUNGER GAMES
The book starts out with a sixteen year old girl Katniss Everdeen, from district 12. She is the main character of the book. Every year, there is a punishment for discrict 13s rebelion.Two tributes from the ages of twelve and eighteen are chosen by
lottery from each of the twelve districts to challenge/fight each other to the death in the arena. The event is called the Hunger Games and everyone in the Capitol can watch it on Tv. The winning praise is given food and a simple life for themselves and there families also with presents of food and resources for their district. Katniss voluntered to take her little sister Prim's place after she was drawn in the lottery. A bakers son named Peeta that katniss new through school, is also drawn to fight in the Games. So katniss and Peeta had to go to the Capitol to fight other children in the arena. In a twist of events we find out that Peeta is in love with Katniss and so is Gale a boy that is in the same district that katniss is in and hunted with her. The love triangle pretty much means katniss has got a sittuation. So it makes it more exciting and adds on to the story line and to the Games themselves as Katniss and all the other tributes fight for their lives.

I thought that this was an good book so i rated it a three.The characters didnt really make scence because they were put in just to die, some didnt really have a main part. They were pretty realistic and sympathetic though.The plot was dramatic, and kept me wanting to read on.It was good because there were many surprises, and it was romantic at the same time.

i would suggest this book to people my age because i liked it and i dont really like books at all. it was really interesting and exciting. I might even read the rest of the series.