Review Detail

THE HUNGER GAMES TRIBUTE GUIDE was the hot book for my sixth grade students at the book fair. They are obsessed with the series, so naturally, were excited to buy this book, which follows the tributes until right before they enter the arena. I was also eager to get my hands on a copy because the photos are incredible.

In a movie with twenty-four tributes, it's hard to focus on any of them. With this book, I was able to pore over the photos and appreciate the details in the costume design and the weapons. With a page dedicated to each tribute, I got to learn their height (I don't know why I love this), weapon, and see the seal of each district. There is also a description of their outfits during the Tribute Parade, which is nice because the movie didn't show all of them for a great length of time.

The strange aspect of the book is that it retells the plot in a sanitized way. For example, "...Haymitch is also known for liking liquor a bit too much." I found this strange, since anyone who is excited enough to pick up this book would have assuredly already read the original and possibly seen the movie. I'd rather have a few more photos (maybe of the Tribute Parade costumes) instead of a less interesting version of the plot.

I'm donating this book to my school's library and know that it will be read until it is in tatters!