In a Dystopian future, each of Panem’s twelve districts must provide two people to fight to the death. When Katniss’ sister Primrose is chosen for her district, Katniss takes her place. Katniss promises Primrose that she will win and return to her. Find out if she keeps her promise.
Setting: This takes place in the not-too-distant dystopian future of a country called Panem which is what has become of the United States after prolonged war, famine, and death.
Plot: After years of war and misfortune, the United States has been replaced by Panem which controls twelve districts and the Capitol. The rulers of Panem are ruthless and strict. On a yearly basis, they require two persons (called tributes) from each district to be selected for the ultimate reality show. This reality show depicts the tributes fighting to the death. The lone survivor from this contest is rewarded lavishly, but there is only one winner each year and twenty-three very dead losers.
Katniss Everdeen is from district nine. Her beloved twelve-year-old sister is chosen as one of the tributes. She volunteers to take her sister’s place.
Along with the other tributes, Katniss and Peeta prepare and train for the deadly contest while being filmed for the reality show which is viewed by all of Panem’s inhabitants. There is the obligatory love triangle for Katniss’ affections between Peeta (the other 9th district tribute with whom Katniss is paired) and Gale (friend and hunting partner from district 9). Thankfully, not too many pages are spent on this. Did I mention how much I hate love triangles?
Family Corner: This is not my normal reading material, but I know ‘everybody is reading it’ and I wanted to see what the fuss was about. The redeeming quality of this book is that the totalitarian government is depicted as evil and the annual fight to the death barbaric. Katniss, in an act of deep love, takes the place of her sister. The ‘only’ objectionable material in this book is the relentless killing. I’d recommend a child be at least 12 or older to read this and it really depends on the child. I will confess that my 12 year old daughter read all three in this series and really enjoyed it. She hasn’t needed therapy (yet). I, on the other hand…
Summary: The Hunger Games (Book 1)
Book vs. Movie: I have read the book and seen the movie. They are each well-done in their own way. The movie follows the book pretty closely except it is much, much less detailed in the violence contained in the fighting which is a good thing, in my opinion.
I have one pet peeve about the movie. Jennifer Lawrence was not a good choice for Katniss. Pause now for a collective gasp. The novel describes Katniss as small, thin, and with an extremely tough veneer. Left alone, she is not overtly aggressive, but she’s also not warm and fuzzy. She is an extremely good archer and is willing to do what it takes to protect her sister, and when forced to it, will kill to protect herself as well. In the movie (and I suspect in real life), Jennifer Lawrence is too sweet and vulnerable as Katniss. In the book, you know it’s a long shot, but you’re not surprised by how well Katniss does in the fighting. In the movie, honestly, you feel like the Pillsbury Dough Boy could take Lawrence.
