Could you be strong and live, even if everyone was trying to kill you? Katniss Everdeen, a seventeen-year old girl who has a talent for hunting, becomes “a piece in their Games” (142) without wanting to. The Capitol is harsh, selfish, and cruel to the districts, trying to keep them in line and obedient by annually holding the Hunger Games; games where victims literally play to their deaths on live television for pure entertainment purposes. One boy, and one girl, between the ages of twelve and eighteen, are randomly picked from each district. The contenders are forced into an arena, which changes every year, where the fight to their deaths begins.

Katniss, if she is to win, must weigh survival against humanity and life against love. Who will win? Who will die? What will happen to Katniss and the family she leaves behind?

“Ladies and gentleman, let the Seventy-Fourth Hunger Games begin!” (147)


Suzanne Collins, a New York Times bestselling author, sets The Hunger Games in the ruins of a place once known as North America. Collins lives in Connecticut with her family and has previously won awards with her books Underland Chronicles, which started with Gregor the Overlander. The Hunger Games has won many awards for Collins such as the USA Today Bestseller, CBC Teen Choice Finalist, Barnes & Noble Best of Books of 2008, Publishers Weekly Bestseller, and many more. Collins is in agreement with the public in that she feels The Hunger Games is one of her best works. Collins uses a suspenseful tone that forces the reader to keep reading to find out the outcome of the characters.


Suzanne Collins has produced a remarkable book. The Hunger Games is well written and plays on the reader’s emotions from the beginning. You keep turning the pages to see what happens next. It is hard to comprehend how much the reader feels for Katniss Everdeen and the hardships she faces in her life. “…the boy with the bread, is fighting hard to kill me” (68). Katniss Everdeen is put through a tremendous amount of stress as she is forced to fight for her life. Collins wrote this book in such a way that it keeps you up several nights in a row even after you have finished reading it. It does not allow you to forget about it. It forces you to think about your life in a different light. My mind and my heart were emotionally torn while reading about Katniss’s struggles to stay alive.


One message Suzanne Collins teaches the reader is unlimited love and protection for family. “I protect Prim in every way I can, but I’m powerless against the reaping” (15). Katniss is extremely protective of her little sister, Prim. Katniss would go to the ends of the earth for her. The bond between Katniss and Prim is very strong and Katniss loves her family immensely. Since her father died, Katniss has been forced to provide for her family and she has done whatever she has needed to in order to provide for her family. ‘“I volunteer!’ I gasp. ‘I volunteer as tribute!’ There’s some confusion on the stage. District 12 hasn’t had a volunteer in decades and the protocol has become rusty” (22).


The Hunger Games is on my list of top three books ever. This book touched my heart and soul as if the words grabbed onto my heart and wrapped a tight band around it. The story line is captivating, innovative, and intriguing. I recommend this book to everyone who wants to be lifted into a different world and feel what the story characters are experiencing.