This book is about the future of North America. It is now a country called Panem. It is split into 13 Districts and the Capitol, but the 13th district has been destroyed. The Capitol is running a harsh rule against all of the districts and the last district was destroyed in the rebellion. Now, over 70 years after the rebellion, they hold the Hunger Games. Every year the Capitol takes two tributes, one boy and one girl, from every district, stick them in an arena, and make the m fight...to the death. This is supposed to amuse the people of the Capitol and to remind the districts that the Capitol uses them. The story follows Katniss, a girl from District 12. She is sent off to the Hunger Games and the book relates what happens there.
I really loved the idea of this book, it is very interesting. The idea of what the future of America will be is pretty out there, but all the more intriguing for that. It is full of action and some romance. The only complaint I have is I would have liked more background and description. Can't wait to read the second book, Catching Fire. ( )

quick read. A little slow in the beginning but it definately picks up quick and leads you through the whole story wondering what will happen next! Loved the imagery and the storyline. Glad the second book is out already but can't wait fot the third! ( )

this was a o.k book. in the middle it gets a little boring but the fights were great. ( )

great book. Charector develpment is great. ( )

When I read the jacket summary for this book, I thought, hasn’t the whole televised fight to the death in a scary future world premise been done before? I had flashbacks to the 1980s Arnold Schwarzenegger movie The Running Man, which imdb informed me is based on a story by Stephen King. King actually wrote my favorite review of this book, calling The Hunger Games “as addictive as playing one of those shoot-it-if-it-moves videogames in the lobby of the local eightplex.”

I also found this book to be addictive, even if the premise isn't a new one. The heroine is strong and compelling, and the plot is suspenseful, action-packed, and moves at a swift pace. I was immediately drawn in by Katniss’s narrative and couldn't stop flipping pages. While this heroine has no problem drowning kitties, gutting squirrels she killed with her bow and arrow, and holding her own in the bloody arena, she also has a gentler side, shown by her selfless love for her sister and compassion for some of her competitors. I would definitely recommend this book and am looking forward to reading the next in the series--Catching Fire. ( )

A good read I like Catniss. Sad in places. ( )

This is a book about a war to the death. It is very fast. It has a lot of blood and guts in it. If you like war books you will like this book. ( )

This was a great book fo young adults. It was suspenceful violent and very thoughtful. ( )

You know, I really have to hand it to Stephenie Meyer.

She described my experience while reading this book perfectly.

Ms. Meyer wrote of The Hunger Games, “I was so obsessed with this book I had to take it with me out to dinner and hide it under the edge of the table so I wouldn't have to stop reading. The story kept me up for several nights in a row, because even after I was finished, I just lay in bed wide awake thinking about it….”

Well, maybe I didn’t find it as thought-provoking as all of that, but it did keep me up at night, and I certainly could not put it down. It is a gripping dystopian adventure yarn, an escapist story of the best kind, which picks you up and carries you away with it, whether you want to go or not.

The events are set in the futuristic country of Panem, which vaguely encompasses what once was modern-day North America. It is divided into twelve districts that remain under the close watch of the Capitol, and every year each district must send two of its young people there for a widely televised fight-to-the-death in a vast and treacherous arena.

Katniss, our sixteen-year-old heroine, becomes the female tribute for her district when she takes the place of her younger sister, Rue, who she is certain would be unable to survive in the arena. With Katniss, it’s another matter. She is strong, determined, and has been hunting to provide for her family for several years now, taught by her good friend (and seemingly obvious future love interest) Gale Hawthorne. The male tribute from her district is Peeta the baker’s son, with whom Katniss has already had one life-changing encounter, and whose fate will prove to be bound up with her own.

The world Suzanne Collins has created is quite fascinating, and for the most part she allows it to speak for itself, avoiding moralizing and overt social commentary. One cannot help but notice, though, the heights (or rather lows) to which our contemporary obsession with entertainment and appearance may be taking us, as typified by the ridiculous, ignorant, and somewhat heartless people of the Capitol. The values of the people in District Twelve, where our heroes hail from, seem much more basic and medieval, probably due to the state of near poverty in which they live. Throughout Collins’ prose remains simple and direct, yet it is also extremely evocative: I could see the various dishes and costumes she mentions appear before my eyes as I was reading, not because she spends any lengthy amount of time describing them, but mostly because her references to them are so odd and off-hand that they caused me to wonder about them and imagine them for myself.

What really makes this book work, though, is the emotional reality and power of it all. At one point I found myself cheering as Katniss defied the judges of the Games, then later came close to tears—and then to anger—at the demise of a beloved minor character. This is one wild ride, exciting enough to sustain the interest of today’s videogame-obsessed society (indeed, portions of the Games themselves reminded me of a videogame), but well-written and -characterized too. It is not great literature, and I doubt it will make my list of favorites even in the Young Adult genre, but something must be said for a book that so grabbed my attention as to make me read both it and its sequel in a single weekend (although the annoying cliffhanger ending was certainly a factor in that as well). Recommended. ( )

Wow - this is the beginning to what promises to be a thrilling series. I read the book in one day and couldn't put it down. It moves forward at an exciting pace and the characters are wonderfully constructed. The subject matter is very serious, and while it seems far fetched, can be compared to current and past situations throughout the world. ( )

The first in what promises to be an amazing series, "The Hunger Games" is off to a good start! There's drama, a love story, amazing characters and it's all set in a dystopia to boot. The concept is something that most of us can't imagine, so it's a little shocking. Though, in the back of your mind you also want more of their world and not just the characters which, luckily for us, might just happen!

I read Catching Fire first, the second in Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy. But I was hooked. So now I’ve read the Hunger Games too and I can’t wait for the final volume.

Hunger Games is a young adult series set in a post-apocalyptic world where food and populations have shrunk, and government is centralized in a city that controls its outlying towns with poverty and fear. An earlier rebellion is mentioned but never quite described, and the authorities memorialize their victory with yearly televised games. Each town provides a boy and girl who then fight to the death in a carefully constructed, video-recorded paradise, the winner achieving fame fortune, and food for a year.

Katniss lives in District Twelve, where the rule of law is not quite so fiercely imposed, and where the poverty of coal-mining is sometimes supplemented with the plenty of forbidden hunts. She’s a wily huntress, a gifted saleswoman, and a devoted sister doing everything she can to ensure that her little sister’s name never gets drawn for the Games.

But this year, Katniss is the one fighting and scheming for her life, filled with conflicting emotions about the family left behind, the boyfriend, the fellow contender, and of course, the TV crews.

In an amazingly powerful scene, Katniss copes with the ministrations of adoring TV make-up artists by imagining them like fawning animals, and suddenly the parallels with our society becomes more sharply focused and more curiously intriguing. The author creates wonderfully plausible characters, and a background world that’s just sufficiently told to intrigue, and sufficiently hidden to be real. I have so many questions, and I’m so involved in Katniss’s life now; I really want to read on. ( )

Katniss is just trying to do the right thing. She's ethical and hard-working, and just trying to take care of her family. She was the "adult" of the house after her father died and her mother "checked out" of life for awhile. Then comes the day of the Reaping, when the Capitol draws the names of one boy and one girl to represent each district in The Hunger Games.

Katniss has become a second mother to her little sister Prim. There's such a protective tenderness that exists between them. There's a charming moment in the book when the family is getting ready for the Reaping and Katniss says of her little sister "I notice her blouse has pulled out of her skirt in the back again and force myself to stay calm. 'Tuck your tail in, little duck,' I say, smoothing the blouse back in place." (p. 16) I just really found that touching.

I'm afraid to say too much, as I don't want to throw out any spoilers for the handful of people who, like me, haven't yet read this book. But I really enjoyed this story. The book is exciting, with more than a few "on the edge of your seat" moments. There is tension, despair, hope. There are funny moments in Katniss' thinking, such as when she thinks "I can't help feeling a little grateful since the last thing I want to do is strip down Haymitch, wash the vomit out of his chest hair, and tuck him into bed." (p. 48) The chest hair comment got me!

Now I can't wait to read the sequel Catching Fire! I highly recommend this book for a fun and exciting story with emotional intrigue, and mild enough for teens, but edgy enough for adults. Read it now! ( )

I liked the Hunger Games, but I didn't love it like so many others did. To me, it's an adventure/survival novel a la Battle Royale, but with more hope and interest in humanity and the possibilities of redemption. That said, I am interested to finish the series and see where the author takes it. One of my friends who had read it said she didn't find any of the characters sympathetic or enjoy reading about them; I, on the other hand, really grew to like Katniss, Peeta, and their sponsor Haymitch. ( )

Very exciting but violent. ( )

Incredibly similar to the Japenese film Battle Royale, and reminiscent of Stephen King's book The Long Walk.

All of them are situated in dystopian futures where a group of minors are pretty much sentenced to death, a death which will be broadcast to the world as 'entertainment', and used a means to relay a warning that the government are more powerful than the citizens and can do as they please.

In The Hunger Games' case, the future America (now called Panem) is made up of 12 Districts, each District serving a purpose, whether mining, fishing, farming, etc. The produce from every District is used mostly to benefit the affluent citizens living within the Capitol, leaving the District natives suffering with poverty and starvation.
Every year the Government living in the Capitol hosts The Hunger Games, where a boy and a girl (aged 12 - 18) from each of the 12 Districts is selected at random to enter a televised event where all 24 'tributes' will have to kill or be killed in an arena containing various weapons and utilities.
The last remaining survivor will return to their District a hero with a new life of fame and fortune and the Governments reward of one years supply of food for their District.

This is a very enjoyable book to read, and incredibly quick to read, I found that I could not put it down once I had started.
Suzanne Collins has created a realistic environment which contains plenty of imaginitive ideas and concepts adopted by a future world.
The characters are also very believable, a lot of which have more dislikeable traits than likeable ones.

I would strongly recommend this for both young adult and adult readers, it is certainly one of the 'crossover' books.
I have not read the second part of the trilogy (which I have recently ordered online) and I am not currently convinced this book needs continuing, it could stand pretty much alone a a single work of fiction. We will see... ( )

Reviewed by Jane Henriksen Baird in School Library Journal (September 1, 2008). Found in Follett Titlewave.

I really liked this book! My favourite character is Katniss, and even though romance doesn't really fit the whole concept of the book, I think it's a really nice touch! I'm just weird like that. But the ending's alittle perdictable, like we all know that Katniss's gonna win, because she's the main character, and that her true love will survive as well! Or does he??? ( )

Awesome book. The main character, Katniss, was so brave and kind to protect her little sister , primrose, from the horrifying hunger games that is heald every year. They have to fight till only one remains live on tv. She was afraid that her little sister who was only 12 and was the first time in these games would die in an instant.These games are terruble and you live like there's no tomorrow , yet she still stood up for her and took her place. Also, the boy triibute , Peeta, i wonder if he really like katniss, or it was all a act for the tv and sponsers.hmmm.. ( i think i'll find out more about it on the sequel to it(cathichg fire) The ending was awsome! Netiher of them wanted each other to die , but since there can only be one winner a year, and that they (katniss and peeta) didn't want to let the capitol control them, they decided both to die! so there would be no winner,, but luckly in the end, they both won.. although im not quite happy about the dense part of katniss! SHE BASICLLY LIKES PEETA! YET yet.... she let go of his hand and hurt him. ( )

I can’t believe this book for young adults is as good as everyone said! Not that I don’t trust my fellow bloggers, but the premise seemed so grim that I couldn’t imagine making silk out of such a sow’s ear. I’m happy to declare I was so wrong.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen lost her father when she was 11. She lives in the poor coal-mining District 12 of Panem, a country that once was the United States, and residents of her district often die of starvation. When her father died, Katniss took to the woods to hunt food for her mother and little sister Prim.

Every year Panem holds a lottery to select two candidates from each of the twelve districts to fight to the death in “The Hunger Games.” (This is punishment that the twelve districts must endure for an uprising in which the thirteenth district was obliterated. The twelve must never be allowed to forget.) When Prim is selected, Katniss volunteers to take her place. Her male counterpart is Peeta, a boy who apparently has been in love with her all his life. But according to the rules of The Hunger Games, there can only be one winner out of the twenty-four; the rest must die.

Sounds depressing, doesn’t it? Noir-y? Violent? It’s a little of those things, but mostly it is surprisingly original, gripping, and memorable. And it's a love story! The characters are almost uniformly likeable without being cardboard, and the fantastical elements are not too absurd or unbelievable. Well, maybe the last-featured of the mutations, or muttations [sic] as they are called. Otherwise, I am pleased to say there is no shark-jumping in this book.

Evaluation: This book is terrific. If you are one of the few people in the universe who have not yet read this, I think you should find out what all the buzz is about; you won’t be disappointed. ( )

This book's premise immediately reminded me of Battle Royale, the cult hit Japanese book and subsequent adapted movie and manga from ten years ago. I wonder how much this book was created independently from the first, since I find it difficult to believe either came from a vacuum devoid of culture.

while it's possible that hundreds of book bloggers could indeed be wrong, in this case they're not. Suzanne Collins has created a world that intrigues, a plot that immediately grabs your attention and keeps you on the edge of your seat, and an appealing protagonist who propels the whole thing forward.

In a dystopian setting in an indeterminate time, North America has become the country of Panem, where twelve Districts are ruled from a prosperous, decadent central Capitol. Each District is organized around a primary industry (fishing, agriculture, mining, etc.), and its citizens don't know much about the inhabitants of other districts. Life is difficult and tightly controlled.

Over seventy years ago, the Capitol crushed a civil war, and continues to assert its domination over the Districts with its Peacekeeping force and control of the food supply. Food is part of the grand prize in the annual Hunger Games, in which each District sends two youth to the Capitol as "tributes" to compete in survival trials. The winner secures prosperity for his or her family and generous rations for the home District until the next year's Games, and needs strategy, cleverness, and a true killer instinct.

The premise of the Hunger Games themselves fascinated me. It's the ultimate high-stakes reality-TV show, literally. They're broadcast around the clock throughout the country, and the tributes become overnight celebrities who gain sponsors and renown as their numbers dwindle. The contestants may form alliances or mark each other as immediate targets. Some of them are playing out a storyline that may or may not have been fully revealed to them, and they're all being manipulated and orchestrated by the Gamemakers who oversee everything. It's Survivor + Big Brother with some Lord of the Flies - and, in Catching Fire, a touch of Lost - mixed in, and I couldn't pull myself away from it.

READ MORE: http://www.3rsblog.com/2009/11/book-t... ( )

Tom M. I loved this book it was veryu thrilling and quite violent ( )

I almost did not read this book because of the idea of people hunting people, let alone kids being forced to do this. So, I have to thank Krista for convincing me to read this book. If it was not for her I would not have picked this book up at all. Once I started reading this book I realized it is not as harsh as I had anticipated, which I am thankful for, and was not able to put it down. (I read this book of 374 pages in two and a half days, which is extremely fast for me.) Most of the book is not even set in the actual arena of the fighting. This book is more of the survival of Katniss and Peeta who are on the defensive and trying to stay alive. There is no cannibalism nor is it gory or brutal. I am very glad I did not pass this book up any longer.

I know there is a lot of talk of this book currently, which may be due to the second book recently being released. So with all this amazing praise I had to read it. Which was also a fear to me that with all the hype I would have higher expectations and the book would not measure up. Well, the book exceeded my expectations tremendously. Let me just say the praise is well deserved.

You meet Katniss here in the beginning right away. She sneaks past the fence around District 12 ment to "keep the animals of flesh eating out" and the citizens are not aloud to go outside the fence. Katniss has a spot she sneaks out and meets her friend Gale to hunt. See, they don't get caught or in trouble because the Peacekeepers of the city look the other way, as they like to eat meat too. Katniss has been trained at a young age by her father to hunt, and this is what Katniss has done to help keep her family alive after her father passes away in a mine accident years before.

Also, in the beginning you learn of the history of Panem, and how the Capitol has a gripping control over the 12 different Districts. As a lesson for trying to over throw the Capitol years past the Hunger Games came to exist. All the people are forced to have their children entered in the contest starting at age twelve through to eighteen, no matter stature or standing in the District. However, the poor children could very well have more entries than the richer. See, if the family is in need of food rations the child can enter an extra name in the drawing for this and you can do so for each person in your family. So with Katniss, she has a sister and a mother along with herself - this would be three more entries along with the one for this year. Oh yes, the entries are cumulative, so they carry over each year. That would get scary after a while.

On the day of the drawing all the people of the District are required to be there to witness this, and as a reminder. Katniss is shocked when her twelve year old sister who only has one entry gets picked as the girl to go to the games. What would you do for your sister? Would you sacrifice yourself to take her place? Well, that is just what Katniss does, volunteers to go in her spot.

I am surprised with the extent the Capitol goes to, to try and make this an exciting game to watch. The Capitol actually seem to enjoy this. The publicity the winners of the drawing get is unbelievable. There is lavish foods, complete make-overs, parades, and interviews. They are treated like royalty. People chant for these poor kids and bet on them. All this before they are sent to the arena to fight for their lives. The suspence is held through this section and there are peaks and valleys through here. My heart felt for Katniss and Peeta (the boy who won the drawing in District 12 with Katniss). Even the interview has a shocker to it. They need to win the love of the people in order to have sponsers to supply them "gifts" while they are in the arena when needed. The contenders all have to go through a training session for a few days then show their skills to the Gamemakers, which results in a scoring that could win them sponsers as well. All of these have their own peaks to them which keep you interested and driving forward in the book.

Then you get to the Arena where the game begins. Now, you are going to have to read the book to see what happens here. Just remember the people of the Capitol like a show and will do anything to get it... There are a few twists that get added along with new rules as they go.

By the end of this book I loved Peeta and Katniss. My heart burst, swelled, and broke with them through all their tribulations. Will they both live? Will one die? Will they both die? I am ready to dive into the next book Catching Fire. This book has told a story and set up for the next book at the same time, very well written in that respect. I also feel I understand the characters very well.

I have to say, for a Young Adult book I would suggest it to any and all adults to read. ( )

There is little that Suzanne Collins can do wrong in my eyes. I loved the GREGOR series and this just continued her brilliant writing, plotting, and character-development. I don't know if they'll ever make a movie of HUNGER GAMES and I don't care. THIS is brilliant writing and fabulous YA at its best. ( )