The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games

By Suzanne Collins

Read in 9th grade (though most read earlier)

Book 1 in series

Book 2! Catching Fire (coming soon)

Book 3! Mockingjay (coming soon)

Book 4! The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (coming soon)

    Katniss Everdeen is a teenager in District 12 of Panem, a country that rose from the ashes of the old world. It is controlled by the Capitol which has become every more authoritarian after a rebellion by District 13, which is now in ashes, 74 years ago. To remind every one of the Dark Days, it hold the Hunger Games. Each of the 12 districts must provide 2 tributes, one boy and one girl, to participate. They will be thrust into the arena to battle it out, and the victor will be free from participation and be immersed into the riches of the Capitol.

    To keep the Districts in line, there is a fence, and poaching of wild animals is illegal. Katniss and her friend, Gale, both have families to support, so they hunt anyway. Gale makes good snares, and Katniss's bow never misses.

    Today is reaping day. Both Katniss and Gale are receiving tesserae for their families. The reaping is a kind of lottery. If you enter your name extra times, the government will give you just enough salt and grain to survive. They have both vowed to never let their siblings get chosen. But it doesn't matter. Against the odds, Katniss's sister Prim is chosen in her first reaping, and Katniss desperately takes her place. The male tribute is Peeta Mellark, who she has an odd history with. One day, soon after her father's death in the coal mines (brief interruption for backstory: Each district is responsible for producing one product, such as coal for 12, agriculture for 11, etc.) she was nearly starving, desperate for anything. She ended up digging through the baker's trash when Peeta came out the back and gave her two burnt loaves of bread that was supposed to go to the pigs. It saved her life.

    She and Peeta are transported by train to the Capitol for the Opening Ceremony. In years past, their tributes have often worn coal miner outfits because of their District's job. But the new designer, Cinna, has better ideas. He gives them flaming outfits, and Katniss becomes "the girl who has on fire." She goes through a few days of training and plentiful food, and even receives the highest training score. The night before the Games, there is an interview. Katniss barely gets by, playing up Cinna's outfit for her 3 minutes. Then Peeta drops the bomb. He has loved Katniss ever since he first saw her. Katniss can tell it's true, but she doesn't want to believe it. She wants to think it's all just a ploy to get sponsors, who can buy you things to use in the arena.

    Finally, it is the day. She is brought into the arena with the 23 others - among them, 6 Careers, or people who have trained their whole lives. There is a Cornucopia in the center, full of vital supplies. Haymitch, the only District 12 victor and therefore her mentor, told her not to join the bloodbath for supplies. So she grabs a nearby pack and a knife thrown by another player and heads off into the woods. She was lucky to get the pack. It has a sleeping back and a small ration of food, along with a water bottle. For the first few days, she is able to survive by snaring animals, but she is eventually in danger of dehydration. Luckily, she finds a small pond. The Games continue, and she finds that Peeta, for some unknown reason, has teamed with the Careers. When they try to kill her, Peeta lets her escape, risking death himself, and it makes her wonder about their supposed lover dynamic.

    The contestants dwindle down to 11, and she teams with a young girl named Rue, who reminds her of Prim. They set a trap for the Careers, destroying their food supply, but Rue is killed. In her rage, Katniss kills a boy from District 1. A day later, there is an announcement. Two tributes from one District can win. Despite herself, Katniss calls out for Peeta. She finds him on the verge of death, and brings him all the way back. The competition has dwindled down to them and Cato, a career from District 2. The three of them are chased by mutts, or muttations, wolves with huge claws created by the Capitol. They maul Cato, leaving Katniss and a wounded Peeta. Then the decision is reversed. Only one can win. Unwilling to be just another toy in the Capitol's games, Katniss decides that she and Peeta can both die. With a poison berry. Because they can't have no victor, the Capitol lets the two of them win. But President Snow sees it as an act of rebellion, and it will start more mayhem...