Center for Teaching & Learning

Suzanne Collins writes about a future United States of America broken up into twelve districts and in the middle is the Capital, where people who control the country live. Every year, the brutal leaders choose two tributes, starting at the age of twelve to eighteen, from each of the districts to fight to the death. Katniss, the lead character is chosen to represent District 12 in the arena where the Hunger Games are held. District 12 is fenced in (like all of the other Districts) and it’s illegal to hunt. Also, there is a place called the Hob and there they sell many things, and most of them are illegal like alcohol, and many of the people from District 12 live in fear because if they get caught they either die in jail or have brutal punishments that can lead to death.
But that’s also where Katniss learned to hunt, in the illegal forest surrounding the District. When she is chosen at the “Reaping” to go to the Hunger Games, that’s when breaking the law by hunting for her family can help her. In the Games, you have to fight and kill other tributes, until you are the last alive.
My rating of this book would be a ten out of ten, because I thought this book was filled with action, thoughts and feelings, and suspense. A part that was full of action was when the Game Makers, who control every aspect of the deadly arena, were shooting fireballs out thin air and trying to burn Katniss. When I read this, I was mostly shocked and surprised at how far they went to kill her, and the whole idea of the Hunger Games itself hit me. A book I would compare this to is the Maximum Ride series, because there is a lot of fighting and action. A example for suspense is when Katniss was at the reaping and they were waiting to see if Katniss was going to be one of the two tributes chosen.
A part that was filled with thoughts and feeling was when Katniss, a 16-year-old girl, is in love so much that she would sacrifice herself for that person.  For example here is a quote:
“Then you shoot me.” I say furiously, shoving the weapons back at him. “You shoot me and go home and live with it!” And as I say it, I know death right here, right now would be the easier of the two.
In my opinion I think Katniss is a tomboy because she loves to hunt and be outside and hates dressing up or being frilly or flashy or anything like that. But throughout the book, when she did have to do more feminine stuff, like dress up, she did as she was told and didn’t argue. (So she was independent throughout the book.)When she had to hunt humans in the Games, she refused, so she was independent throughout the book. It might just be me, but I really like strong female characters.
At times, Katniss can be really caring because her love and devotion to her friends and family. For a example, when a tribute named Rue dies, Katniss buries her in flowers because Rue reminded Katniss of her litter sister Prim. This book is definitely worth your time reading.
Catherine