Collins, Suzanne: The Hunger Games (North America: Scholastic, 2008) 374 pp. Reviewed by Jonathan Solomon, Los Osos High School, Rancho Cucamonga, CA.
How far would you go for a loved one? Defending her little sister Prim; that is how Katniss Everdeen's exhilerating journey.
The Hunger Games features dynamic characters such as Prim, Peeta, Gale, Haymitch, and none other than Katniss. Taking place in a poverty called District 12, this novel is set up to be a struggle from the start. The setting adds on to the theme and is perfect for these particular characters. Peeta and Katniss are two distant people from District 12 that barely even notice each other in and outside of school. One fateful moment brought them together. THE fateful moment brought them together.
Katniss had a hunting buddy named Gale, and although she was unsure about how she feels for him, they are best friends and they have been since a young age. Using Katniss as the narrator lets the author show how the viewpoint of a ruthless-yet-soft girl. She always had the mind to do something, but she always had the heart of a fighter. The Hunger Games takes the reader on a journey with the change in setting, the action, and also the love triangle.
Although this was written as fiction, it gives off a real feeling because of the characters and their situations. Katniss went to the Hunger Games and impressed. Now as you get ready to take on this novel I have one thing to say. "May the odds be ever in your favor."
-Jonathan S.
What I like most about this book is the perspective, something the movie just CANNOT give accurately. Taking place almost completely isolated from others the entire book and COMPLETELY isolated from her home is an emotion that is best captured in Katniss. The underdog idea is a little cliched, and I didn't like Katniss AT ALL in the beginning, but once you hear her story, it becomes a good read.
ReplyDelete-Jillian D.
Exactly! The movie took a different point of view entirely! It made you feel like you were part of the Capitol watching behind the scenes footage. Only the book could give you the full emotion of what went on in and outside of the arena.
Delete-Jonathan S.
i LOVE the Hunger Games.
ReplyDeletei HATE that its compared to Twilight...THERE'S NO COMPARISON! :P
The Hunger Games, set in a dystopian time, portrays that sometimes in life, we have to be more than just selfish. For Panem, this becomes a desperate need as they very rarely have ANYTHING, let alone time to be selfish. I love Katniss personally, and i love how she's one of the few strong female protagonists of today. She can stand on her own, and its a role model girls can sort of learn from. However, if little girls start making bows and arrows and shooting animals, well then...may the odds be ever in their favour.
-Kristen E.
I agree. Twilight is based PURELY off of the love triangle. And Bella is a weak female character who needed to be changed to be seen as a threat. Katniss was a thug (excuse my slang) that knew how to handle hers. I agree with you though; if girls take after Katniss, The Hunger Games will be the least of everyone's worries.
Delete-Jonathan S.