The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
This book might as well be glued to your hands because it is so suspenseful that it is practically impossible to put down. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins will take your breath away with all of its action and suspense. The story follows Katniss who nominated herself to fight to the death in an event called the Hunger Games. The story starts out slowly then quickly hurls you into a literal and metaphorical firestorm of action. Once you get to this point, you will find it very hard to put the book down as you see people getting knocked out one by one.
I could not believe that no matter how fast-paced and action-packed the book got, it still conveyed meaningful messages about family, honor, and loyalty. Some of these messages found in the book include if your work as a team could determine your likelihood of survival and dying with honor would beat a life of hatred. The overarching theme of this book seemed to be that family always comes first and can be worth risking your life. The biggest example of this theme takes place in the very beginning of this book where Prim, Katniss’ little sister, got chosen at random to participate in the Hunger Games. Out of devastation Katniss came forward and took her sister’s place with little hesitation.
I really enjoyed reading this book because it always kept me guessing about what would happen next. Just when I thought I knew exactly what would happen, everything seemed to flip upside down and the exact opposite would happen. I also appreciated the book’s use of detailed imagery to paint vivid pictures of the events taking place in the mind of the reader. A perfect example of this is in chapter 22, where the author wrote, “The sound of rain drumming on the roof of our house gently pulls me towards consciousness.” (285) This quote not only creates an image, but it gives you auditory feedback as you read it.
I disliked only a few minor things about the book. If I could change one thing about the book, I would give more details about how a certain character died. I liked the part of the book, however, when Katniss has a run in with Thresh. I enjoyed this part the most because it feels like an explosion of chaos, bloodshed, and action. Because of the violence, I would recommend this book to anyone in middle school and up.
Overall, I really liked The Hunger Games because of its constant action and suspense. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fast-paced adventure novels. I would rate this book 5 stars because, after the first 50 pages, it never has a boring moment.
Reviewed by Jackson Cutler, 9th grade,
NewGate School, Sarasota, FL
Tomorrow’s Child / Jan 2019 / Pg 30
