The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1)

Oh, The Hunger Games. My sole obsession. This is one of my favorite books of all time, and I've read a lot. Believe me. Suzanne Collins is partially the reason why I read so often. Trying to find a book even better than THE HUNGER GAMES? It's been proven more difficult than I expected. Hah.
12 Districts. 24 tributes. One winner. Once a year, in the country of Panem, the Hunger Games are held. The 12 boys and 12 girls are sent to an arena to fight til the death for the sole purpose of entertaining the citizens of the capitol. It's considered a punishment for the rebellious acts of their ancestors so many years ago. In this novel, this is the future of The United States.
EVERY EMOTION POSSIBLE is felt during the process of this book. Seriously. I cried. I cheered. I was pissed. Everything Katniss and the others felt, I did too. It takes a perfect writer to do that to a reader, especially me.
The writing in this book is great. Collins seriously did a damn good job here. I LOVE all of the characters- Katniss, Gale, Peeta, everyone. The author described them and created their distinctive personalities with every little detail in mind. At first, I wasn't a huge fan of Peeta(I know, crazy, right?), he seemed too.. perfect, but then after reading the trilogy for a second time, I realized I love him too. How can you not?
Whenever a friend asks for a recommendation, I immediately tell them to read this book, and since they know I don't get excited like this over a book easily, they go ahead and read it as well. Now we're all obsessed together.
The Hunger Games deserves 10 out of 5 stars, but since I can't do that, 5 will have to suffice.
Read this. Now. You will be so glad you did.

Reader reviewed by moonymaster

I am surprisingly ecstatic at the fact that I have found another great book. And when I say great, I don't mean quick-read great that I am gonna forget about in a few days, I mean great in the sense that everything in The Hunger Games completely and totally exceeded my expectations. I haven't read a book that I have really fell in love with in a long time. I found myself completely attached to the characters and their emotions, the heart-wrenching conflicts they had to deal with, and the dystopian society that clouded over everything else. 

If you wanna skip the process of having to read bad, boring, or okay books in search of a great and satisfying one, I suggest you pick up The Hunger Games and give it a read.

Reader reviewed by Sab H. (Crystal Reviews)

This was way different than anything I have ever read. It is so
life-like it scared me sometimes. Thrilling and breathtaking. I
absolutely adore Katniss. It was so great to see a pants-on girl with
so much personality. She's my hero now. Probably what I liked the most
was her character.

The story was so original, it was hard for me
to imagine. But she really made it work. Collins creates a future world
that is way worse that our present, and maybe most of the past. But
nothing that could not happen. And what a wonderful way to create a
story. In my mind its like a reality show pasted on a book. What an
amazing book.

The cover is maybe my favorite one to date. I love
the fact that it doesn't tell you anything. That's what I love about
books with simple-no-picture covers. Nothing more to say than this one
goes down as one of my new favorite books of al time. Aiming for
Catching Fire!

Reader reviewed by Stefanovich

The book  is about a
girl named Katness.  She and her friend, Gale,
hunt and fish outside their poor village. 
They eat what they catch and sell the rest to make money for their
families.   The country she lives in is called Panema; it's where North America once was.  The government
is really strong; it broadcasts a show called The Hunger Games.  One person
from each region is picked to be in the game. 
In the reality show 24 contestants from the same country fight against
each other.   The games are broadcast all over the country and
everyone watches the brutal show. You never know what will happen next.  Katness was the first  in her region to ever volunteer.   Why
would anyone volunteer?   Who was she protecting?
 Youll have to read the book to answer
those questions.

The book  was written
very well; once you got to the games you never wanted to put it down.  In fact the only change I would make is to
get to the games right away.  I felt it
started out slow, but was easy to get into because the reaping" happened so
fast;  all of a sudden she's volunteered  for a  game show that would change and could even end
her life.  It's action packed from then
on.  The whole aspect of her fighting for
her life on a game show was really an interesting idea.  The writer does a great job describing how it
must feel to fight other people from your country who all want to win.  It makes you think about the world we live in
and how different it could be.  The book
goes into detail and really gets your attention.

This book is great for ages 12 and up because it
moves fast.  It also talks about reality
shows which are popular.  I
think that that most readers will be able to imagine themselves in the
story.  Its also good to read books that
make you think.  You can learn a lot from
The Hunger Games, and it isnt boring, so give it a chance.  

Reader reviewed by Danielle

You don't even understand how great this book is!!! I had to read it for a class and I wasn't too excited about it but then once I started reading it I got so into it I just couldn't put it down!! When I finished the book I picked up the second one right away and started reading it...It's so catchy and I love the love setting and the hidden love story it has. It's a great book and if you like books that will keep you attached, you'll love The Hunger Games! <3

Reader reviewed by Katie

Let me just start with saying that I think this book was awesome. It's set in the future but it feels like it's happening right when you read it - and you are in it as a third-party observer. Katniss and Peeta [and everyone else] will steal your heart. Katniss knows what she wants and is not afraid to try and get it. Usually, with stories with even a touch of romance in them, the protagonist loses their way at least once. She doesn't - although she does waver a bit sometimes. Katniss is the kind of person you would much rather have as a friend than an enemy. That doesn't mean she's not wonderful, though. Fans of Graceling and Fire should read this book.

Reader reviewed by thea

The
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins was the best book I've read all year.
On second thought, it's only the eleventh day of 2009, so it's the best
book I've read in two years!

The storyline was so detailed and
complex that I really felt I was in another world. It was so intriguing
that I can't even begin to tell the plot. There were many surprises and
no slow parts. It takes a great writer to write a book with no slow
parts at all. I'm going to buy all the books in this series and add
them to my collection of science fiction/fantasy bookshelf. It reminded
me of my favorite television show: Big Brother. It was very
psychological and suspenseful. BUY THIS BOOK! Please. Just do it.

Reader reviewed by Nick Burns

Outside Read Book Critique

The Hunger Games is a book that will grab you and not let go until the last page. It starts off with a girl named Katniss who gets chosen to compete in the countries tradition, The Hunger Games. This is an arena in the wild with a total of 24 kids two from each district. While in the arena the kids fight to the death and the winner is honored for years to come. In some cities children are trained from a very young age to survive these Hunger Games. Katniss knows this and is sure she will die a gruesome death in the arena. She believes this until the rankings of all the competitors comes out and she is ranked highest for her skills with a bow and arrow. She feels some confidence but is nervous about competing with boys who are twice her size and strength. When she hits the arena she runs into the forest as quick as possible to avoid being killed early on by the strong men. She lasts a long time and makes a lot of smart strategic moves to give her the best chances of winning. After many twists and turns she finds herself in an almost winning position until the unthinkable happens. To figure out these twists and turns you must read the book.

The content of this book is heart racing and keeps you on the edge of your seat. The first person narration gives a good perspective for this book. It explains how Katniss has had a hard life because her dad was killed in a mining accident. She had to make the decision of starvation or illegal actions to obtain food for her little sister. This forced her to grow up really quick and weakened her relationship with her mom. The city rules say that if humans go outside the city limits to get food they could be punished by death. Although there are rules in place she occasionally sells her food to the city officials so they dont enforce the rules well. The city officials are corrupt and are only doing their jobs for themselves not the people of the city. This first person perspective foreshadows the actions of Katniss actions in the arena. In the beginning of the book it gives insight to her personal life like the many stories of her childhood which includes helping her family survive food shortages. If this story were told in third person it would answer a lot of questions throughout the book. It would tell us why Peeta confessed his love for Katniss. It would inform us of why the capitol made changes in the middle of the games. It would have given us a different view on everyones thoughts during the game whether they had confidence in themselves or not. We could all see what Haymitch is thinking about when he is helping the two kids and who he thinks has a better chance at winning. It would tell us if president snow likes to see people die during the games.

The information in this book would seem to appeal to readers of all types and ages. If you like an action book with many twists and turns this is the book for you. It is an easy read and although appears long it will grab you and not release until the very end. I highly recommend this book.

Reader reviewed by Jillian

Would you be able to survive in the wild, while being hunted by other humans? Could you survive? The novel, The Hunger Games, tells the story of a poor young girl who takes a big risk. Her name, Katniss Everdeen. The game: Hunger Games. Katniss lives in the small District 12, in Panem, or what used to be North America. The people are controlled by the harsh Capitol, who constantly reminds the citizens that THEY are the ones in control. And one way they remind the citizens of this is the Hunger Games, a horrific game to duel to the death of 24 people from the ages of 12- 18. Each district sends one boy, and one girl. There can only be one victor. So when Katniss Everdeen and her younger sister go to the annual drawing of the contestants for this game, Katniss steps forward to take her sisters place, which is practically a death sentence! As we read we watch Katniss try to survive obstacles with the capitol, dueling, and even love.

For having no desire to read this book, I have found myself to have become fascinated with it. It was more then I had imagined it to be, and I couldnt put it down! Having the book be in first person really let you see what Katniss was seeing and what she was feeling during all the moments of the book. The kill or be killed idea really makes this novel a page turner. Also the idea that this is a game show, shows the reader the struggles and training that the contestants must go through, and they realize that their actions will be broadcasted around the districts. Being the first book of a trilogy I know that I will be rushing to the book store to buy the next two books. The Hunger Games is an outstanding young adult novel, with plenty of adventure, incredible characters and a hint of romance.

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Reader reviewed by Brianna

I think everyone should read this book at some point in their life time it has suspence, chase scenes, and some romance. I can't believe how good it was. I garentee that if you like it you will be wanting more of the hunger games. The very best book i had ever saw. I REALLY THINK YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!