Book Review: Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Genre:
Science Fiction

Interest Level:
Ages 11-18

Reading Level: 
Lexile 810, Grades 4-5


Book Theme:
 Survival, dystopian novel


Books with Similar Themes:  
Birthmarkerd by Caragh M. O'Brien,  Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Bibliographic Information: 
Collins, S. (2008). The hunger games. New York: Scholastic Inc.

Plot: 
Katniss Everdeen lives in futurist North America, now called Panem. Panem has twelve districts, and Katniss lives in the poorest, District 12. Her father has died in mining accident and she must hunt and find food for her mother a younger sister Primrose. Each year two young representatives from each district are chosen at random to battle each other to death in a reality show televised to all of the district. The battles is called The Hunger Games and it takes place in a dome with artificial wilderness conditions. The winner of the battles is promised a life of safety and care for his or her family, but for the rest of the youngsters (referred to as tributes) the Hunger Games only mean an early death. When Primrose is selected Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and a boy named Peeta are the District 12 tributes and must fight to the death to win the Hunger Games and return to their families, but in the end there can only be one winner.

Review:  
This dystopian novel is filled with action, suspense, loss, regret, budding romances and conflicted emotions toward the opposite sex. It's an exciting, fast-paced story that catches the attention of readers and sucks them into the story. It is a story that is wildly popular with tweens, teens, and adults alike. It has even been made into a film titled with the same name. The biggest tween elements are Katniss' developing feeling for her friend Gale as well as her very established independence. Tweens will love Katniss for her bravery, strength, determination, and fierce loyalty to her young sister and another special tribute she meets. They will also love Katniss because of her courage to stand up for what she believes is right despite the consequences that may follow. This popular book has worked it's way into the hearts of many tweens and is likely to do so for many more.

Question: Is this a tween book?
Since there are no tweens who are main characters I have decided to address the question of whether or not this is a book for tweens. Although I loved this book I also found myself uncertain as to whether or not it should be taught to tweens before seventh grade. It's a book that is now being taught in many schools as early as fifth grade, and they love it! While I don't think I would chose it in a fifth grade curriculum I do believe that a lot of the themes are ones that tweens will relate to despite their being slightly more mature than typical tween books. In an age where shows like Survivor and CSI are hugely popular it's also no surprise that The Hunger Games is as well. My final analysis as to whether it's a tween book or not came when I asked an eleven-year-old what he thought and he eagerly said yes. As I read the book I asked him questions about it and he told me he was so excited that he wanted me to answer them and wanted me to ask him more. So, is this a book for tweens or not? My answer is that if it gets tweens reading and excited about reading, then absolutely!