The Hunger Games: Why the Hype?

The Hunger Games trilogy, by Suzanne Collins, is set in a futuristic, dystopic North America. The nation of Panem is comprised of a well-to-do capitol surrounded by 12 districts. These districts once declared war on the capitol and were defeated, thus being sentenced to send one boy and one girl to an annual televised fight to the death challenge to earn food for their district. When the protagonist’s (Katniss Everdeen) younger sister is chosen to compete, Katniss immediately volunteers to take her place. The resultant story is Katniss’ battle to make peace with having to kill or be killed.

This exciting and fast-paced trilogy has become a huge hit with young people and adults alike. While it is entertaining and engaging, it is also quite violent as it is about children killing children. The books have been marketed to a young adult audience (ages 12 & up) for this reason…along with readers having to contemplate the complicated social and moral issues that arise throughout the story. For these reasons, the books have been labeled “YA” in our library as well. This means that the books are readily available to our 7th & 8th grade students and available to students in the lower grades with parental permission. This is one series that I recommend parents read with or before younger children if you are considering.
                                                       -   Amy Shepherd,  School Librarian