The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Hey. So, are you interested in reading? I bet a lot of you are going 'oh... it's a book.....cool....', but hear me out. The Hunger Games is one of those rarer modern books that isn't too gory for the girls, or too sappy for the boys. I've lost count of the number of people I've all but bribed to read it and the day after they finish it (they are hooked from the first chapter) they go out and buy the second one. Or beg me to lend it to them, which is the satisfying time I take a moment to say 'I told you so'. I've lent my copies out so much I've got pages falling out.

The first thing you should know, is that I'm pretty sensitive to what I read myself, so despite what it sounds like - no matter how many times i say this people still seem to think they're experts on how much they won't like the book - it isn't overly violent or unbelievably futuristic ridiculously magical etc. Infact - it has no magic at all. The author didn't write it for the drama, she got the idea from channel surfing between some tv game show and an actual war where people were dying. I believe she wrote it more to comment on human behaviour and to point out where a rearrangement of priorities is needed.

No doubt, you've heard the plot before, or a similar version because - I'll admit it - it's not that original. It's set in the future, after North America was destroyed and rebuilt. With all the advanced technology, the Capitol dictates everything. There are twelve districts living separately. Each district provides something for the Capitol, for example District 11 is agriculture and District 12 is mining. The closer they are to the Capitol the more well off they are, to the point where District 1 produces luxury items, while in District 12 it can be a struggle just to get food.

74 years before, there had been a 13th District. Treatment by the Capitol was terrible and the Districts began to rebel. Since then, every year Districts 1 to 12 are shown video footage of the annihilated District 13. As well as this, the Capitol holds the Hunger Games. (Basically - they're really really bad people with really high technology and all the Districts are helpless and have to do whatever they're told. Or die. Painfully.)

Between the ages of 12 and 18, every child has to put their name into the reaping. One slip goes in for a 12 year old, 2 for 13 etc, until 18's have 7 slips in. Especially in District 12, where everyone is so poor, it gets more bias. Tessera is a year's supply of grain and oil for one person. Sombody with their name in the reaping can apply for tessera by putting their name in more times, multiplying it. They have to multiply it for every person they want to take tessera out for however. This means the main character, 16 year old Katniss, has 5 slips of paper in the reaping. Her family is poor, so she takes out tessera for herself, her sister and her mother, adding another 5 slips for each. (Just incase you cant count - thats 20! :P lol)

At the reaping, a boy's name and a girl's name are pulled out for each district. Then the kids are sent off to the Capitol where they have to try and make fans which could help them in the games. After a week, they are taken to the arena where they are set loose, supplied with a store of weapons, and the last contestant alive wins.

BUT - i know those last four words turn a lot of people off reading it - the thing is that it's not so much blood and gore (sorry boys!). The book is fast moving and will have you hooked, but it's also done tastefully and the author has a lot of ideas that many people would never think of and only about half the book is set in the actualy arena. The rest is the behind the scenes as to what happens to a tribute when their name comes out of the reaping.

Anyway, I've posted this because it gets really annoying when you really really want to talk about some amazing book and nobody has a clue what you're on about. Well... a bunch of my friends do now, so im not the only one that has to sit through the torture of waiting for the third book to come out. (I CANT WAIT!!) If you've read it already, or are going to go and read it now come back and comment! I want to know what other people think as well! If you loved it as much as me, come and let everybody know that i'm not crazy and it actually is good! We will convert the world!! haha thanx for reading!! xx