book report hunger games

The Hunger Games

By suzanne collins.

• The Hunger Games Summary

The Hunger Games details the adventure of Katniss Everdeen , who is forced to engage in a fight-to-the-death tournament against other children. The novel takes place in Panem, a dystopic country built on what was once North America. In a world of limited resources, the despotic government run by the Capitol keeps its citizens in line by separating them into Districts and reinforcing severe class separations. But their strongest tool to promote disunion and to discourage rebellion is the Hunger Games: a yearly event where two tributes from each district are pitted against each other for the country to watch on television.

Katniss lives with her mother and younger sister Prim in District 12, the poorest of the districts. Ever since her father's death, she has been the family provider, hunting illegally in the woods outside the district with her friend Gale. The novel begins on the day of the "reaping," when each District must select two tributes, one male and one female, to represent them in the Hunger Games. When Prim is selected as the female tribute, Katniss offers herself as volunteer and is allowed to serve as tribute alongside Peeta, a middle class boy from the district.

The remainder of Part One of the novel follows the children as they are both trained for the brutal games and groomed to portray a certain image for the audience. She forces herself into a stoic determination to win, a philosophy made difficult by the kindly Peeta. The relationship is made even more fraught when Peeta confesses during a live interview that he has a crush on Katniss. Though she fears making emotional connections that could compromise her desire to win, she agrees to portray the image of a unified front, an idea proposed by their sponsor Haymitch.

The Games are held in an arena in a forested area. When they begin, Katniss rushes away from the excitement of the initial bloodbath and uses her hunting/survival skills to develop a strategy. She sleeps in trees and hunts game. Each night, faces of the dead are broadcast into the sky. As she stays hidden, she learns that Peeta has allied himself with the "Career Tributes," those tributes from the richer districts who train their entire lives for the Games.

Meanwhile, the Gamemakers , those who design the Games, continue to manipulate the surroundings in order to keep the Games entertaining. After a severe burn following a firestorm, Katniss is trapped in a tree above the Careers. That night, she makes contact with Rue , the youngest tribute, who Katniss associates with Prim. Rue is up a nearby tree and suggests she defeat the Careers by dropping a wasp nest on them. She does so, in the process getting stung herself but also scattering the Careers and gaining for herself a bow, her strongest weapon. The wasp stings produce hallucinations, which slow her down and almost cost her her life, until Peeta helps her to escape. She is understandably confused.

Katniss and Rue form an alliance and make a plan to destroy the supplies that are keeping the Careers powerful. Rue sets fires to distract them while Katniss pieces together that they are protecting their supplies with landmines reappropriated from a Gamemaker design. When she uses the mines to explode the supplies, she is blown backwards and knocked out of commission for a few days. She returns just in time to see Rue killed by another tribute, who then quickly becomes Katniss's first kill. As a small act of rebellion against the Capitol, which expects the tributes to dehumanize one another, Katniss sings to Rue and decorates her corpse with flowers before the body is fetched by the Capitol.

The Gamemakers announce that the rules have changed, and that the two tributes from a district can serve as co-victors. She then finds Peeta, who was cut badly after helping Katniss escape the Careers. She does her best to help him recover, but it isn't until Haymitch sends her a gift following a kiss she shares with him that she understands that playing up the romance angle could pay off.

They spend days growing closer in a cave, but Katniss lacks the skill to cure Peeta's wound. When the Gamemakers announce that a "feast" will be held to draw the tributes together for crucial supplies, she tricks Peeta and heads to the feast. In trying to get her gift, which she assumes is anti-infection medicine for Peeta, she is almost killed by a Career, but saved by the other tribute from Rue's district. Having heard of Katniss's kindness towards Rue, the tribute lets her live.

The medicine cures Peeta, and they spend more time growing closer in the cave. Once the Gamemakers dry up their water supplies, they prepare themselves and head out to face Cato , the only other surviving tribute. But their main challenge turns out not to be Cato, but several wolf-man creatures unleashed by the Gamemakers, creatures reanimated from the corpses of dead tributes. Katniss and Peeta escape by climbing to higher ground, while the other tribute falls and is tortured by the creatures. Finally, Katniss kills the tribute with her arrow out of mercy.

They have won the Games, but the Gamemakers rescind the rule about dual victors. Peeta and Katniss threaten to commit dual suicide, which would ruin the Games, and they are hence awarded a dual victory.

They are fetched by the Capitol representatives, and separated for a long period of recovery. When they are brought out to the audience again, Haymitch warns Katniss that she needs to overplay the lovers angle as a defense for her threat to commit suicide, which the Capitol considers an act of rebellion. Over the period of fanfare that follows, she takes his advice, which makes Peeta, who actually does love her, very happy.

When all is done, they head back to District 12, and Katniss lets slip along the way that her affection was always for the cameras. Though not the entire truth, she is torn between her old identity as a poor hunter, and the more complex one she shaped through the Games. Peeta is heartbroken, but understands they must maintain an image as they prepare to present themselves to their district.

The Hunger Games Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Hunger Games is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

In what ways does “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” explore themes of morality, manipulation and survival?

The novel explores the hollowness of ambition and the desire for power, as well as the moral conflict and internal conflict that the Hunger Games provoke. The story also delves into the complexity of human nature and he choices individuals make...

In The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes, was Lucy Gray Baird the one who came up with The Hanging Tree?

I believe so. Coriolanus Snow thought that the song was written for Billy Taupe, her ex-boyfriend who cheated on her with the Mayor's daughter but he realized that the song was written for him.

Katniss' father I believe told her the song but...

In the 4th HG book versus the 3rd or 2nd HG book, what did both Snow and Everdeen think The Hanging Tree was about?

Pages 485-487 in The Ballad of Songbirds And Snakes:

The Hanging Tree. Her old meeting spot with Billy Taupe. That's where she wanted him to meet her. Who did she mean? Billy Taupe telling her to come there so they'd be free? Her telling him ...

Study Guide for The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games study guide contains a biography of Suzanne Collins, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The Hunger Games
• Character List

Essays for The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

• The Danger of Ritual and Tradition in "The Hunger Games" and “The Lottery”
• Feminist Studies of Experience in The Hunger Games
• Defining and Defying Female Stereotypes: A Comparison of Charlotte Temple and Katniss Everdeen
• New Social Order
• Trust in the Hunger Games

Lesson Plan for The Hunger Games

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to The Hunger Games
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• The Hunger Games Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for The Hunger Games

• Introduction

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - review

In a place once known as North America, now known as Panem, is a very rich City surrounded by twelve Districts. Every year because this very rich City, known as The Capitol, is so rich and likes to think they control all the Districts - which they do - there is something known as The Hunger Games! This is where two children, one boy and one girl from each district from the ages of twelve to eighteen, have to leave their families and compete in The Hunger Games , a live event that is aired on TV's all over Panem. When Katniss Everdeen, aged sixteen from District 12, has to volunteer to take the place of her twelve-year-old sister Prim after Prim's name is called forth to become the 23rd member to compete in The 74th Hunger Games, she promises to Prim that she will win!

Katniss doesn't believe she's coming out alive - but she's not going down without a fight.

Because District 12 is so poor, Katniss has been close to death many times from starvation but she's made it through it. But this is a different kind of close to death; this Katniss doesn't know if she can survive.

She doesn't want to hurt, or kill anyone but when it comes down to it Katniss' instinct is to survive. But when she starts to have confusing feelings about the boy from her district who is also her fellow contender, things get worse, and then she teams up with the girl from District 11 and only one person can survive. But who will it be? Will her feelings get the better of her? Will she let someone else win so they don't have to die? If Katniss is going to win she's going to have to be brutal. She's going to have to kill!

This is the second time I have read The Hunger Games! And since reading it the first time round I've wanted to read it again! But I just have so many books I haven't read and it's hard to balance it right but finally I've decided to read them again! The Hunger Games was DEFINITELY the best series I read last year! I would really suggest reading it if you haven't yet! It's really different from lots of the other stuff I read. And it's a good book to take you somewhere else; I could really get into The Hunger Game and I've been able to get into it reading it the second time round. Although it is more difficult reading it the second time round because I have now seen the film and I imagined it completely differently to how they did it in the film - and I liked my version better. I'm going straight onto the next one, Catching Fire, as you can't resist reading them all as quickly as possible as soon as you've started!

The book was 100% better than the film. A good book to sit down with on a horrible rain day! It makes you happy to be alive and happy to know that you are not going to be entered in a competition where you are to fight to your death every year. But it's a great story! And a great idea for a story. It's one of the books I wish I had written myself! One of my favourite series of book ever! I highly suggest reading it, and hope Suzanne Collins goes on to write more teen fiction as The Hunger Games was so good! I would read anything by her without batting an eyelid! One of the best authors out there at the moment in my opinion! Good job Suzanne Collins!

I would rate it ten million stars... If I could but I can't, so I will rate a very well earned five stars!

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The Hunger Games

89 pages • 2 hours read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Chapters 1-5

Part 1, Chapters 6-9

Part 2, Chapters 10-14

Part 2, Chapters 15-18

Part 3, Chapters 19-23

Part 3, Chapters 24-27

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Discussion Questions

Summary and Study Guide

The Hunger Games is a best-selling young adult novel, the first in Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games trilogy. It details the life of teenage heroine Katniss Everdeen as she fights to the death for the entertainment of her fascist government. Since its publication in 2008, the trilogy has sold more than 65 million copies in the United States alone and, in 2019, was listed as one of 100 most influential novels by BBC News . The Hunger Games books were adapted into films starring Jennifer Lawrence. The film series is also highly acclaimed, resulting in 55 awards and 140 award nominations.

Plot Summary

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The story takes place in Panem, a postapocalyptic America divided into districts that are controlled by the Capitol. Protagonist and first-person narrator Katniss Everdeen is from District 12, which supplies the coal that powers the nation. The districts suffer from poverty and oppression made worse by the fact that every year, two “tributes” from each district must fight to the death in the Hunger Games. Those tributes are always children.

The book begins with Katniss and her younger sister Prim preparing for the reaping, the ceremony in which tributes are chosen. Katniss reflects on her role in her family. Her father died five years ago in an explosion at the coal mine. Since then, her mother has been despondent and neglectful. Katniss is a proficient hunter with a host of survival skills learned from her father and her friend Gale , which she uses to provide for her family.

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At the reaping, Peeta, a boy Katniss’s age, is selected. So is Prim. To save her sister, Katniss volunteers to take Prim’s place. After, Katniss remembers the first time she met Peeta. He gave her bread from his family’s bakery because she was starving and was punished for it. The two have barely interacted since, but Katniss hopes she won’t have to kill Peeta, as that would be a poor way to repay his kindness.

The tributes are taken to the Capitol, where they meet the other tributes; their trainer, Haymitch; and their team of stylists led by Cinna, who befriends Katniss. Haymitch promises Peeta and Katniss that he will stay sober during their games to try to get them sponsors, who can send life-saving supplies to the tributes. Thanks to Cinna’s styling efforts, Katniss and Peeta become stars in the Capitol. The tributes then go to the training center, where they are assigned odds of winning. Katniss impresses and frightens the Gamemakers by shooting an arrow into their midst. During a televised interview prior to the games, Peeta tells host Caesar Flickerman that he is in love with Katniss, entrancing the audience by spinning a tragic love story.

The games begin the next day. About half the tributes die trying to grab supplies from a large cornucopia at the arena’s center, but Katniss heads for the forest. She quickly learns that the Gamemakers can change the arena when they light a forest fire that chases her away from its rim. She camps in a tree to avoid a group of tributes who have allied and are hunting her. Katniss is shocked to discover Peeta among them. Another tribute hiding in a nearby tree—Rue, a girl near Prim’s age—helps Katniss escape by pointing out a tracker jacker nest (tracker jackers are stinging insects that cause hallucinations and large welts) in Katniss’s tree.

When Katniss saws off the tree branch with the nest, the group below scatters, and one among them dies from stings. Katniss takes the dead girl’s arrows to use with her bow. Stung three times herself, Katniss passes out from the venom. When she wakes, Rue has saved her with plants to draw the venom out. The pair form an alliance and devise a plan to attack the Careers, the group trying to hunt Katniss. The Careers are hording a food supply, and Katniss and Rue plan to destroy that too. Rue will set fires to lure the Careers away from their base, and Katniss will destroy their supply. When Katniss realizes they buried mines to protect the stash, she triggers one of the mines, successfully blowing up the supply. Although Katniss survives, Rue is attacked. Katniss tries to save her but arrives only in time for Rue to die in her arms. Reminded of her sister, Katniss buries Rue with flowers in defiance of the Capitol.

The rules then change: Two tributes will be permitted to win, so long as they’re from the same district. Katniss realizes she and Peeta can both live and goes to find him. He is injured, but she looks after him until he heals, with the help of medicine that Katniss nearly dies to obtain. She learns that Peeta was trying to throw off the Careers from hunting her, and the two play into a charade of romance to elicit more support from sponsors. Prior to the climax, they find toxic nightlock berries, which Katniss keeps.

The Gamemakers force Katniss and Peeta out of their cave toward the arena’s center. There they find Cato—one of the Careers and the only other surviving tribute—who is being chased by muttations, hideous hounds with the eyes of fallen tributes. After they defeat Cato, an announcement declares that only one tribute may survive. Katniss convinces Peeta that they should eat the nightlock berries and die together. Right before they are about to kill themselves, they are both proclaimed champions of the Hunger Games. They return to a life of plenty in District 12, but the danger is only just beginning. The Capitol now has a target on Katniss due to her rebellious actions, which sets the stage for the novel’s sequels, Catching Fire and Mockingjay .

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The hunger games, book 1, common sense media reviewers.

Exciting, provocative tale of lethal reality show.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Beginning with elements of the Theseus myth, where

Love of and loyalty to family, friends, and commun

Katniss is a strong and capable warrior who bravel

Katniss Everdeen, a teenage girl who's up against

For a story about 24 kids forced to kill each othe

Characters kiss and have crushes, and a love story

"Hell," plus descriptions of cursing that don't ap

No product placements in the book, but this is the

Adults drink, and one key character is often drunk

Parents need to know that The Hunger Games is a best-selling story about a dystopian society where the government forces 24 kids to kill one another until only one remains. The main Hunger Games series of three books was adapted into four movies starring Jennifer Lawrence. Even though many teen characters die…

Educational Value

Beginning with elements of the Theseus myth, where a leader demands sacrifice from young people in his country, author Collins highlights gaps between the wealthy and poor in a dystopian society with contemporary political and social trends set within a reality show competition. Great discussion starters for middle-school and up book groups, in which students will quickly make fruitful connections to our own society. Readers also learn a bit about how to survive in the wilderness.

Positive Messages

Love of and loyalty to family, friends, and community are powerful motivations. Compassion, humanity, bravery, and integrity are the seeds of rebellion and hope for oppressed people. This book shows the media at its manipulative worst, using contestants as pawns to both shock and entertain, and is a reminder to analyze messages critically.

Positive Role Models

Katniss is a strong and capable warrior who bravely takes the place of her younger sister in the deadly competition. Peeta is committed to keeping Katniss alive and risks death to stay true to himself. Both persevere through many dangers. Supporting characters such as Haymitch and Effie, while flawed in their own ways, are encouraging and caring mentors and help coach Katniss and Peeta through the games.

Diverse Representations

Katniss Everdeen, a teenage girl who's up against the crushing force of her government, is the heart and soul of the story. She isn't restrained by gender norms as she hunts and provides for her family back home, yet she's forced into a feminine stereotype in her love story with Peeta, her fellow tribute, as she struggles to survive the games. Most characters, especially the wealthy and privileged groups in each district, are implied to be White. But Katniss and others from District 12 are described with olive skin, dark hair, and gray eyes, and Rue and Thresh from District 11 are Black. Spoiler alert: Peeta's leg is amputated at the end of the story, and he learns to live with the disability.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

For a story about 24 kids forced to kill each other for entertainment, the gore level is lower and less bloody than expected -- but there is some. Teens are speared, shot with arrows, stabbed, mauled by wild animals, burned, and have their heads smashed and their necks broken. Injuries are realistic, including burn blistering, blood poisoning, and gangrene with plenty of pus. A boy's face is mauled to the point that Katniss describes it as a "hunk of meat where his mouth was," and someone twitches to death from bad insect stings. Mention that a leg had to be amputated. Talk of past games and what happened with the story of one boy trying to eat the bodies of those he killed. Also talk of the oppression experienced by those who don't live in the Capitol, with rampant starvation, tongues being cut out, public whippings for people trying to eat the food that they grow, and a boy getting shot for taking a pair of glasses. Many detailed descriptions of how Katniss' father died in a mining explosion and how her family almost starved afterward when her mom fell into a depressive state.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Characters kiss and have crushes, and a love story between two tributes is a central theme in this survival story. Mentions of bare bodies in the context of healing wounds.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

"Hell," plus descriptions of cursing that don't appear in text.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

No product placements in the book, but this is the story that spawned a multibillion dollar franchise of several movies with accompanying games, toys, and other merch in its marketing.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Adults drink, and one key character is often drunk (it's implied that he abuses alcohol to cope with trauma). A 16-year-old teen tries wine but doesn't like the fuzzy feeling it gives her and switches back to water.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Hunger Games is a best-selling story about a dystopian society where the government forces 24 kids to kill one another until only one remains. The main Hunger Games series of three books was adapted into four movies starring Jennifer Lawrence . Even though many teen characters die -- by spear, rock, arrow, knife, fire, animal stings, poisoning, and more -- there are few truly gory moments. Perhaps the worst is when a boy's face is mauled by animals to the point that main character Katniss says there's a "hunk of meat where his mouth was." There are stories about the daily hardships and violence experienced by everyone outside the privileged Capitol, including how Katniss' father died in a mining explosion. Adults drink, including one key adult character who's frequently drunk. Characters kiss and have crushes. Language includes "hell," and there are descriptions of cursing that don't appear in the text. Kids' readiness for this kind of premise depends on their ability to read for a deeper meaning, and there are many layers here to discuss, including how compassion, humanity, courage, and integrity are the seeds of rebellion and hope for oppressed people.

Where to Read

Community reviews.

• Parents say (239)
• Kids say (1217)

Based on 239 parent reviews

Desensitizes young readers to violence.

Important lessons, what's the story.

THE HUNGER GAMES is set in the future, after the United States is gone. In its place is Panem, in which the privileged Capitol rules over 12 districts. To maintain an iron grip, the Capitol holds an annual televised program, a lethal competition to which each district must send one boy and one girl, who are known as "tributes." Out of these 24 kids, only one will survive. Katniss Everdeen, who volunteers to take her sister's place, and Peeta Mellark are District 12's tributes, but their competition is complicated by the fact that Peeta falls in love with Katniss.

Is It Any Good?

Author Suzanne Collins blends elements that are both classical and modern to produce a story that, if not entirely new, still bears her unique imprint. Beginning with elements of the Theseus myth, she mixes in a large dollop of Battle Royale by Koushun Takami, elements of Shirley Jackson's The Lottery , reality TV shows like Survivor , and political and social trends. But she makes the resulting story her own, and The Hunger Games avoids feeling derivative through her poignant characters and the complex interplay of personal feelings and political machinations.

Collins does all this in the context of an all-out action-thriller that's told in straight-ahead yet subtle prose with a carefully calibrated level of edgy violence that doesn't go over the line. A story of teens massacring one another could, in the hands of a different author, have been overly sensational. But by keeping the focus relentlessly on the personal, Collins makes it both moving and thought-provoking. The Hunger Games will be a terrific discussion starter for middle-school literature groups, in which students will quickly make connections to contemporary society.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the popularity of The Hunger Games. Why has it struck such a chord with readers?

How is Katniss and Peeta's story manipulated by the Capitol media? How do they play along? Why is it sometimes essential for their survival? Are there any reality shows you watch that have moments that ring false to you? How can you tell?

Why are dystopian novels so popular? What are some of your favorites?

Describe scenes when Katniss, Peeta, and other characters model courage , compassion , and integrity . How do these character strengths inspire or give others hope in times of struggle or stress?

Katniss shows a remarkable amount of perseverance throughout the story. What helps her keep going? What and who helps you keep going when things are hard in your life?

Book Details

• Author : Suzanne Collins
• Genre : Science Fiction
• Topics : Activism , Magic and Fantasy , Sports and Martial Arts , Adventures , Brothers and Sisters , Friendship , Great Boy Role Models , Great Girl Role Models
• Character Strengths : Compassion , Courage , Integrity , Perseverance
• Book type : Fiction
• Publisher : Scholastic Inc.
• Publication date : September 14, 2008
• Publisher's recommended age(s) : 12 - 17
• Number of pages : 374
• Available on : Paperback, Nook, Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
• Award : Kids' Choice Award
• Last updated : May 6, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

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• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
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The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins:Text and analysis

Books and downloadable chapters, bloom's literature online, journal articles, journal articles - dystopian novels, online videos, related texts.

• Referencing

Bradfield links

• Google Classroom

Library links

• Library hours and contact details
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Education links

• NESA HSC English Syllabus This site includes past HSC exam papers, the subject syllabus and notes from the marking centre.

• Bloom's literature : Suzanne Collins The biographic entry for Suzanne Collins from the Encyclopedia of Fantasy and Horror Fiction. more... less... TAFE NSW username and password required
• Love Among the Ruins : How our awful future became the next big thing. By Lev Grossman. Time, 3/12/2012
• Dystopian novels : have you read one lately? Library Media Connection, Aug/Sep 2012
• Wikipedia : The Hunger Games A short summary of the books in The Hunger Games trilogy.
• The Hunger Games : Wikia A fan created community wiki site devoted to books and film adaptions of The Hunger Games trilogy. It includes sections on characters and plot.
• Cliff notes : The Hunger Games With sections on characters, chapter summaries and analysis, this site provides a useful overview of the novel.
• Time : PANEM's rebel : The star of the 74th annual Hunger Games A mock propaganda issue of Time Magazine promoting the 74th Hunger Games. It usefully demonstrates the manipulation of image and information in the world of Panem.
• The New York Times : Scary new world (book review). By John Green. 7/11/2008 A review of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and The dead and the gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer.
• The Artifice: The political message of The Hunger Games This article examines the political, social, cultural, and environmental messages contained in The Hunger Games.
• Revisiting Dystopia: the Reality Show Biopolitics of "The Hunger Games" (Academic article) This paper explores the dystopian imaginaries of the trilogy The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and its film adaptations. It places the narrative into a genealogy of dystopian fiction concerned with the historical nation-state totalitarianism.
• The Hunger Games: An ecocritical reading (Academic article) This academic paper argues The Hunger Games "Recognises that the degradation of non-human nature through human action" as a major theme. It suggests a deep reading of this multilayered text "can broaden as well as change perspectives and trigger engaged debate". The paper also covers the critical issues of "consumer manipulation, media and celebrity culture".
• “In hunger for bread, not in thirst for revenge”: Belly, bellum and rebellion in Coriolanus and The Hunger Games trilogy (Academic article). By Sara Soncini. Essays No. 15 05/2015 This article examines the link between Shakespeare’s Coriolanus and the shortage of food as ferment for rebellion in the districts of Panem.

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Add your guide, you are here:, the hunger games.

When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold. My fingers stretch out, seeking Prim’s warmth but finding only the rough canvas cover of the mattress. She must have had bad dreams and climbed in with our mother. Of course, she did. This is the day of the reaping.

I prop myself up on one elbow. There’s enough light in the bedroom to see them. My little sister, Prim, curled up on her side, cocooned in my mother’s body, their cheeks pressed together. In sleep, my mother looks younger, still worn but not so beaten-down. Prim’s face is as fresh as a raindrop, as lovely as the primrose for which she was named. My mother was very beautiful once, too. Or so they tell me.

Sitting at Prim’s knees, guarding her, is the world’s ugliest cat. Mashed-in nose, half of one ear missing, eyes the color of rotting squash. Prim named him Buttercup, insisting that his muddy yellow coat matched the bright flower. He hates me. Or at least distrusts me. Even though it was years ago, I think he still remembers how I tried to drown him in a bucket when Prim brought him home. Scrawny kitten, belly swollen with worms, crawling with fleas. The last thing I needed was another mouth to feed. But Prim begged so hard, cried even, I had to let him stay. It turned out okay. My mother got rid of the vermin and he’s a born mouser. Even catches the occasional rat. Sometimes, when I clean a kill, I feed Buttercup the entrails. He has stopped hissing at me.

Entrails. No hissing. This is the closest we will ever come to love.

I swing my legs off the bed and slide into my hunting boots. Supple leather that has molded to my feet. I pull on trousers, a shirt, tuck my long dark braid up into a cap, and grab my forage bag. On the table, under a wooden bowl to protect it from hungry rats and cats alike, sits a perfect little goat cheese wrapped in basil leaves. Prim’s gift to me on reaping day. I put the cheese carefully in my pocket as I slip outside.

Our part of District 12, nicknamed the Seam, is usually crawling with coal miners heading out to the morning shift at this hour. Men and women with hunched shoulders, swollen knuckles, many who have long since stopped trying to scrub the coal dust out of their broken nails, the lines of their sunken faces. But today the black cinder streets are empty. Shutters on the squat gray houses are closed. The reaping isn’t until two. May as well sleep in. If you can.

Our house is almost at the edge of the Seam. I only have to pass a few gates to reach the scruffy field called the Meadow. Separating the Meadow from the woods, in fact enclosing all of District 12, is a high chain-link fence topped with barbed-wire loops. In theory, it’s supposed to be electrified twenty-four hours a day as a deterrent to the predators that live in the woods — packs of wild dogs, lone cougars, bears — that used to threaten our streets. But since we’re lucky to get two or three hours of electricity in the evenings, it’s usually safe to touch. Even so, I always take a moment to listen carefully for the hum that means the fence is live. Right now, it’s silent as a stone. Concealed by a clump of bushes, I flatten out on my belly and slide under a two-foot stretch that’s been loose for years. There are several other weak spots in the fence, but this one is so close to home I almost always enter the woods here.

As soon as I’m in the trees, I retrieve a bow and sheath of arrows from a hollow log. Electrified or not, the fence has been successful at keeping the flesh-eaters out of District 12. Inside the woods they roam freely, and there are added concerns like venomous snakes, rabid animals, and no real paths to follow. But there’s also food if you know how to find it. My father knew and he taught me some before he was blown to bits in a mine explosion. There was nothing even to bury. I was eleven then. Five years later, I still wake up screaming for him to run.

Even though trespassing in the woods is illegal and poaching carries the severest of penalties, more people would risk it if they had weapons. But most are not bold enough to venture out with just a knife. My bow is a rarity, crafted by my father along with a few others that I keep well hidden in the woods, carefully wrapped in waterproof covers. My father could have made good money selling them, but if the officials found out he would have been publicly executed for inciting a rebellion. Most of the Peacekeepers turn a blind eye to the few of us who hunt because they’re as hungry for fresh meat as anybody is. In fact, they’re among our best customers. But the idea that someone might be arming the Seam would never have been allowed.

In the fall, a few brave souls sneak into the woods to harvest apples. But always in sight of the Meadow. Always close enough to run back to the safety of District 12 if trouble arises. “District Twelve. Where you can starve to death in safety,” I mutter. Then I glance quickly over my shoulder. Even here, even in the middle of nowhere, you worry someone might overhear you.

When I was younger, I scared my mother to death, the things I would blurt out about District 12, about the people who rule our country, Panem, from the far-off city called the Capitol. Eventually I understood this would only lead us to more trouble. So I learned to hold my tongue and to turn my features into an indifferent mask so that no one could ever read my thoughts. Do my work quietly in school. Make only polite small talk in the public market. Discuss little more than trades in the Hob, which is the black market where I make most of my money. Even at home, where I am less pleasant, I avoid discussing tricky topics. Like the reaping, or food shortages, or the Hunger Games. Prim might begin to repeat my words and then where would we be?

In the woods waits the only person with whom I can be myself. Gale. I can feel the muscles in my face relaxing, my pace quickening as I climb the hills to our place, a rock ledge overlooking a valley. A thicket of berry bushes protects it from unwanted eyes. The sight of him waiting there brings on a smile. Gale says I never smile except in the woods.

“Hey, Catnip,” says Gale. My real name is Katniss, but when I first told him, I had barely whispered it. So he thought I’d said Catnip. Then when this crazy lynx started following me around the woods looking for handouts, it became his official nickname for me. I finally had to kill the lynx because he scared off game. I almost regretted it because he wasn’t bad company. But I got a decent price for his pelt.

“Look what I shot,” Gale holds up a loaf of bread with an arrow stuck in it, and I laugh. It’s real bakery bread, not the flat, dense loaves we make from our grain rations. I take it in my hands, pull out the arrow, and hold the puncture in the crust to my nose, inhaling the fragrance that makes my mouth flood with saliva. Fine bread like this is for special occasions.

“Mm, still warm,” I say. He must have been at the bakery at the crack of dawn to trade for it. “What did it cost you?”

“Just a squirrel. Think the old man was feeling sentimental this morning,” says Gale. “Even wished me luck.”

“Well, we all feel a little closer today, don’t we?” I say, not even bothering to roll my eyes. “Prim left us a cheese.” I pull it out.

His expression brightens at the treat. “Thank you, Prim. We’ll have a real feast.” Suddenly he falls into a Capitol accent as he mimics Effie Trinket, the maniacally upbeat woman who arrives once a year to read out the names at the reaping. “I almost forgot! Happy Hunger Games!” He plucks a few blackberries from the bushes around us. “And may the odds —” He tosses a berry in a high arc toward me.

I catch it in my mouth and break the delicate skin with my teeth. The sweet tartness explodes across my tongue. “— be  ever  in your favor!” I finish with equal verve. We have to joke about it because the alternative is to be scared out of your wits. Besides, the Capitol accent is so affected, almost anything sounds funny in it.

I watch as Gale pulls out his knife and slices the bread. He could be my brother. Straight black hair, olive skin, we even have the same gray eyes. But we’re not related, at least not closely. Most of the families who work the mines resemble one another this way.

That’s why my mother and Prim, with their light hair and blue eyes, always look out of place. They are. My mother’s parents were part of the small merchant class that caters to officials, Peacekeepers, and the occasional Seam customer. They ran an apothecary shop in the nicer part of District 12. Since almost no one can afford doctors, apothecaries are our healers. My father got to know my mother because on his hunts he would sometimes collect medicinal herbs and sell them to her shop to be brewed into remedies. She must have really loved him to leave her home for the Seam. I try to remember that when all I can see is the woman who sat by, blank and unreachable, while her children turned to skin and bones. I try to forgive her for my father’s sake. But to be honest, I’m not the forgiving type.

Gale spreads the bread slices with the soft goat cheese, carefully placing a basil leaf on each while I strip the bushes of their berries. We settle back in a nook in the rocks. From this place, we are invisible but have a clear view of the valley, which is teeming with summer life, greens to gather, roots to dig, fish iridescent in the sunlight. The day is glorious, with a blue sky and soft breeze. The food’s wonderful, with the cheese seeping into the warm bread and the berries bursting in our mouths. Everything would be perfect if this really was a holiday, if all the day off meant was roaming the mountains with Gale, hunting for tonight’s supper. But instead we have to be standing in the square at two o’clock waiting for the names to be called out.

“We could do it, you know,” Gale says quietly.

“What?” I ask.

“Leave the district. Run off. Live in the woods. You and I, we could make it,” says Gale.

I don’t know how to respond. The idea is so preposterous.

“If we didn’t have so many kids,” he adds quickly.

They’re not our kids, of course. But they might as well be. Gale’s two little brothers and a sister. Prim. And you may as well throw in our mothers, too, because how would they live without us? Who would fill those mouths that are always asking for more? With both of us hunting daily, there are still nights when game has to be swapped for lard or shoelaces or wool, still nights when we go to bed with our stomachs growling.

“I never want to have kids,” I say.

“I might. If I didn’t live here,” says Gale.

“But you do,” I say, irritated.

“Forget it,” he snaps back.

The conversation feels all wrong. Leave? How could I leave Prim, who is the only person in the world I’m certain I love? And Gale is devoted to his family. We can’t leave, so why bother talking about it? And even if we did . . . even if we did . . . where did this stuff about having kids come from? There’s never been anything romantic between Gale and me. When we met, I was a skinny twelve-year-old, and although he was only two years older, he already looked like a man. It took a long time for us to even become friends, to stop haggling over every trade and begin helping each other out.

Besides, if he wants kids, Gale won’t have any trouble finding a wife. He’s good-looking, he’s strong enough to handle the work in the mines, and he can hunt. You can tell by the way the girls whisper about him when he walks by in school that they want him. It makes me jealous but not for the reason people would think. Good hunting partners are hard to find.

“What do you want to do?” I ask. We can hunt, fish, or gather.

“Let’s fish at the lake. We can leave our poles and gather in the woods. Get something nice for tonight,” he says.

Tonight. After the reaping, everyone is supposed to celebrate. And a lot of people do, out of relief that their children have been spared for another year. But at least two families will pull their shutters, lock their doors, and try to figure out how they will survive the painful weeks to come.

We make out well. The predators ignore us on a day when easier, tastier prey abounds. By late morning, we have a dozen fish, a bag of greens and, best of all, a gallon of strawberries. I found the patch a few years ago, but Gale had the idea to string mesh nets around it to keep out the animals.

On the way home, we swing by the Hob, the black market that operates in an abandoned warehouse that once held coal. When they came up with a more efficient system that transported the coal directly from the mines to the trains, the Hob gradually took over the space. Most businesses are closed by this time on reaping day, but the black market’s still fairly busy. We easily trade six of the fish for good bread, the other two for salt. Greasy Sae, the bony old woman who sells bowls of hot soup from a large kettle, takes half the greens off our hands in exchange for a couple of chunks of paraffin. We might do a tad better elsewhere, but we make an effort to keep on good terms with Greasy Sae. She’s the only one who can consistently be counted on to buy wild dog. We don’t hunt them on purpose, but if you’re attacked and you take out a dog or two, well, meat is meat. “Once it’s in the soup, I’ll call it beef,” Greasy Sae says with a wink. No one in the Seam would turn up their nose at a good leg of wild dog, but the Peacekeepers who come to the Hob can afford to be a little choosier.

When we finish our business at the market, we go to the back door of the mayor’s house to sell half the strawberries, knowing he has a particular fondness for them and can afford our price. The mayor’s daughter, Madge, opens the door. She’s in my year at school. Being the mayor’s daughter, you’d expect her to be a snob, but she’s all right. She just keeps to herself. Like me. Since neither of us really has a group of friends, we seem to end up together a lot at school. Eating lunch, sitting next to each other at assemblies, partnering for sports activities. We rarely talk, which suits us both just fine.

Today her drab school outfit has been replaced by an expensive white dress, and her blonde hair is done up with a pink ribbon. Reaping clothes.

“Pretty dress,” says Gale.

Madge shoots him a look, trying to see if it’s a genuine compliment or if he’s just being ironic. It  is  a pretty dress, but she would never be wearing it ordinarily. She presses her lips together and then smiles. “Well, if I end up going to the Capitol, I want to look nice, don’t I?”

Now it’s Gale’s turn to be confused. Does she mean it? Or is she messing with him? I’m guessing the second.

“You won’t be going to the Capitol,” says Gale coolly. His eyes land on a small, circular pin that adorns her dress. Real gold. Beautifully crafted. It could keep a family in bread for months. “What can you have? Five entries? I had six when I was just twelve years old.”

“That’s not her fault,” I say.

“No, it’s no one’s fault. Just the way it is,” says Gale.

Madge’s face has become closed off. She puts the money for the berries in my hand. “Good luck, Katniss.”

“You, too,” I say, and the door closes.

We walk toward the Seam in silence. I don’t like that Gale took a dig at Madge, but he’s right, of course. The reaping system is unfair, with the poor getting the worst of it. You become eligible for the reaping the day you turn twelve. That year, your name is entered once. At thirteen, twice. And so on and so on until you reach the age of eighteen, the final year of eligibility, when your name goes into the pool seven times. That’s true for every citizen in all twelve districts in the entire country of Panem. 

But here’s the catch. Say you are poor and starving as we were. You can opt to add your name more times in exchange for tesserae. Each tessera is worth a meager year’s supply of grain and oil for one person. You may do this for each of your family members as well. So, at the age of twelve, I had my name entered four times. Once, because I had to, and three times for tesserae for grain and oil for myself, Prim, and my mother. In fact, every year I have needed to do this. And the entries are cumulative. So now, at the age of sixteen, my name will be in the reaping twenty times. Gale, who is eighteen and has been either helping or single-handedly feeding a family of five for seven years, will have his name in forty-two times.

You can see why someone like Madge, who has never been at risk of needing a tessera, can set him off. The chance of her name being drawn is very slim compared to those of us who live in the Seam. Not impossible, but slim. And even though the rules were set up by the Capitol, not the districts, certainly not Madge’s family, it’s hard not to resent those who don’t have to sign up for tesserae.

Gale knows his anger at Madge is misdirected. On other days, deep in the woods, I’ve listened to him rant about how the tesserae are just another tool to cause misery in our district. A way to plant hatred between the starving workers of the Seam and those who can generally count on supper and thereby ensure we will never trust one another. “It’s to the Capitol’s advantage to have us divided among ourselves,” he might say if there were no ears to hear but mine. If it wasn’t reaping day. If a girl with a gold pin and no tesserae had not made what I’m sure she thought was a harmless comment.

As we walk, I glance over at Gale’s face, still smoldering underneath his stony expression. His rages seem pointless to me, although I never say so. It’s not that I don’t agree with him. I do. But what good is yelling about the Capitol in the middle of the woods? It doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t make things fair. It doesn’t fill our stomachs. In fact, it scares off the nearby game. I let him yell though. Better he does it in the woods than in the district.

Gale and I divide our spoils, leaving two fish, a couple of loaves of good bread, greens, a quart of strawberries, salt, paraffin, and a bit of money for each.

“See you in the square,” I say.

“Wear something pretty,” he says flatly.

At home, I find my mother and sister are ready to go. My mother wears a fine dress from her apothecary days. Prim is in my first reaping outfit, a skirt and ruffled blouse. It’s a bit big on her, but my mother has made it stay with pins. Even so, she’s having trouble keeping the blouse tucked in at the back.

A tub of warm water waits for me. I scrub off the dirt and sweat from the woods and even wash my hair. To my surprise, my mother has laid out one of her own lovely dresses for me. A soft blue thing with matching shoes.

“Are you sure?” I ask. I’m trying to get past rejecting offers of help from her. For a while, I was so angry, I wouldn’t allow her to do anything for me. And this is something special. Her clothes from her past are very precious to her.

“Of course. Let’s put your hair up, too,” she says. I let her towel-dry it and braid it up on my head. I can hardly recognize myself in the cracked mirror that leans against the wall.

“You look beautiful,” says Prim in a hushed voice.

“And nothing like myself,” I say. I hug her, because I know these next few hours will be terrible for her. Her first reaping. She’s about as safe as you can get, since she’s only entered once. I wouldn’t let her take out any tesserae. But she’s worried about me. That the unthinkable might happen.

I protect Prim in every way I can, but I’m powerless against the reaping. The anguish I always feel when she’s in pain wells up in my chest and threatens to register on my face. I notice her blouse has pulled out of her skirt in the back again and force myself to stay calm. “Tuck your tail in, little duck,” I say, smoothing the blouse back in place.

Prim giggles and gives me a small “Quack.”

“Quack yourself,” I say with a light laugh. The kind only Prim can draw out of me. “Come on, let’s eat,” I say and plant a quick kiss on the top of her head.

The fish and greens are already cooking in a stew, but that will be for supper. We decide to save the strawberries and bakery bread for this evening’s meal, to make it special we say. Instead we drink milk from Prim’s goat, Lady, and eat the rough bread made from the tessera grain, although no one has much appetite anyway.

At one o’clock, we head for the square. Attendance is mandatory unless you are on death’s door. This evening, officials will come around and check to see if this is the case. If not, you’ll be imprisoned.

It’s too bad, really, that they hold the reaping in the square — one of the few places in District 12 that can be pleasant. The square’s surrounded by shops, and on public market days, especially if there’s good weather, it has a holiday feel to it. But today, despite the bright banners hanging on the buildings, there’s an air of grimness. The camera crews, perched like buzzards on rooftops, only add to the effect.

People file in silently and sign in. The reaping is a good opportunity for the Capitol to keep tabs on the population as well. Twelve- through eighteen-year-olds are herded into roped areas marked off by ages, the oldest in the front, the young ones, like Prim, toward the back. Family members line up around the perimeter, holding tightly to one another’s hands. But there are others, too, who have no one they love at stake, or who no longer care, who slip among the crowd, taking bets on the two kids whose names will be drawn. Odds are given on their ages, whether they’re Seam or merchant, if they will break down and weep. Most refuse dealing with the racketeers but carefully, carefully. These same people tend to be informers, and who hasn’t broken the law? I could be shot on a daily basis for hunting, but the appetites of those in charge protect me. Not everyone can claim the same.

Anyway, Gale and I agree that if we have to choose between dying of hunger and a bullet in the head, the bullet would be much quicker.

The space gets tighter, more claustrophobic as people arrive. The square’s quite large, but not enough to hold District 12’s population of about eight thousand. Latecomers are directed to the adjacent streets, where they can watch the event on screens as it’s televised live by the state.

I find myself standing in a clump of sixteens from the Seam. We all exchange terse nods then focus our attention on the temporary stage that is set up before the Justice Building. It holds three chairs, a podium, and two large glass balls, one for the boys and one for the girls. I stare at the paper slips in the girls’ ball. Twenty of them have Katniss Everdeen written on them in careful handwriting.

Two of the three chairs fill with Madge’s father, Mayor Undersee, who’s a tall, balding man, and Effie Trinket, District 12’s escort, fresh from the Capitol with her scary white grin, pinkish hair, and spring green suit. They murmur to each other and then look with concern at the empty seat.

Just as the town clock strikes two, the mayor steps up to the podium and begins to read. It’s the same story every year. He tells of the history of Panem, the country that rose up out of the ashes of a place that was once called North America. He lists the disasters, the droughts, the storms, the fires, the encroaching seas that swallowed up so much of the land, the brutal war for what little sustenance remained. The result was Panem, a shining Capitol ringed by thirteen districts, which brought peace and prosperity to its citizens. Then came the Dark Days, the uprising of the districts against the Capitol. Twelve were defeated, the thirteenth obliterated. The Treaty of Treason gave us the new laws to guarantee peace and, as our yearly reminder that the Dark Days must never be repeated, it gave us the Hunger Games.

The rules of the Hunger Games are simple. In punishment for the uprising, each of the twelve districts must provide one girl and one boy, called tributes, to participate. The twenty-four tributes will be imprisoned in a vast outdoor arena that could hold anything from a burning desert to a frozen wasteland. Over a period of several weeks, the competitors must fight to the death. The last tribute standing wins.

Taking the kids from our districts, forcing them to kill one another while we watch — this is the Capitol’s way of reminding us how totally we are at their mercy. How little chance we would stand of surviving another rebellion. Whatever words they use, the real message is clear. “Look how we take your children and sacrifice them and there’s nothing you can do. If you lift a finger, we will destroy every last one of you. Just as we did in District Thirteen.”

To make it humiliating as well as torturous, the Capitol requires us to treat the Hunger Games as a festivity, a sporting event pitting every district against the others. The last tribute alive receives a life of ease back home, and their district will be showered with prizes, largely consisting of food. All year, the Capitol will show the winning district gifts of grain and oil and even delicacies like sugar while the rest of us battle starvation.

“It is both a time for repentance and a time for thanks,” intones the mayor.

Then he reads the list of past District 12 victors. In seventy-four years, we have had exactly two. Only one is still alive. Haymitch Abernathy, a paunchy, middle-aged man, who at this moment appears hollering something unintelligible, staggers onto the stage, and falls into the third chair. He’s drunk. Very. The crowd responds with its token applause, but he’s confused and tries to give Effie Trinket a big hug, which she barely manages to fend off.

The mayor looks distressed. Since all of this is being televised, right now District 12 is the laughingstock of Panem, and he knows it. He quickly tries to pull the attention back to the reaping by introducing Effie Trinket.

Bright and bubbly as ever, Effie Trinket trots to the podium and gives her signature, “Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever  in your favor!” Her pink hair must be a wig because her curls have shifted slightly offcenter since her encounter with Haymitch. She goes on a bit about what an honor it is to be here, although everyone knows she’s just aching to get bumped up to a better district where they have proper victors, not drunks who molest you in front of the entire nation.

Through the crowd, I spot Gale looking back at me with a ghost of a smile. As reapings go, this one at least has a slight entertainment factor. But suddenly I am thinking of Gale and his forty-two names in that big glass ball and how the odds are not in his favor. Not compared to a lot of the boys. And maybe he’s thinking the same thing about me because his face darkens and he turns away. “But there are still thousands of slips,” I wish I could whisper to him.

It’s time for the drawing. Effie Trinket says as she always does, “Ladies first!” and crosses to the glass ball with the girls’ names. She reaches in, digs her hand deep into the ball, and pulls out a slip of paper. The crowd draws in a collective breath and then you can hear a pin drop, and I’m feeling nauseous and so desperately hoping that it’s not me, that it’s not me, that it’s not me.

Effie Trinket crosses back to the podium, smoothes the slip of paper, and reads out the name in a clear voice. And it’s not me. 

Excerpted from THE HUNGER GAMES © Copyright 2011 by Suzanne Collins. Reprinted with permission by Scholastic Press. All rights reserved.

The Hunger Games by by Suzanne Collins

• Genres: Fantasy , Science Fiction , Young Adult 13+
• paperback: 440 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
• ISBN-10: 1338321919
• ISBN-13: 9781338321913
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Book Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games #1)

Author: Suzanne Collins

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian Science Fiction

First Publication: 2008

Language:  English

Major Characters: Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark, Cato, Primrose Everdeen, Gale Hawthorne, Effie Trinket, Haymitch Abernathy, Cinna, President Coriolanus Snow, Rue, Flavius, Lavinia, Marvel, Glimmer, Clove, Foxface, Thresh, Greasy Sae, Madge Undersee, Caesar Flickerman, Claudius Templesmith, Octavia, Portia

Theme: Division and Control; Love, Loyalty, and Compassion; Societal Inequality; Appearances, Hypocrisy

Setting: Fictional District 12, Panem; Capitol, Panem(United States)

Narrator: First person, Katniss’s perspective

Book Summary: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games #1)

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and once girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weight survival against humanity and life against love.

The Hunger Games is a 2008 dystopian novel by the American writer Suzanne Collins. It is written in the voice of 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in the future, post-apocalyptic nation of Panem in North America.

The Capitol, a highly advanced metropolis, exercises political control over the rest of the nation. The Hunger Games is an annual event in which one boy and one girl aged 12–18 from each of the twelve districts surrounding the Capitol are selected by lottery to compete in a televised battle to the death.

“You don’t forget the face of the person who was your last hope.”

Written along the lines of Stephen King’s The Long Walk or George Orwell’s 1984 , The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins still feels very original and sucked me in completely with its modern day Survivor-esque retelling. The Hunger Games is the ultimate in reality TV, suspense, scripted realism, romance and survival that you should not miss.

Set in a post apocalyptic future (although we frustratingly never learn the why’s, how’s or even when of this future.), this new communist-type America known as Panem has been divided into a Capital and its 12 districts. We follow 16 year old Katniss as she struggles to keep her starving family alive, hunting and gathering with her best friend Gale. Unbeknownst to her these are valuable skills as the annual hunger games are about to begin.

“I am not pretty. I am not beautiful. I am as radiant as the sun.”

Each year these games require two children from each district who are chosen based on a lottery system for compulsory participation. These televised games are then broadcast throughout Panem as the 24 contestants fight each other to the death, leaving just one victor at its violent conclusion. When Katniss’s younger sister is chosen as the female contestant from their district Katniss volunteers to take her place. Then together with Peeta the other lottery winner they travel to the Capital and begin preparations for the opening ceremonies and ultimately their death in The Hunger Games.

“Destroying things is much easier than making them.”

I have to admit the first part of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins dragged for me, as Katniss is groomed, clothed, and schooled by her entourage within the capital. However, by the point games begin in the story, you have become attached to several key characters and its then that you realize things can’t end well as there will be only one winner.

Over a period of about 2 weeks and against overwhelming odds we watch 24 victims dwindle as they struggle to survive. Simultaneously avoiding and hunting each other they form alliances, face hunger and mind numbing thirst, mutant animal attacks, friendship, love and ultimately a distrust of everyone as Big Brother raises the stakes to keep the audience interested.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is an exciting book that will keep you up late into the night and resonate with you long after you’ve finished.

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The Hunger Games: book review (B2)

Is this exciting fantasy-thriller the new Twilight ?

Instructions

Do the preparation exercise first and then read the article. If you find it too difficult, try one of the lower levels. After reading, do the exercises to check your understanding.

Preparation

A literary phenomenon.

The Hunger Games is a hugely successful book for teenagers and young adults by the American author Suzanne Collins. Since it was published in 2008 it has been translated into 26 different languages and has sold millions of copies around the world. It is also the first book for young readers to sell more than a million electronic copies. The Hunger Games is now a major Hollywood film and is just as successful. It made 152.5 million dollars in its opening weekend in North America alone!

A fight to the death

The story takes place in the future, after the destruction of North America. The country is called Panem and is made up of twelve poor districts governed by the wealthy Capitol. The Capitol holds absolute power over the nation. Each district is responsible for producing different things for the Capitol. District 12, where the story begins, provides all the coal for the country. There used to be a thirteenth district but they rebelled against the Capitol in the past and were destroyed.

The Hunger Games are an annual event, which the Capitol uses to remind the districts that they are being punished for rebelling. Every year one boy and one girl aged 12 to 18 are chosen from each district by lottery to compete in a battle in which only one person can survive. The chosen teenagers are called “tributes”. The whole nation is forced to watch the event on television.

The heroine of the story, a sixteen year old girl called Katniss Everdeen, has lost her father in a mining accident and has to provide food for her family. She hunts in the woods around District 12 with her friend Gale and becomes very skilful with a bow and arrow. When her younger sister, Prim, is chosen as one of the tributes, Katniss volunteers to go instead. The other tribute from District 12 is a boy named Peeta and Katniss soon finds herself in a complicated relationship with him.

Where did the idea for The Hunger Games come from?

One night in 2003, Suzanne Collins was flipping between channels on TV. It was at the time of the US invasion of Iraq. The only programmes she could find on TV were ‘reality’ programmes of young people competing to win a million dollars and news programmes about the war. Suzanne says that the two things start to merge together in a disturbing way and the idea for The Hunger Games came to her.

She has always found news programmes of wars upsetting. When she was a child, her father was a pilot in the US Air Force and he fought in Vietnam. Her mother tried to protect her by not telling her what was happening in the war, but she still saw news programmes about the war and knew that her dad was there. It was a very frightening experience for her.

Another important inspiration for the book comes from Suzanne’s love of classical Greek mythology. When she was a child, one of her favourite stories was Theseus and the Minotaur. In this story the city of Athens is ruled by Crete, but the Athenians rebel. As a punishment, Minos the king of Crete forces the Athenians to send seven boys and seven girls to Crete every year. The youths are thrown into the labyrinth and eaten by a monster that lives there called the Minotaur. But one of the youths, named Theseus, fights the Minotaur and kills it. Suzanne sees Katniss Everdeen as a futuristic Theseus. Another classical inspiration comes from the ancient Roman games, where gladiators have to fight to the death for people’s entertainment.

Too much violence?

As The Hunger Games has grown in popularity, some parents in the US have complained about the level of violence in the book and are concerned that it shows children killing each other. However, Suzanne says she was becoming more and more worried about how normal it is becoming to see violence on TV. She wanted to show people where this could lead in the future. Suzanne is also concerned about the amount of reality TV we watch nowadays. “We’re putting too much of our lives on TV,” she says. “And we’re so bombarded with imagery that we’re becoming desensitised to it. It’s OK to be desensitised to a sitcom, but when it’s real tragedy, that’s different. It’s real life and it’s not going to go away when the commercials come on.” She found the deaths and violence between young people in the story the hardest things to write and she hopes it will make people think about what they watch in future.

Books or films?

Suzanne isn’t just concerned about what we watch. She’s also very passionate about what we read. In this age of video games and texting, she thinks it’s even more important for young people to keep reading books. “Reading exposes you to so many different people, places and times,” she says. “But more importantly, it’s an intimate and personal experience. No one else is interpreting the material for you and it’s an opportunity for your mind to meet the writer's mind.”

Brendan Dunne

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Themes and Analysis

The hunger games, by suzanne collins.

As a post-apocalyptic dystopian novel, 'The Hunger Games' captures several intriguing themes including oppression and societal inequality.

Article written by Neesha Thunga K

B.A. in English Literature, and M.A. in English Language and Literature.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins has risen in popularity ever since its release in 2008. Part of the reason for its fame is the riveting themes that it captures, all of which are central to the post-apocalyptic and dystopian nature of the novel. Some of the themes that can be gleaned from the novel include the theme of oppression, inequality, appearances, celebrity culture, as well as violence.

The Hunger Games Themes

Oppression and inequality.

The authorities in the Capitol maintain their positions of power through wealth, fear, and rivalry. All districts in the totalitarian nation of Panem are kept under varying degrees of poverty and are routinely pitted against each other in the form of the Hunger Games. The wealthier districts have a distinct advantage over the poorer ones in the Games. For instance, the tributes from Districts 1, 2, and 4 make it their mission to train specifically for the Games – and are even known as “ Career tributes .”

The status quo is maintained by “Peacemakers,” who, hypocritically, ensure that the control remains in the hands of the capital by any means necessary, including violence. Those who rebel are either obliterated or silenced to become Avox , i.e., people who have had their tongues cut off and are now acting as servants at the Capitol .

The censorship of the media is another way to maintain control. The districts are not allowed to contact one another, and they have no access to information other than what is provided to them by the authorities. 

Appearances and Celebrity Culture

Appearances are extremely important in Panem. Those who live at the Capitol show off their wealth and power through their appearances. They wear gaudy clothes, ostentatious accessories, and bright colors to demonstrate their money, power, and influence at the Capitol.

Appearances are vital in the Hunger Games. To gain sponsors for life-saving gifts during the Games, each tribute must make himself/herself appealing to the public. Thus, the tributes are all provided with a bevy of stylists and advisors who dress them up in fashionable costumes and teach them the ways of the wealthy. The better the appearances of the tribute, the larger the chances of sponsors. This is similar to celebrity culture in real life – who need to keep up appearances for the sake of lucrative deals and sponsors. 

Katniss understands the importance of appearances and decides to play the part of a star-crossed lover for the cameras. Peeta complies, having always been perceptive about the significance of appearances and making lasting impressions. Although Peeta genuinely harbored feelings for Katniss, he decides to reveal his feelings at a strategic moment – only to gain sympathy and affection from the public.

Violence 

Violence is a recurring theme in The Hunger Games . The authorities of the Capitol are not averse to using violence to maintain the illusion of “peace” in the nation. The Peacemakers routinely punish those who rebel and do not hesitate to exert their power over the people from the 12 districts.

Moreover, the very notion of the Hunger Games is violent. Children are dehumanized from an extremely young age – and are taught to maim and kill other children to survive.

Analysis of Key Moments in The Hunger Games

• Katniss’s sister, Primrose Everdeen is picked as the female tribute from District 12 for the Hunger Games. 
• Katniss volunteers herself instead and is joined by the male tribute, Peeta Mellark as they head to the Capitol.
• Katniss and Peeta convince their drunk mentor , Haymitch Abernathy , to take his duties seriously.
• The duo wins the affections of the public during the opening ceremony, with the help of the flaming costumes designed by Cinna .
• Peeta reveals that he is in love with Katniss during the pre-Games interview.
• The Games begin, and Katniss flees the Cornucopia . She finds out that Peeta has teamed up with the “Career” tributes.
• An artificial fire is created to push Katniss towards the Careers. She hides from them in a tree.
• Katniss and Rue drop a nest of tracker jackers to escape from the Careers. Peeta comes back to help Katniss escape.
• Katniss and Rue blow up the supplies of the Career tributes. Rue is killed by another tribute.
• A rule change is announced, allowing two tributes from the same district to emerge as victors . Katniss and Peeta team up.
• The duo becomes romantically attached, and emerge as the two remaining survivors.
• Another rule change is announced, stating that there can only be one victor for the Games.
• Katniss and Peeta decide to kill themselves together when the Games are hurriedly ended and they both emerge victorious.
• Katniss recuperates for days at the Training Centre, after which she is informed by Haymitch that she’s in danger for her acts of rebellion.

Writing Style and Tone

The writing style employed by the author is simple and precise – easy for young adults to comprehend. The tone is blunt, dark, and often horrifying, reflecting the seriousness of the novel. The novel is written from the point of view of the heroine, Katniss Everdeen , who acts as an unreliable narrator.

I can’t win. Prim must know that in her heart. The competition will be far beyond my abilities. Kids from wealthier districts, where winning is a huge honor, who’ve been trained their whole lives for this.

Symbols, Motifs, and Allegory

Families are given tesserae (food rations) each year by the Capitol. This is one of the most important ways in which the Capitol maintains control over the districts. Families are also given extra tesserae for entering the names of their children more than once in the annual reaping for the Hunger Games – an act that increases their chances of being picked for the Hunger Games.

The Mockingjay Pin

The Mockingjay Pin symbolizes Katniss’s individuality and free spirit. The pin captures the Mockingjay bird, i.e., a hybrid between a Jabberjay (a bird that was genetically modified to act as spies for the government) and a Mockingbird. The symbol of the Mockingjay is used to represent rebellion and assertion of identity by several people, including Katniss, Madge, and Rue.

Entertainment and Reality Television

The novel showcases an extremely twisted form of mass entertainment – which comes in the form of suffering. Parallels can be drawn to the reality television of this world, where people are pitted against each other for the entertainment of viewers. Just like the people in reality television are required to appeal to the public to gain votes, the tributes in the Hunger Games are also required to appeal to gain sponsors. 

This kind of entertainment is voyeuristic, and the people from the Capitol revel in the violent nature of the Games. It is highly sadistic, and it does not matter whether the suffering is physical or psychological. For instance, there is a huge fascination behind the romance between Katniss and Peeta. The main appeal for this romance is the fact that it is doomed no matter what, because of the tragic ending that awaits the lovers.

The Hunger Games also resembles reality television in the fact that it is widely televised and constantly talked about in the media at Panem. It objectifies the tributes much like reality television objectifies contestants. 

Is rebellion a theme in The Hunger Games ?

Yes, rebellion is a theme in The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. There are several instances in the novel when Katniss, and sometimes even Peeta, rebel against the oppressive Capitol. However, this theme is not as prevalent in the first novel as it is in the next two novels in the trilogy, Catching Fire and Mockingjay .

What skill is Gale better at than Katniss?

Gale and Katniss are both highly skilled at survival. While Katniss is exceptionally skilled with a bow and arrow (routinely using it for hunting and killing animals), Gale is better at setting snares for prey.

How is Katniss a rebel?

Katniss’s rebellion starts from the very beginning when she volunteers herself as a tribute in the Hunger Games. Instead of willingly going through every oppressive act that the capital makes her do, she defies the authorities and rebels whenever she can. Her ultimate act of rebellion, however, is seen at the end of the novel when she decides to poison herself along with Peeta – to leave the Games without a victor.

What is Katniss’s sister’s full name?

Katniss’s sister’s full name in The Hunger Games is Primrose Everdeen. Her name is often shortened to Prim. She is a 12-year-old girl whose name is drawn at the reaping of the 74th edition of the Hunger Games. However, she is saved from participating in the game by her sister Katniss, who volunteers herself instead.

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About Neesha Thunga K

Neesha, born to a family of avid readers, has devoted several years to teaching English and writing for various organizations, making an impact on the literary community.

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The Hunger Games

At–a–glance, what is it.

The award-winning and bestselling futuristic series for teen readers by Suzanne Collins

Who’s it for?

Readers ages 12 to adult

VISIT THE SITE

scholastic.com/hungergames Hunger Games on Facebook

Author Photos & Downloads

Click here for hi-res cover images, official Suzanne Collins author photos, and more.

Release Date

The Hunger Games was released in September 2008. Catching Fire, the second book of The Hunger Games series, was published September 1, 2009.  Mockingjay was released August 24, 2010, and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was published May 19, 2020.

More Information

Tracy van Straaten [email protected]

The Hunger Games Illustrated Edition - Coming October 1, 2024

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

#1 USA Today Bestseller #1 New York Times Bestseller #1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller #1 Publishers Weekly Bestseller

“A home run of a best seller by publishing’s standards.”

             - The New York Times

“The top [selling] book in the first half of 2020.”

             - Publishers Weekly

“It is a steep challenge to write a book whose hero is, everyone knows, destined to become deeply evil. Do we want to hear — now, after we know the endgame — that the young Voldemort was unfairly saddled with a demerit in class or that the adolescent Sauron fretted because he had to wear hand-me-down clothes? Yes, please.”

“[M]esmerizing…Collins once again proves that she is a master of building a fascinating world around complex characters.”

             - The Associated Press

“The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes builds on the original series’ overt critique of violence and those who perpetuate it, again in terms that speak to a more mature audience than their young-adult marketing might suggest. For true fans of The Hunger Games, Collins shines most as she weaves in tantalizing details that lend depth to the gruesome world she created in the original series and Coriolanus’s place in its history.

             - TIME

“[B]y introducing a new cast of teenagers, Collins is able to raise questions about privilege, the uses of violence, and the futility of war. ”

             - PEOPLE

             - Kirkus Reviews,  starred review

“A gripping mix of whipsaw plot twists and propulsive writing make this story's complex issues—vulnerability and abuse, personal responsibility, and institutionalized power dynamics—vivid and personal.”

             - Publishers Weekly  

The Associated Press:  New ‘Hunger Games’ Book Sells More Than 500,000 Copies , May 27, 2020

Scholastic Releases New Interview with Suzanne Collins, Author of the Worldwide Bestselling Hunger Games Series , May 19, 2020

Scholastic Announces Tony Award-Winning Actor Santino Fontana as Narrator for Audio Edition of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins , April 8, 2020

Scholastic Announces Title and Cover for New Novel in the Worldwide Bestselling Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins , October 4, 2019

Scholastic to Publish New Novel in the Worldwide Bestselling Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins , June 17, 2019

MOCKINGJAY:

#1 USA Today Bestseller #1 New York Times Bestseller #1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller #1 Publishers Weekly Bestseller A New York Times Notable Children's Book of 2010 A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice A 2010 Booklist Editors' Choice A 2010 Kirkus Best Book of the Year A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2010

“Fans will be happy to hear that Mockingjay is every bit as complex and imaginative as Hunger Games and Catching Fire ."

             - Entertainment Weekly

“Suspenseful... Collins' fans, grown-ups included, will race to the end."

             - USA Today

“At its best the trilogy channels the political passion of 1984 , the memorable violence of A Clockwork Orange , the imaginative ambience of The Chronicles of Narnia and the detailed inventiveness of Harry Potter ."

             - New York Times Book Review

“Unfolding in Collins' engaging, intelligent prose and assembled into chapters that end with didn't-see-that-coming cliffhangers, this finale is every bit the pressure cooker of its forebears. [ Mockingjay ] is nearly as shocking, and certainly every bit as original and thought provoking, as The Hunger Games . Wow."

             - Los Angeles Times

             - Publishers Weekly , starred review

CATCHING FIRE:

#1 USA Today Bestseller #1 New York Times Bestseller #1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller #1 Publishers Weekly Bestseller A Time Magazine Top 10 Fiction Book of 2009 A People Magazine (Top 10) Best Book of 2009 A New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice A Los Angeles Times Best Children’s Book of 2009 A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2009 A Booklist Editors' Choice 2009 A Kirkus Best Book of 2009

“Whereas Katniss kills with finesse, Collins writes with raw power."

            - Time Magazine

“Collins expertly blends fantasy, romance and political intrigue (so who needs vampires?)."

             - People Magazine

“Collins has joined J.K. Rowling and Stephenie Meyer as a writer of children's books that adults are eager to read.”

            -Bloomberg.com

“ Catching Fire not only lived up to my high expectations, it surpassed them. It's just as exciting as The Hunger Games , but even more gut wrenching, because you already know these characters,  you've already suffered with them.”

            -Stephenie Meyer, www.stepheniemeyer.com

THE HUNGER GAMES:

#1 USA Today  Bestseller #1 New York Times Bestseller #1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller A Publishers Weekly Bestseller A Horn Book Fanfare A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2008 A School Library Journal Best Book of 2008 A Booklist Editors’ Choice A New York Times Notable Book of 2008 A Kirkus Best Book of 2008 A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice 

“I couldn't stop reading."

             -Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly

“The Hunger Games is amazing.”

-Stephenie Meyer, www.stepheniemeyer.com

“Brilliantly plotted and perfectly paced.”

-John Green, The New York Times Book Review

• Scholastic has more than 100 million copies of The Hunger Games books in print worldwide ( The Hunger Games ,  Catching Fire,   Mockingjay, and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes ). 
• The Hunger Games  spent more than 260 consecutive weeks/more than five consecutive years to on  The New York Times bestseller list, and has also appeared consistently on  USA Today  and  Publishers Weekly  bestseller lists.
• Released by Lionsgate Entertainment, The Hunger Games is a global blockbuster film franchise that has spawned four record-breaking films from 2012-2015 and, collectively, the films have grossed over $3 billion at the global box office. The films boast a star-studded cast including Academy Award® winner Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Academy Award® nominee Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci and Donald Sutherland. The world of The Hunger Games that Suzanne Collins created continues to grow as theme parks and special attractions launch around the globe. Now fans around the world also can engage in immersive experiences such as The World of the Hunger Games at Motiongate Dubai and The Hunger Games in Concert Global Tour . The next film in the franchise, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes , will be released on November 17, 2023.
• The Hunger Games trilogy has been sold into 54 territories in 52 languages to date.
• Suzanne Collins named to the  Entertainment Weekly  2010 Entertainers of the Year list  (December 3, 2010)
• Suzanne Collins named to the  2010  TIME  100  list (April 29, 2010)
• List of awards and citations for The Hunger Games trilogy
• Year of the Jungle , Suzanne Collins’s picture book based on the year her father was deployed in Viet Nam, with illustrations by James Proimos, was published September 10, 2013.

Announcements/News

Scholastic to Publish Illustrated Edition of Suzanne Collins' Worldwide Bestseller The Hunger Games (January 18, 2024)

Scholastic to Publish a Trade Paperbck and a Movie-Tie-In Edition of Worldwide Bestselling Hunger Games Prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins (April 13, 2023)

Scholastic Releases New Interview with Suzanne Collins, Author of the Worldwide Bestselling Hunger Games Series (May 19, 2020)

Scholastic Announces Tony Award-Winning Actor Santino Fontana as Narrator for Audio Edition of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins (April 8, 2020)

Scholastic Announces Title and Cover for New Novel in the Worldwide Bestselling Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins (October 4, 2019)

Scholastic to Publish New Novel in the Worldwide Bestselling Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins (June 17, 2019)

Scholastic to Publish The Hunger Games Special Edition by Suzanne Collins to Celebrate the Tenth Anniversary of The Hunger Games (April 19, 2018)

Scholastic to Publish Year of the Jungle , an Autobiographical Picture Book by Suzanne Collins in Fall 2013 (November 29, 2012)

Scholastic Announces Updated U.S. Figures for Suzanne Collins's Bestselling The Hunger Games Trilogy (July 19, 2012)

Scholastic Announces Updated U.S. In-print Figures for Suzanne Collins' Bestselling The Hunger Games Trilogy (March 28, 2012)

A Message from Suzanne Collins about The Hunger Games Movie (March 1, 2012)

Scholastic to Add new Title to The Hunger Games Movie Tie-in Program (November 3, 2011)

Lionsgate Joins Scribd, Donorschoose.org, and Scholastic for The Hunger Games National Literacy Month Campaign (September 1, 2011)

Scholastic Introduces Gift Edition of The Hunger Games (Holiday 2011), To Be Followed by Movie Tie-In Program (Spring 2012) (June 16, 2011)

Scholastic announces Powell’s Books in Portland, Oregon, is winner of Mockingjay display contest with prize of store visit by Suzanne Collins (October 21, 2010)

Mockingjay tops all national bestseller lists with sales of more than 450,000 copies in its first week of publication, and Scholastic goes back to press for an additional 400,000 copies (September 2, 2010)

Scholastic Increases First Printing of Mockingjay , the Final Book of The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins, to 1.2 Million Copies and Announces Fall Tour Markets (July 1, 2010)

Suzanne Collins's Third Book in The Hunger Games Trilogy to be Published on August 24, 2010 (December 3, 2009)

Scholastic Publishes Catching Fire

Scholastic Publishes The Hunger Games

LionsGate Acquires Worldwide Distribution Rights for The Hunger Games Film (March 17, 2009)

Interviews with Suzanne Collins

• Publisher and Editorial Director David Levithan interviews Suzanne Collins on the eve of the publication of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (May 19, 2020)
• Time Magazine interviews Suzanne Collins and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire director Francis Lawrence (November 2013)
• The New York Times Magazine profiles Suzanne Collins (April 10, 2011)
• Entertainment Weekly interviews Suzanne Collins and Gary Ross, director of The Hunger Games movie (April 7, 2011)
• The Associated Press  interviews Suzanne Collins (September 2010)
• Entertainment Weekly interviews Suzanne Collins about her favorite books (August 2010)
• School Library Journal interviews Suzanne Collins about the forthcoming publication of Mockingjay (August 2010)
• NPR's  All Things Considered  interviews Suzanne Collins about Catching Fire (September 2009)
• USA Today  interviews Suzanne Collins about Catching Fire (September 2009)
• The Los Angeles Times  interviews Suzanne Collins  about Catching Fire (September 2009)
• RT Interview with Suzanne Collins (September, 2009)
• School Library Journal interviews Suzanne Collins about The Hunger Games (September, 2008)
• Newsweek interviews Suzanne Collins about The Hunger Games (September, 2008)
• Video interview with Suzanne Collins about The Hunger Games (Scholastic, 2009)
• Q&A with Suzanne Collins  (Scholastic, 2010)

Press Coverage

• Associated Press : "An illustrated edtion of the First 'Hunger Games' will come out Oct. 1" (January 18, 2024)
• Publishers Weekly : “ The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes [is] the top [selling] book in the first half of 2020.” (July 10, 2020)
• The Associated Press : “New ‘Hunger Games’ book sells more than 500,000 copies” (May 27, 2020) 
• Publishers Weekly : “Independent Booksellers Plan Digital Celebrations for New Hunger Games Book” (May 14, 2020)
• The Associated Press : “The Promotion Will Be Virtual for New Hunger Games Novel” (May 14, 2020)
• Entertainment Weekly :  “Exclusive excerpt from The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes audiobook, read by narrator Santino Fontana (May 12, 2020)
• Entertainment Weekly : Three-part feature: The Hunger Games binge-read, featuring commentary on The Hunger Games , Catching Fire , and Mockingjay from Publisher and Editorial Director David Levithan (May 8, 2020 / May 13, 2020 / May 18, 2020)
• BookPage offers a “peek behind the curtain” of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snake s with an interview with Publisher and Editorial Director David Levithan (May 2020)
• Bustle : Exclusive audio clip of author Suzanne Collins reading an excerpt from The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (April 23, 2020)
• Parade previews The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes , including an interview with Publisher and Editorial Director David Levithan (January 30, 2020)
• Entertainment Weekly reveals the first excerpt from The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (January 21, 2020) 
• Today.com: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is one of "The 10 Most Anticipated Books for 2020 According to Goodreads Users" (January 6, 2020)
• CNN.com : 20 Things to Look Forward to in 2020 (January 2, 2020)
• New York Times calls The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes one of "20 Books We're Watching for in 2020" (January 1, 2020)
• Glamour.com : Suzanne Collins named one of '104 Women Who Defined the Decade in Pop Culture' (December 20, 2019)
• Entertainment Weekly calls The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes one of "The 50 Most-Anticipated Books of 2020" (December 16, 2019)
• Good Morning America reveals cover and title for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (October 4, 2019)
• New York Times : “’The Hunger Games’ Prequel Is in the Works” (June 17, 2019)
• Associated Press : “‘Hunger Games’ prequel novel coming in 2020” (June 17, 2019)
• NPR Morning Edition “10 Years Since 'The Hunger Games' Began,” interview with Scholastic’s David Levithan (November 2, 2018)
• New York Times : Essay by bestselling author Sabaa Tahir: “Katniss Everdeen Is My Hero.”  (October 2018)
• New York Times : Exclusive excerpt of the Suzanne Collins interview with David Levithan from The Hunger Games Special (10th Anniversary) Edition (October 2018)
• Entertainment Weekly First Listen: Tatiana Maslany to Narrate Hunger Games Special (10th Anniversary) Edition Audiobook  (September 2018)
• Entertainment Weekly previews The Hunger Games Special (10th Anniversary) Edition with cover reveal and excerpt (April 2018)
• TIME Magazine names Katniss Everdeen to the list of “The 100 Most influential People Who Never Lived” (September 2013)
• The Associated Press announces the publication of Year of the Jungle (November 29, 2012)
• Salon.com: The making of a blockbuster: The behind-the-scenes story of the readers and booksellers who launched the Hunger Games franchise (March 18, 2012)
• Parade Magazine cover story: Go Inside the 'Hunger Games' Phenomenon (March 17, 2012)
• NBC’s The Today Show : Fan Frenzy: Excitement Builds for ‘Hunger Games’ (March 16, 2012)
• USA Today : Fans are hungry for more 'Games': Books top best-seller list (March 15, 2012)
• People Magazine cover story : Behind the Scenes on The Hunger Games (March 14, 2012)
• The New York Times : Peer Pressure? How About, Like, Fighting to Death? (March 9, 2012)
• The Wall Street Journal : Gender Games, 'The Hunger Games' must clear tricky marketing hurdles (March 8, 2012)
• The Muppets spoof The Hunger Games (March 6, 2012)
• Entertainment Weekly cover story: "The Hunger Games— Game On!" (March 9, 2012)
• The Hunger Games trilogy represents three of the ten bestselling books in December 2011, according to USA Today (January 4, 2012)
• The Hunger Games  reaches #1 on USA Today’s bestseller list (December 29, 2011)
• The Hunger Games included in World Book Night 2012 (December 14, 2011)
• Three Movie Tie-in Book Covers Revealed in Entertainment Weekly (December 1, 2011)
• Entertainment Weekly cover story: "The Men of The Hunger Games: Your first look at Gale and Peeta—and how the actors are bringing them to life." (July 27, 2011)
• Entertainment Weekly cover story: "First Look at Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss in The Hunger Games movie" (May 18, 2011)
• The Wrap announces Jennifer Lawrence Gets Lead Role in The Hunger Games (March 16, 2011)
• The Atlantic weighs in on the importance of the casting of Katniss: "Katniss Everdeen is more than just a teen idol of the moment. She is a heroine for the ages… the most important female character in recent pop culture history." (March 9, 2011)
• Entertainment Weekly Announces Release Date for The Hunger Games Movie (January 25, 2011)
• Entertainment Weekly feature story: “Interview with Hunger Games Movie Director Gary Ross” (January 6, 2011)
• Entertainment Weekly feature story: “The Hunger Games: Taking the book world (and Hollywood) by storm” (October 15, 2010)
• The Associated Press on the New York City launch event for Mockingjay (August 24, 2010)
• New York Times on the launch of Mockingjay (August 24, 2010)
• USA Today reviews Mockingjay (August 24, 2010)
• Los Angeles Times reviews Mockingjay (August 23, 2010)
• USA Today anticipates “more than the usual number” of sleepy teens upon midnight publication of Mockingjay (August 19, 2010)
• USA Today , Publishers Weekly , and Scholastic reveal the cover and title for Mockingjay (February 11, 2010). Mockingjay , the final book of The Hunger Games, will be published August 24, 2010.
• USA Today announces Catching Fire 's debut at #1 on the USA Today Bestselling Books list its first week on sale. Catching Fire simultaneously appeared at #1 on The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists.
• Time Magazine reviews The Hunger Games and Catching Fire . (September 2009)
• Publishers Weekly chronicles excitement among booksellers nationwide for the September 1st publication of Catching Fire .
• On June 26, 2009, Scholastic announced the winner of the Hunger Games Writing Contest. For information about the winner, see coverage of the contest in Publishers Weekly .
• Publishers Weekly reports that "Catching Fire Catches Fire" in an article on growing advance buzz for the publication of Catching Fire (September 1, 2009)
• Publishers Weekly announces the new publication date for Catching Fire (March 12, 2009)
• Stephen King reviews The Hunger Games in Entertainment Weekly (September 2008)
• Publishers Weekly reports "A Dark Horse Breaks Out: The buzz is on for Suzanne Collins's YA series debut" in an article about the forthcoming publication of The Hunger Games (June 2008)
• Critical praise for The Hunger Games
• Critical praise for Catching Fire

About Suzanne Collins

Bestselling author SUZANNE COLLINS first made her mark in children’s literature with the New York Times bestselling Underland Chronicles fantasy series for middle grade readers. She continued to explore the effects of war and violence on those coming of age with The Hunger Games Trilogy.  The Hunger Games (2008) was an instant bestseller, appealing to both teen readers and adults. It was called “addictive” by Stephen King in Entertainment Weekly and “amazing” by Stephanie Meyer on her website. The book appeared on the New York Times bestseller list for more than 260 consecutive weeks (more than five consecutive years), and there are more than 100 million copies of all three books in the trilogy, The Hunger Games , Catching Fire (2009), and Mockingjay (2010), in print and digital formats worldwide. Foreign publishing rights for The Hunger Games Trilogy have been sold into 56 territories in 53 languages to date. In 2012 Lionsgate launched the first of four films based on the novels, starring Jennifer Lawrence. To date, the franchise has earned nearly $3 Billion at the worldwide box office.

Year of the Jungle , Suzanne Collins’s picture book based on the year her father was deployed in Viet Nam, with illustrations by James Proimos, was published in 2013 to great critical acclaim.

Suzanne Collins also had a successful and prolific career writing for children’s television. She has worked on the staffs of several Nickelodeon shows, including the Emmy®-nominated hit Clarissa Explains It All and The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo . She received a Writer’s Guild of America nomination in animation for co-writing the critically acclaimed Christmas special, Santa, Baby!

In 2010 Suzanne Collins was named to the TIME 100 list as well as the Entertainment Weekly Entertainers of the Year list; in 2011 Fast Company named her to their 100 Most Creative People in Business; and in 2016 she was presented the 2016 Authors Guild Award for Distinguished Service to the Literary Community for exemplifying the unique power of young people’s literature to change lives and to create lifelong book lovers. It was the first time the Guild presented its annual award to a YA author. The Atlantic called Hunger Games heroine Katniss Everdeen, “the most important female character in recent pop culture history,” and TIME Magazine named Katniss to its list of “The 100 Most influential People Who Never Lived.”

• Download the book cover for The Hunger Games
• Download the book cover for Catching Fire
• Download the book cover for Mockingjay
• Download the book cover for The Hunger Games Illustrated Edition
• Download The Hunger Games Boxed Set
• Download the book cover for  The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
• Download the book cover for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Paperback
• Download the book cover for The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes Movie Tie-In
• Download the cover for  The Year of the Jungle
• Download the cover for Gregor the Overlander
• Photo of Suzanne Collins  (photo credit: Todd Plitt)
• Download The Hunger Games Boxed Set 2020

Hunger Games Summary

This essay will provide a summary of Suzanne Collins’s novel “The Hunger Games.” It will outline the plot, setting, and main characters, focusing on the dystopian society of Panem and the brutal Hunger Games. The piece will also discuss the novel’s themes of survival, totalitarianism, and resistance, as well as its appeal to young adult readers. PapersOwl offers a variety of free essay examples on the topic of Katniss Everdeen.

How it works

The book The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a captivating dystopian adventure story about the nation Panem. Panem is divided into 12 districts, of varying amounts of wealth, plus the Capitol which is wealthier and more powerful than all the other districts. The Hunger Games follows the story of Katniss Everdeen from District 12, the poorest district. Katniss’s father dies when she was young so she has been forced to feed her younger sister Primrose, who she loves more than anything, and her mom.

Over her years of feeding her family, she has become a skilled archer. Every year, the Capitol forces all the districts to participate in the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games consists of 24 young adults, 12 male and 12 female, being placed in an arena and fighting to death. The story follows the 74th Hunger Games and from District 12 the names who were drawn were Primrose Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. In a courageous effort to save her sister, Katniss Everdeen volunteered in place of her sister. Katniss and Peeta then head to the Capitol to start their training with their mentor, Haymitch.

In their opening interviews, Peeta reveals to the crowd that he has a crush on Katniss. Katniss thinks her and Peeta being “Star-crossed lovers” is an act set up by Haymitch to gain appeal for sponsors and to entertain the crowd but throughout the plot we learn that Peeta’s crush on Katniss is not fake. At the end of their training, each of the tributes get scored. Peeta scored an 8/12 which is very good considering he is from the the poorest district and Katniss scored an 11/12 which is absurd. Sadly, as soon as the games begin the star crossed lovers get split up. Katniss immediately goes in search for water and Peeta forms an alliance with tributes from lower districts. After a few days apart, Peeta’s alliance chases Katniss up into a tree and they decide to wait her out. However, while in the tree Katniss, with a little help from the District 11 tribute Rue, drops a Tracker Jacker nest on the alliance. All but one tribute escape with only few stings, and the one girl dies. After this Rue, who is the youngest tribute, and Katniss have formed their own alliance. The two of them go on to blow up the alliances supplies and in the process Rue is killed. Katniss then shows compassion and decorates Rue’s body with flowers which the Capitol is not so fond of.

Shortly after this, the Gamemakers add a new rule where there can be two winners if they are both from the same district. Katniss sets off to find Peeta and when she finds his, he is camouflaged to the rock and has badly injured his leg. Katniss takes care of Peeta and they hide out in a cave for a while until Peeta’s leg can heal. While in the cave, Katniss realizes that the more she plays up the love aspect between the two of them the more sponsors they are going to get. Katniss starts to kiss Peeta and have meaningful conversations just to get the supplies they need from the sponsors. However, Peeta thinks Katniss is genuinely falling in love with him. When it gets down to the final few districts, the Capitol puts a bag with exactly what the person needs at the cornucopia, the center of the games.

Peeta doesn’t want Katniss to go, but she tricks him into taking a sleeping medicine so she can go to aquire the bag. When she safely returns to Peeta and opens up the bag, and jams the hypodermic needle into Peeta which saves him. After much more scavenging, eating and playing up the love scenario, The games are coming to an end. The Gamemakers decide to unleash muttations, huge wolf like animals, to bring all the tributes together. Katniss makes one last kill at the Cornucopia, and her and Peeta think that they’ve done it, they’ve won. Except, an announcement comes on over the loudspeaker declaring the earlier rule revision to have been revoked and there will only be one winner. After all the weeks together, Katniss and Peeta realize they will not be able to survive together. They decide to both eat poisonous berries so that the Capitol will be forced to let both of them win because if not, the Capitol will have no winner. Just as they thought, the Capitol allows them both to win, but when Katniss and Peeta return Haymitch tells them the Capitol is not happy with them because they have outsmarted the Capitol.

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