Book Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Let me begin by saying that I do not often read Young Adult (YA) books often, especially since my kids grew up. I really enjoyed reading and listening to Mrsfabp reading books like “Holes” and the Wayside School Series but had not read any of them more recently until MillieJupiter recommended “The Hunger Games.” It was last August and she was anxiously awaiting the third and final book in the series to be imported from Australia and she kept quietly insisting I give it a try. I was recently able to find an audio book copy of all three books and set about the task of listening to them.

It took about an hour of listening before I was hooked and this point out the first problem with the books. They are slow moving. Written for YA, they go into greater detail than other books might relate to the thought process behind what the heroine is thinking and feeling. This is not a bad thing; it just slows the books down a bit. A second, less problematic issue is that the heroine is played sort of as a “country bumpkin” and it always takes her a while to realize things or see things as they are. During these times, it is difficult not to yell at the book and ask her to open her eyes to things. Minor point but still there.

Now some positives. The overall story is a very good one, somewhat of a science fiction like classic – there is a war and the resulting government divides the country into districts that supply the ruling district with their resources. As a reminder of the uprising, each year “tributes” from each district, 2 from each for a total of 24, are “reaped” and sent into an arena to fight to the death. The victor gets all the spoils you might expect, money, food etc. but also gets the nightmares associated with having to kill fellow children to survive. All of this is televised for the entertainment of the rulers and dismay of the participants. Without giving too much away, there is a rebellion because of the cruelty and hardship.

A second positive is the depth of the characters. I will judge a book by how much I care for the people in it and many of the characters in this series are memorable as they deal with the games and their enemies and their friends and family and I found myself caring for the individuals in the books throughout. It was easy to form attachments and then very difficult to let go of people who died or changed or were not as good as presumed earlier.

At the end of the audio book there is a short piece done by the author where she talks about the mythic and ancient historical roots of this books themes. She mentions Spartacus and the Roman Empire and some other stories as being inspirational for the book. I also think that it is a metaphor for our society and what is happening to us now, the violence seen as a result of politics, the greater separation of the society classes like rich and poor, the haves and have nots and even a moral tale for absolute power corrupting absolutely, all on a level that a young person can understand. I would hope that teachers would utilize this series to get kids talking about these issues and their effect on all of us.

Overall, I give this book 4 Penguins



I did enjoy it and would not have trouble recommending it to others. The audio book version is read well by Carolyn McCormick and she does a good job in making the different characters sound different so as to make picturing them in your mind easier. Children should be encouraged to read it and talk about it and all can enjoy it!