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Apr 14, 2011

Realornotreal rated it:

There are some books that are just fun to read, an enjoyable ride that you are happy you took. Other books, are not only enjoyable, but make you think (and think...and think...) even after multiple readings. The Hunger Games Trilogy for me (Admin T), can definitely be counted among the latter. So, when I heard that Smart Pop Books was publishing an anthology about the series, I have no shame in admitting I contacted the publisher right away, almost begging for an ARC to read and review
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1 comment like (17 people liked it)

Aug 07, 2011

Amanda rated it:

This book consists of thirteen essays about the Hunger Games series from various authors. The essays cover everything from reality TV to genetic experiments to the power of fashion.

I loved the Hunger Games series, and unlike most people, I really loved the way it ended. Mockingjay was the perfect end to a series that made me think a lot. I was worried, after Catching Fire, what might come out of the third installment. Mockingjay not only made up for a weaker second book, but improved C More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 16, 2012

stephanie is currently reading it

*

i was all ready to pass on this until i saw Diana Peterfreund is a contributor . . . her essay on shay in Mind-Rain: Your Favorite Authors on Scott Westerfeld's Uglies Series was my favorite.

::shakes fist:: darn you, diana!

::adds to pre-order list for 2011:: More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jan 20, 2012

Ta§chima rated it:

I reviewed this book on April 2011, when it was first brought into my attention. Recently though I received the new movie edition which includes 3 new essays that pretty much rocked my world. Here is my original review, along with the new paragraphs on the new content.

April, 2011:

These kinds of books are awesome, and specifically this one is amazing! The essays are so good! There are 13 essays (for 13 districts?) in total, some have to do with fashion, psychology, PSTD among More...

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Jul 23, 2011

Theresa rated it:

this book surpized me due to the fact that i was not intrested in survior tv show and thought that a childrens book could not have any intrest. but this book had more information and story then i would have supposed. i liked the dramatic reaping and the heroic love of the older sister toward her younger sister. they dynaics and difficulties that Katniss faced in her childhood are inspireing and very dramatic. they idea of the book is new and exciting and the idea of the rebellion being suddle More...

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Jul 20, 2011

Kaylyn rated it:

The purpose of this collection of essays was to get fans of the series thinking, to expand their thoughts and ideas, and to explore the many concepts found in The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay. Here are the essays:

Sarah Rees Brennan on what makes this series so appealing and good. Jennifer Lyn Barnes on understanding the character that is Katniss Everdeen. Mary Borsellino on how the concept of love played a huge part in the story. Elizabeth M. Rees on the fact that we c More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 27, 2011

A&E rated it:

Remember when you finished THE HUNGER GAMES and you desperately wanted to talk to someone about it. And that desperation only got worse after you read CATCHING FIRE, and by the time you finished MOCKINGJAY you were practically frothing at the mouth - stopping random strangers on the street and forcing them to listen to your HUNGER GAMES trilogy babble!

As book bloggers we had an outlet for discussion with each other. But wouldn't it have been grand to talk to some of your favorite YA a More...

1 comment like (8 people liked it)

Apr 04, 2011

Pica added it

See full review here.

With this book, it's not so much that I enjoyed it - which I did - but I think this is an important book for anyone who was read the Hunger Games trilogy. It both reminded me why I liked the Hunger Games and addressed the deeper issues of the trilogy in relevant and meaningful ways.

I was initially overwhelmed by Mockingjay, and after finishing it, I intentionally stayed away from all things Hunger Games. However, I saw this book in a "Monda More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 03, 2011

Cullen rated it:

After reading "A Taste of True Blood", I was looking forward to reading another Smart Pop anthology. This book was, I'm glad to say, even better than the True Blood book. The essays were consistently strong. They focus on the politics of Collins's universe, mostly, but a couple really stood out, like the one that settles the debate that apparently existed over who Katniss should "choose" as a love interest. I came to the series kind of late, as an adult reader, so my girlfrie More...

1 comment like

Mar 08, 2011

Kate marked it as to-read

Wow! All right NCCLers, I just might have to buy one more book. Then I'll stop; I really mean it this time! This book was just posted to a reading teacher's site I belong to. those of you who have read the Hunger Games Trilogy, we'll have to check out this book of essays. Below is the review of the book:

I’m such a nerd, so needless to say I was thrilled when the ARC of The Girl Who Was on Fire: Your Favorite Authors on Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games Trilogy arrived. I immediatel More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 12, 2012

AtenRa rated it:

The Girl Who Was On Fire-Movie Edition contains all the awesomeness of the first edition of The Girl Who Was On Fire, plus three brand new essays from Brent Hartinger, Jackson Pearce, and Diana Peterfreund, which I will discuss separately.

Brent Hartinger: Did the third book suck?
Brent talks about his disappointment in the last book of the series, Mockingjay, but also tries to support people who liked it.
I agree with Brent's opinion, more or less. I am one of the many (few More...

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Sep 12, 2011

Jennifer rated it:

Anyone who considers themselves a fan of The Hunger Games needs to read this.

Whether it's an exploration of the political undertones, the psychological power plays, the concept of building community, etc.-- these thirteen essays dive deep into the heart of what makes this series tick so loudly that it has resonated so soundly with us. Most of these essays are provacative and well-written; for me, the three most fascinating essays are:

-- Panem et Circenses; Carrie Ryan ad More...

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Aug 02, 2011

Alysha DeShaé rated it:

My full review is here on my personal website. I'll post a few excerpts here, though:

4.5 out of 5.0 stars

The very worst thing about this book is a section in the essay “Crime of Fashion” by Terri Clark. Apparently, she can’t leave her personal politics out of anything and is an Obama supporter. I say apparently because this is an assumption based on the fact that she criticizes Palin for having to buy a new wardrobe and not Obama for spending all the money that she does on a More...

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May 27, 2011

AtenRa rated it:

If there is a book that deserves to have an anthology filled with authors' thoughts written for it, then that book is definitely the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. The Girl Who Was One Fire is exactly that: authors' take on the YA phenomenon that is the Hunger Games and what, according to them, made it such a huge success.

Personally I liked all the essays. Some were longer than others and they dragged just a little bit, giving me the impression that they were more of an an More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 05, 2011

Rachel rated it:

Once I got around to actually reading them (I was a little late to the party), I became totally engrossed in The Hunger Games. I felt Katniss, despite her imperfections, was a much better heroine than many I've seen in recent years. Katniss is a girl of substance. She's got much better things to do than sitting around pining and whining over one controlling, possessive boy and therefore she's a bit more interesting to read about.

So, when I heard there was a collection of essays ab More...

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Apr 22, 2011

Airiz rated it:

Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy is a literary firestorm that swept many young adult readers into its addictive heat. It may have ended in Mockingjay, but Katniss’ unforgettable story is blazing in the readers’ hearts up to this day. The flames are further fanned by the buzz about the first book’s big screen adaptation in 2012, keeping the fandom more alive than ever.

I’ve read so many books after finishing the trilogy, but no other dystopian-themed book is able to dislodge it fr More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 10, 2011

Mayra rated it:

The only problem with this book is that some of the essays have actually very little about "The Hunger Games". And some focus too much on topics like genetics and Reatity TV, while it could be discussing the actual story.
The book started really good. With amazing essays and beautiful profiles of the characters. Summing everything you had in your mind when you finished reading the series and putting it into words.
Then, it got a bit tiring when authors stirred too far away fr More...

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Aug 01, 2011

Claudia rated it:

First of all, what a wonderful concept for a book! I haven't read the collection of essays on the Crank series, but I will after reading this book. 13 essays by 13 YA authors, some well-known, like Ned Vizzini and Carrie Ryan; but most are up-and-coming authors who really impressed me, both with their writing, but also with their insights. Each essay examines a different aspect of the Hunger Games series...fashion, notoriety,reality TV, rebellion, and my favorite essay, building a community.
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Apr 27, 2011

Amy L. rated it:

Note: Review copy received from publisher.

Perhaps targeted towards a younger audience than me, I felt that some of the essayists had a tendency to lean more towards the too familiar and chatty kind of essay. Nothing really wrong with that, but it personally irritated me. Additionally, there were a few inaccuracies, the most notable in Lockwood's "Not So Weird Science" where she referred to the first cloned sheep as "Polly" where a quick fact check by the editor co More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Nov 08, 2011

Elizabeth rated it:

I have very mixed emotions about this book. It's an unauthorized collection of analytical essays about various aspects of the Hunger Games trilogy by different YA authors (some more famous than others). A couple of these essays are gems for content, like Sarah Darer Littman's "The Politics of Mockingjay" in which she asserts that maybe the methods of torture and inhumane treatment of prisoners are not so far off from what happened at Abu Ghraib (waterboarding, anyone?). Blythe Wools More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 05, 2011

Cynthia (cynthial11) rated it:

The Girl Who Was on Fire is a well written and engrossing anthology by several very talented YA authors who are also big fans of The Hunger Games Series. I knew that I wanted to read this because some of my favorite authors like Carrie Ryan, Sarah Rees Brennan and Jennifer Lynn Barnes were in it expressing their thougths on the series, but I didn't know if I was going to love it since I'm not used to non-fiction anthologies, but I was wrong. I loved reading this book and was surprisingly captiva More...

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Aug 22, 2011

Emma rated it:

As most of you will already know I loved The Hunger Games books!
I've been eyeing up this book for a while now and decided to buy it, as soon as it arrived I started reading it!

The Girl Who Was On Fire is a collections of YA authors giving their thoughts on different aspects on The Hunger Games trilogy.

To me this book was a huge let down. I really had much higher hopes for it. Don't get me wrong, all the points argued by the authors are interesting and make sense bu More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 22, 2011

MrsB rated it:

I very much enjoyed reading this collection of essays about the Hunger Games Trilogy. I give 5 stars to a book that makes me think, and this collection made me re-think my impressions of the trilogy in many different ways. I read the book series as a fan--fast and furious. I was infuriated with the unsatisfying ending of Mockingjay. However, the essays in this collection forced me think more critically about different aspects of the story and caused me to think that I should read them again. More...

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Apr 21, 2011

Dana rated it:

It's like a very long review of The Hunger Games trilogy. It makes you see the books in a whole new way. It makes you see how really really brilliant of an author Suzanne Collins is. I've never really thought that there might be a deeper reason for Haymitch's drunkenness. And I strongly agree with what one author said that Katniss may be the fire but Cinna is the torch. Some of the authors really really really make sense. I find myself nodding a lot and saying Yeah, that's right. The Hunger Game More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 31, 2012

Fallon rated it:

First off I would like to warn those who haven’t read all 3 of The Hunger Games books, don’t read this until you have finished, this book discusses major plot points from all of the books.

That being said, I can’t get enough of the Hunger Games series, so I saw this book and instantly wanted to read it. Most of the essays were things I had thought about already, but they were still intriguing all the same. Some were a little dull, but in a collection of 13 essays, what can you expec More...

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Oct 10, 2011

Solyndra rated it:

An insightful book on the The Hunger Games series. It's basically a collection of various essays written about the series. The topics cover a wide range of things, such as fashion, science, PTDS and reality-shows. If you're like me, you'll have found the series very interesting. You'll have had a great many thoughts, that are most likely bundled in this book. That doesn't mean it isn't gratifying to see someone else write it out quite a bit better than you can and occasionally I will read about More...

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Feb 02, 2012

Kathryn rated it:

This book just missed five stars for the following two reasons:

1. The Ned Vizzini essay seemed more about him making a point than it did about the Hunger Games. In fact, there was more than one occasion during his essay that had me questioning how much of the book he'd actually read and remembered, and how much he was assuming. A better editor would never have accepted this essay as it stands.

2. Terri Clark kept referring to Katniss as Kat, something that I found horribly dis More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 28, 2011

Aryelle rated it:

This was a good book. I do not know about you, but I love to hear about what other YA authors have to say about the huge blockbuster books that are coming out (ex. The Hunger Games and Twilight). This book does just that; it takes thirteen YA authors and lets them pretty much write about what they thought of the book and analyze the concepts that are talked about.

The Girl Who Was on Fire, if you have not figured it out, is about Suzanne Collin's The Hunger Games. I personally loved T More...

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Oct 17, 2011

Nicole rated it:

I snatched this up because, well... I'm a huge fan of the Hunger Games, and it was at the Borders "Going out of Business" sale.
I was, I don't know... expecting something a little more... fanfictiony or seriously scholarly, I don't know which. (I've read essay collections on "Firefly" and "Buffy" that go both ways honestly...)

I've picked this up and put it down again several times. It just seems... rushed. Like a bunch of authors blogged about reading More...

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Sep 21, 2011

Lani rated it:

I've been on a kick of "Philosophy of...." books lately, or "critical analysis of pop fiction" books in this case. I read the Hunger Games recently and thought they were decent, and I suppose they have some interesting political parallels compared to books like, say, Twilight.

I enjoyed essays that addressed some of the real world parallels and encouraged critical thinking for readers that may have limited themselves to Team Peeta or Team Gale. But generally the a More...

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