In the country of Panem, occupying the same geography as the United States but at an indeterminate time in the future, the human impulse to war is reined in by the annual staging of an elaborate reality game in which "tributes," randomly selected from regions of the country, must fight to the death. When teenager Katniss takes her younger sister's place as a participant in the Hunger Games, she believes that her skill as a hunter, learned through poaching small game to feed her family, will give her a competitive edge. What she doesn't know as the Games begin is that the other player from her district, Peeta Mellark, is in love with her. But is he, as the Games say, her mortal enemy too? Or is his profession of love merely part of his strategy to win--and to kill her in the process? This gripping, Survivor-like story continues with a second installment, called "Catching Fire." - Ms. Kathy

Katniss is likable in her "I-refuse-to-be-vulnerable" vulnerability. She learned a lot via the school of hard knocks, but is also, in many ways, naive. Listening to her narrate her trials as a "tribute", which in District 12 is basically a death sentence, readers are drawn into the story almost immediately; experiencing everything and everyone as she does. I'm almost disappointed to know she survives - she is around for "Catching Fire" - because the suspense would be crackling in this wonderfully told, beautifully written story. Despite my knowledge there are still times I find myself on the edge of my seat. It is a fantastically exciting story.- Ms. Becky