The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1) in Baltimore County Public Library Summer Reading BCPL SRC

Sep 29, 2008 Paula rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, if-you-liked-twilight, great-books-for-teens

I do approve of science fiction for girls - too much fiction aimed at young women is vapid and self-fulfilling. And I habitually enjoy post-apocalyptic worlds. Also, nothing wrong with some ultra-violence. Plus, it's Suzanne Collins, my go-to gal in the children's section - I have yet to meet a kid (boy OR girl) who didn't thank me for introducing them to Gregor.

So why am I not jumping up and down about The Hunger Games?

1.
If I think young adult fiction has a mission, and sometimes I think it do I do approve of science fiction for girls - too much fiction aimed at young women is vapid and self-fulfilling. And I habitually enjoy post-apocalyptic worlds. Also, nothing wrong with some ultra-violence. Plus, it's Suzanne Collins, my go-to gal in the children's section - I have yet to meet a kid (boy OR girl) who didn't thank me for introducing them to Gregor.

So why am I not jumping up and down about The Hunger Games?

1.
If I think young adult fiction has a mission, and sometimes I think it does, I think it should be to cause young people to question things that have been presented to them - truths (Not the End of the World by Geraldine McCaughrean), values (Uglies), government (Little Brother), commerce (So Yesterday). Ok, yeah granted, books can be just fun too. But speculative fiction particularly has this opportunity - because the context of the story is so different, the elements of the book's world that are the same as ours stand out in higher relief.

To make a long sentence short, I don't think The Hunger Games takes that opportunity. There's no one element that is terribly similar to our world. Even the 'reality show' that is The Hunger Games is so dissimilar to our reality shows - watching it is mandatory - that it's hard to tell what, if any, point Ms. Collins had in mind.

2.
I found the insertion of a little romance to be tedious. It felt like it was jammed in there to make the book more palatable to the teen girls. I'd like to think that not all teenage girls NEED romance for a book to be relevant to their interests.

I thought when the romance became a major part of the Uglies series, that's where it bogged down. God knows if the next Hunger Games books are all about Katniss choosing between Baker Boy and Hunter Guy, I will be disappointed.

3.
I thought the very best parts of the book were the chapters that described Katniss's home town and the capital city. Suzanne Collins does wonderful detail, as we know from Gregor, and her alternate worlds are richly and roundly imagined.

I am hoping that Katniss takes a tour of all the districts of her world in the next two books, and leaves both those boys behind. ...more

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Feb 02, 2012 S rated it really liked it

Pretty good! I was surprised by how much ths book sucked me in... I even enjoyed the goofy teen romance... I have book 2 on the waiting list.

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Oct 29, 2011 Erica rated it it was amazing

Shelves: book-club

It's been a while since I've read something like this and I cannot believe it is considered a young adult book. As a former middle school teacher and a mother, I would say late high school at best. Yes, our children are being exposed to worse, but that doesn't mean we should give up and allow adult themed books to be considered young adult. Off my child-rearing soap box now....I did really love the book and especially how it makes you think about how much control a government should have. The wo ...more

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Oct 09, 2010 Christie rated it really liked it

Shelves: library, series, ya

At first I was not sure what I thought of this book. But it seemed that every time I thought of putting it down Suzanne dropped a bomb that had me aching for more. You were able to relate to the characters and you felt for them in their situation. You laughed, cried, wanted to help or hurt others along with the characters in the book. You felt love and heart break...begging the question what will happen next...now that the truth is out. Can't wait for the second...which just came in form the lib ...more

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Mar 08, 2012 Mike rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction

Just in time for the movie. Too spoiler-y for a real review. But I couldn't put it down. ...more

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Mar 11, 2012 Cat rated it really liked it

Really, between 3.5 and 4 for me, so I'm rounding up. It has to lose a bit for not being original, but overall I very much enjoyed it. ...more

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Jul 12, 2011 Rachel rated it liked it · review of another edition

Not as enthralling as I heard it would be. The writing didn't wow me, but the storyline is compelling. Looking forward to the other two, but we'll see. ...more

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