The Paw Print

The Hunger Games
by Kayla

Ever wondered what America might be like in 100 years? Almost everyone has. A book called The Hunger Games gives a plausible and logical guess—and the truth of the matter is: There is no America anymore.

In The Hunger Games Trilogy, America has been replaced by a nation known as Panem, consisting of a shining Capitol and 12 outlying districts. To keep the districts in line, the Capitol has introduced the Hunger Games. This forces every kid between the ages of 12 and 18 to submit their names for the reaping, one time for each year and extra times based on whether your family needs extra food or not. And each year on a given day, one boy and one girl from each district are chosen to compete in the Hunger Games—a fight to the death on live TV.

During The Hunger Games, contestants are placed in a carefully controlled arena and set on each other—the last one to survive is the winner of the Games. Each move is televised for all of Panem to view, and the families of the contestants are forced to watch their children kill—or be killed.

Katniss Everdeen is 16 years old and her name is in the reaping 20 times. Her sister, Prim, has only just turned 12 and her name in only once—but out of the thousands of entries, Prim’s name is selected! So, it’s the end of the world for Katniss when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. She’s trying to keep her family alive, but she realizes her dilemma. She’s not prepared to kill—but in order to survive the Games, she has to realize that she’s not in Kansas anymore.
The Hunger Games Trilogy currently has two published books—The first book, The Hunger Games, and the second book, Catching Fire. A third book, Mockingjay, will be released in August 2010. The Hunger Games is also a Lone Star Book winner, so check it out in the library today!