The Hunger Games

Hm...where to begin with this book. I loved it! Parents, if you want your son or daughter to read a book that they will really enjoy from the very first page than this is perfect for them! I remember that as a young adult I would get so excited to read a certain book, but as I began to read it I would lose interest. If the book did not catch my attention immediately than I would put it down to "read later", but never come back to it. The Hunger Games is definitely not that type of book. From the very first page readers are engrossed in an entirely new world, following along as a young girl goes on the adventure of a life time.

~Spoiler Alert~

This next session will be dedicated to details within the text. Themes, characters, what I thought of it, and possibly how it ended. If you don't want the ending to be given away then please don't continue!

Katniss Everdeen is a young girl who takes her sisters place in the 74th Hunger Games. The Hunger Games are an annual televised event, in which the evil Capital puts young boys and girls against one another to see who will survive. Katniss is known as "the girl on fire" due to her wardrobe and her fierce competitiveness. Katniss' eventual partner for the hunger Games, Peeta, is in love with Katniss and confesses this while on live television. Katniss knows that to survive she must use the audience's emotions, using Peeta's love for her as a means to get audiences to help keep her alive.

This book would be a great read for young adults because it is a story about fighting without the slightest thought of giving up. As we grow older we see that life is not always perfect. It can be difficult, sad, angering, emotional, and a lot of the time simply un-fun. This book deals with all of those issues, but shows what it means to push through them and keep going.

Another good reason why this book is appropriate for children is because it is a way of stepping back from our own lives and seeing just how grateful we each should be for the freedom that we have. Katniss and Peeta come from a place where they do not have the normal things that we view as necessities. They wear the same clothes daily, and must fight for the small rations of food that they have. I think that kids would read this book and begin to be grateful for the small things in life. A home, clothes, food, friends, and most of all, freedom. I really think that they would be more appreciative and grateful for the things that they have been blessed with.

Lastly, the book is appropriate because it shows what happens when you keep going. Katniss refused to give up and fought to the very end, finally winning the competition. Because of her ability to keep a steady mind throughout the competition, she ended up being victorious even though all odds were against her. It is a story of the underdog becoming the victor.

Overall, this book is not only an incredible story, but it also will help your children to love reading and leave them thirsty for more.