Peach’s Picks Rating
Title:
Hunger Games (audio book, unabridged edition)
Author:
Suzanne Collins
Narrator:
Carolyn McCormick
Illustrator:
None
ISBN:
978-0545091022
Publisher:
Scholastic Audio Books
Copyright:
2008
Length:
11 hours, 11 minute
9 compact discs
Plot Summary:
Katniss Everdeen, the 16-year-old protagonist of the story lives in a dystopian society located in the wreckage of North America. Panem, the country created after the destruction of the United States, is divided into 12 districts ruled by the Capitol. People in the districts live in utter poverty. All are required to support the Capitol by supplying the Capitol with resources, leaving little to sustain the district’s citizens. Districts have no interaction with one another with the exception of the annual Hunger Games. In these games each district sends a teen girl and boy to compete in the games pitting teens from all districts against one another in a battle of survival. Katniss lives in District 12, the poorest district as well as the least successful in the Hunger Games. Katniss’ younger sister is selected to play, but knowing she will never survive, Katniss takes her place and is thrust into the spectacle along with the baker’s son from District 12. Their survival and ultimate winning are a combination of skill, strength, intelligence, and cooperation. They win and return home as champions, but life has changed forever.
Critical Evaluation:
The book is written in first person and Carolyn McCormick’s narration captures the spirit of Katniss as well as the tension in the author’s writing. McCormick’s voice is well-modulated and easy to understand. She sets her speech at an even pace while maintaining the ability to express emotions and tension. The main characters, Katniss and Peeta, are believable, realistic, and evoke sympathy. The secondary characters are also well-drawn and fit the roles created for them. The pain of growing up impoverished and governed by leaders who care only for a district’s resources rather than their constituents is palatable. The writing flows smoothly, keeping the reader engaged with plot twists, adventures, mysterious happenings, and political intrigue. Even though the book is a trilogy, the ending is satisfactory. Readers will want to continue with the series because they care about the characters, not because they have been cheated out of a conclusion. The book and its sequels will appeal to fans born in the Millennial generation and raised on reality television.
Reader’s Annotation:
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen lives in a futurist dystopian American society that pits teens against teens in gladiator-like games broadcast on television which is required viewing for all. She fights teens better trained than she and is forced to make grim choices in order to survive.
Author Information:
As a child she enjoyed gymnastics, reading and playing in the woods
She has three old siblings: two sisters and a brother
Her father was in the Air Force so the family moved frequently when she was a child
Write for children’s television including the programs: Clarissa Explains it All and The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo, among others
James Proimos, a fellow television writer encouraged her to write children’s books
Lives in Connecticut with her family and cats
Genre:
Science fiction
Curriculum Ties:
Use in literature classes and recommend to science fiction/fantasy clubs
Booktalking Ideas:
If you read and enjoyed The Knife of Never Letting Go series by Patrick Ness, you will enjoy this book or audio version of the book.
Author:
Suzanne Collins
Narrator:
Carolyn McCormick
Illustrator:
None
ISBN:
978-0545091022
Publisher:
Scholastic Audio Books
Copyright:
2008
Length:
11 hours, 11 minute
9 compact discs
Plot Summary:
Katniss Everdeen, the 16-year-old protagonist of the story lives in a dystopian society located in the wreckage of North America. Panem, the country created after the destruction of the United States, is divided into 12 districts ruled by the Capitol. People in the districts live in utter poverty. All are required to support the Capitol by supplying the Capitol with resources, leaving little to sustain the district’s citizens. Districts have no interaction with one another with the exception of the annual Hunger Games. In these games each district sends a teen girl and boy to compete in the games pitting teens from all districts against one another in a battle of survival. Katniss lives in District 12, the poorest district as well as the least successful in the Hunger Games. Katniss’ younger sister is selected to play, but knowing she will never survive, Katniss takes her place and is thrust into the spectacle along with the baker’s son from District 12. Their survival and ultimate winning are a combination of skill, strength, intelligence, and cooperation. They win and return home as champions, but life has changed forever.
Critical Evaluation:
The book is written in first person and Carolyn McCormick’s narration captures the spirit of Katniss as well as the tension in the author’s writing. McCormick’s voice is well-modulated and easy to understand. She sets her speech at an even pace while maintaining the ability to express emotions and tension. The main characters, Katniss and Peeta, are believable, realistic, and evoke sympathy. The secondary characters are also well-drawn and fit the roles created for them. The pain of growing up impoverished and governed by leaders who care only for a district’s resources rather than their constituents is palatable. The writing flows smoothly, keeping the reader engaged with plot twists, adventures, mysterious happenings, and political intrigue. Even though the book is a trilogy, the ending is satisfactory. Readers will want to continue with the series because they care about the characters, not because they have been cheated out of a conclusion. The book and its sequels will appeal to fans born in the Millennial generation and raised on reality television.
Reader’s Annotation:
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen lives in a futurist dystopian American society that pits teens against teens in gladiator-like games broadcast on television which is required viewing for all. She fights teens better trained than she and is forced to make grim choices in order to survive.
Author Information:
As a child she enjoyed gymnastics, reading and playing in the woods
She has three old siblings: two sisters and a brother
Her father was in the Air Force so the family moved frequently when she was a child
Write for children’s television including the programs: Clarissa Explains it All and The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo, among others
James Proimos, a fellow television writer encouraged her to write children’s books
Lives in Connecticut with her family and cats
Genre:
Science fiction
Curriculum Ties:
Use in literature classes and recommend to science fiction/fantasy clubs
Booktalking Ideas:
If you read and enjoyed The Knife of Never Letting Go series by Patrick Ness, you will enjoy this book or audio version of the book.
If you enjoy watching the television show Survivor, you will enjoy this book.
The characters come alive when listening to this book . . . will 16-year-old Katniss survive the brutal gladiator-like games and return home . . . or is home only a dream?
Reading Level/Interest Age:
14-17 years old
Additional Books by Author:
Catching Fire (sequel to Hunger Games)
Mockingjay (third and final book of the Hunger Games series)
Gregor the Overlander (Underland Chronicles series)
Challenge Issues:
Violence and sexual situations
Deal with challenge by having a challenge policy in place, selection policy in place (ALA policies). Meet with library administration if necessary. Provide positive review(s) from professional publications.
Why this work is included in Peach’s Picks:
The book received starred reviews in School Library Journal and Booklist. Five peaches are award because the story is engrossing and well narrated by Carolyn McCormick.
Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/Hunger-Games-Audio-Suzanne-Collins/dp/0545091020/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272909477&sr=8-1
References:
Collins, S. (2010). “Biography”. Suzanne Collins. Retrieved April 28, 2010, from http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/bio.htm
Collins, S. (2010). “Interview”. Suzanne Collins. Retrieved April 28, 2010, from http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/events.htm
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