The story starts with a sixteen year old girl called Katniss Everdeen who lives in a post-apocalyptic land called Panem, which is supposed to be what is left of America. The story begins with Katniss out hunting in the woods with her best friend called Gale. They have to hunt because they live in a very poor part of the country called District 12 where there is not enough food, so they have to hunt to feed their families. Katniss is very skilled with a bow and arrow, which her Dad taught her before he died in a mine explosion. Now she is responsible for feeding her mum and her sister.
Then, we find out about the ‘Reaping’: an annual event in Panem where a girl and a boy are chosen from each district to go and fight to the death on live TV in an event called the Hunger Games. The Games were created by The Capitol – the wealthy, ruling part of Panem – to remind the districts that The Capitol has complete power over them. At the Reaping, Katniss’s little sister, Primrose Everdeen gets selected but immediately Katniss volunteers to replace her and take part in the games herself. The other Tribute from District 12 is a boy from Katniss’s class at school called Peeta Mellark.
They are transported to The Capitol, where they are shocked to see how luxurious life is compared to the hardships of District 12. They meet a great cast of characters, my favourites being Cinna the stylist who makes Katniss look amazing; Caesar Flickerman the TV host; and Effie Trinket, the Escort to the Tributes from District 12. These characters are all described brilliantly and have very vivid personalities.
I won’t describe the events of The Games because I don’t want to ruin the plot for you, but it is quite brutal and shocking in parts so this book is probably not suitable for under 10s. However, I thought it was a tense and gripping read and I liked the way the story was told in the present tense by Katniss. I thought this made it easier to see how she changes over the course of the book.
Another thing I liked was that some of the aspects of the book are quite similar to Greek and Roman times and myths such as young people being sacrificed to the Minotaur and Gladiators fighting in an arena. To conclude this was an amazing book and I highly recommend it to children and adults alike.
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