Book Review: The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games. Suzanne Collins made this movie in 2008. The book takes place in a fictional America. It is unknown when the book was set, but it took place in Panem. The story is filled with interesting characters, the most important of which care about others without being selfish.
Katniss’ younger sister Primrose is chosen as a tribute during the 74th annual Hunger Games. Katniss decided not to accept this and volunteered as District 12’s Female tribute. By doing so, she saved her younger sister Primrose from being selected for the Hunger Games. Peeta’s Mellark is the male nominee. Peeta was a baker who saved Katniss from starvation by giving her bread.
Katniss Trinket takes Peeta from her district and they travel to the Capitol. Haymitch then tries giving Katniss advice, telling her that she needs to make the public like her if she wants to survive. Peeta does not wave to the audience. Katniss has a meeting with her stylist Cinna. Cinna tells Katniss to get the public, particularly sponsors, to remember her. Cinna tells Katniss that she should dress up in a costume worthy of someone so brave. The Parade will feature tributes dressed as a pair, each wearing an outfit that reflects the district they represent. Katniss is wearing a black suit with a real flame coming from it to represent the district of coal miners. Peeta is also wearing a black suit. Peeta lifts Katniss’s hand up in the air as a way to give the impression that he is a coal miner. Cato’s hot-headedness and intimidating nature make him a potential threat. Haymitch informs Peeta & Katniss of Cato’s origins during a dinner. The tributes are required to train for 18 years before they can openly volunteer to take part in the Hunger Games. Katniss describes Peeta as having impressive strength. However, he rejects these compliments and admits that Katniss is the superior of the tributes. Peeta succeeds in his feat, and the tributes show some respect. Seneca Crane is among the sponsors and game makers who are asked to witness each tribute’s feat. Katniss is angry with the sponsors because they are not treating her well. She fires an arrow into the mouth of a roast pig, directly in front of them. Katniss thanked them sarcastically and left. Careers Cato’s partner Clove, for example, receives a high score of 9 or 10. Peeta is awarded an 8, whereas Katniss is given an 11; this is the highest rating of any tribute.
Snow, President of Capitol, tells Seneca the Hunger Games aim to give districts hope. But too much hope is dangerous. Haymitch informs Katniss that Peeta decided to leave without him because there is only one winner.
Caesar Flickerman is the charismatic host of the Hunger Games TV show. He interviews each tribute and introduces them individually. Katniss gets the audience to laugh and is impressed by her fiery dress. Peeta’s interview is hilarious, and he gets a lot of laughs. Katniss gets angry when Peeta announces that she is his girlfriend. Katniss pinning Peeta on the wall behind the scenes, demanding answers about his behavior. Haymitch warned Katniss just before the Games to head to high ground and search for water to avoid the initial bloodbath. They are all given a tracking device to wear on their arms while they travel by helicopter from the indoor arena. The tributes go underground and are taken to checkpoints. After that, they’re loaded onto platforms for the journey to the outdoor arena. Katniss is seen off by Cinna as she bids her farewell. As she and the other tributes enter the arena, the countdown begins to the Hunger Games. The tributes are brutally attacked and killed as the horn sounds. They rush to the cornucopia in the middle, which is full of weapons, backpacks and other items. Katniss barely escapes Clove’s knife, which Clove has hidden in her pack. Katniss discovers a rope, a jacket, and an empty canteen in the backpack once she has reached a safe range. She follows Haymitch’s suggestion and finds water in the nearby stream. Then, she climbs a tree and tries to sleep. We learn from the loud bangs coming from the cannon that thirteen tributes have been killed in the opening 8 hours. Katniss, perched on a tree branch, witnesses Peeta joining a group Careers in the middle of the night to lead them towards her. Katniss explores the arena too closely the next morning. Cato, Clove, Glimmer and four other tributes band together to find her. We find out that Careers, as a collective, come from districts 1, 2, and 4. They are then illegally taught to fight. A group of 4 Careers from two different districts pursue Katniss. Peeta suggests they wait for Katniss’s eventual descent for food or water.
Katniss, who is sleeping under the same tree with the group, ties her own rope to the branch to keep warm. Rue, an 11-year-old girl who lives in District 11, draws her attention. Rue, on the other hand, is friendly and explains that there’s a huge tracker jacker nest hanging over Katniss below and just above her. Katniss finally manages the climb down and grabs a set of arrows. Peeta appears to be yelling at Katniss to run as she starts to hallucinate. Katniss, after regaining her senses, escapes the house but collapses. Katniss awoke under a trunk of a large tree, covered with leaf bandages. Some nightmares involved her father. Katniss does not know who helped, and she stumbles in the dark, thinking Peeta did it. Rue’s plan is to set small fires and distract the Careers. Katniss will then detonate the mines that surround the mound. The smoke from the fires distracts the Careers, while a tribute boy, from District 3, stands guard at the cornucopia. Katniss is the first to notice a female honoree, who was not noticed by any of the other tributes. Foxface, a District 5 tribute, sprints unnoticed towards the food and supply pyramid. Katniss shoots a bag full of apples at the top to cause them to fall and explode the mines. Katniss looks on, triumphant, while the Careers rush back to clearing. Cato kills the boy, who was also equally confused. Katniss walks away, disturbed at Cato’s apparent ease of killing. Katniss frees Rue, who was trapped in a net by Marvel. Katniss is able to dodge the spear that Marvel throws and then shoot an arrow through his chest. This kills him. Katniss is distraught and sings peacefully to Rue as Rue begins to die. Katniss collects flowers and spreads them on Rue’s body before the hovercraft takes her back to her district. His district takes his lead and destroys stage with the games. While Katniss was making a gesture of peace to the camera, District 11’s ‘Peacekeepers” arrived and shot Rue’s dad dead. President Snow is furious at the District 11 rebellion and wants to change game rules to kill Katniss. Haymitch tries to convince Seneca that Katniss should be kept alive by claiming that the plot is about teen love.
As long as the winners are from the same area, there will be two winners. Katniss is now on the hunt for Peeta, having heard the Careers speak of leaving him by the river. She follows the blood trail to Peeta’s hiding place in the rocks. Katniss takes Peeta into a nearby cave, where they’re well hidden. Katniss heals Peeta’s knife wound. But she realizes Peeta is blood poisoned. Only a certain medicine can cure it. Katniss begins to despair, realizing that Haymitch cannot send the medicine because it would cost too much. As if on cue, an announcement is made that there will a feast in the cornucopia to honor all of the tributes. However, each tribute will not be receiving food but something else they need. Peeta implores Katniss that she not leave him or risk her own death trying to rescue him. Katniss reluctantly accepts his request to stay, even though there could be life-saving medicine in the cornucopia. Gale, who is at home watching the show, becomes smitten. Katniss is patient and waits for Peeta to fall asleep before she leaves the house.
She is surprised to see Foxface sprinting away from the supplies. The other tributes are stunned by her speed. Katniss tries to imitate Foxface as she sprints towards the medicine. She is caught off-guard when Clove launches a sharp knife into her. She mocks Katniss and teases her about her bloodlust. Before Clove has a chance to slit Katniss’ throat, Thresh, a male tribute from district 11, lifts Katniss and throws her against the cornucopia. Thresh says that Katniss has this one chance because she helped Rue. But, everything else is fair play afterward. Katniss escapes. She returns to her cave with the medication and heals herself and Peeta’s wounds. Katniss is hunting when she hears the cannon that signals another death of a tribute. In a panic, Katniss runs back to her last sighting of Peeta. Katniss tells Peeta that the berries she is holding are Nightlock berries, and they are poisonous. Katniss slaps Peeta, telling him that the berries are Nightlock and extremely poisonous. Two more dogs follow them. Peeta helped Katniss, barely able to make it up herself, climb the cornucopia.
Cato is on top of it, and he attacks Katniss. He tries to throw her into the dogs. Cato holds Katniss near the edge, and Peeta has to fight off Cato. Cato gains the upper-hand and holds Peeta down in a choking hold, either to break Peeta’s neck, like seen previously, or to throw Peeta over to the mutant dog.
Katniss unsheathes her arrow as she points it towards him, unsure if she should shoot. Cato, with his bloody face, laughs savagely, telling her what the game is about. Cato, still choking Peeta as he talks, seems to be telling Katniss that he is trying to explain something. Katniss fires her hand at him, forcing Peeta to release his grip. Peeta shoves Cato into the gully, where the canines will mutilate him. Katniss & Peeta watch Cato being brutally attacked. Katniss fires an arrow to end Cato’s suffering. Katniss realizes that she and Peeta have won The Hunger Games when the final cannon is fired. Peeta pleads with Katniss for her to kill Peeta in order to win the Hunger Games, but Katniss holds out a hand full of Nightlock berries. She keeps some and gives Peeta the rest, implying that she would rather have no winner than one. Haymitch explains how foolish it is that they defied the Capitol by doing so and tells Katniss to act up as a star-crossed lover at their last interview. Haymitch tells Katniss she’s a political foe after her public defiance towards the society’s leadership, even though they’re given a hero welcome. Peeta holds Katniss up in the air while President Snow watches District 12’s welcome. The President is unsure what to make of the two District 12 winners, and any feelings that may have been created by them.
This book is a good read and I recommend it to everyone. It was a good story with characters like Katniss, Peeta and others who fight to save their families and return to them. The Hunger Games has a slight romantic touch. This book is for anyone who enjoys books with a twist, romance and lots of action. After reading it, you’ll feel great about it and want it to be read again.
