BookLook review of "The Hunger Games"

It wasn't really laziness having these YA readers write the column but a quest for reaching out to the younger newspaper readers by involving them.

"The Hunger Games"
Young adult fiction can be a pleasant addiction for all ages. The books are often “good-clean-fun” and provide entertainment for readers who are turning thirteen or turning twenty-nine (again). In “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins, her futuristic novel causes the reader to wonder if reality T.V. could get extreme enough for a real battle to the death. Will the television viewers of the future regress to barbaric Roman times with televised teen gladiators?

Mrs. Winkleman’s sixth grade students from Art City are writing the review for this week’s column. I wish there had been room to print all their comments! Their voices will give you a better description of this very popular young adult book.

I asked the students why they obviously liked the story and here are a couple of their interesting answers. “I like this book because the setting is in the future. Will she win the Hunger Games? Will she take home the gold?” (Betsy) “It’s really riveting. This book is a funny action packed book that is hard to predict and the characters are smart.” (Keaton)
“It’s an amazing adventure right here in North America. This is a book that I can’t swim away from.” (Dylan – not sure the difference between walking away and swimming away from a book…) “I enjoy reading the book because it’s intense. You are instantly hooked and you feel emotion when something happens to the characters.” (Leah) “I believe you would like this book just as much as I do because it is action packed.” (Suzanne) “I recommend this book because when I started to read it I couldn’t put it down. This book is filled with romance, action, and drama.” (Scott – and he had book 2 sitting on the corner of his desk so he means what he says. He was the only boy to mention the romance sub-plot so heads up mom and dad.)

What did they think about the main character who is a sixteen year old girl? “The characters in this book are sweet but have to learn how to be tough. If they don’t that could end their life. When Katniss volunteers to go to the Hunger Games in place of her little sister, her life could end. It shows that if people don’t rebel against a bad government everyone has to pay.” (Carmen – if she runs for student council watch out for her Mr. Rowe.) “It’s about a girl named Katniss who is stuck in the hunger games because her sister was drawn to be in them but Katniss said she would take her spot. This tells you that she is a very responsible sister and brave.” (Jason)

Students were warned not to give away the ending although as an obvious lead into book two it was not very satisfying. “Peeta, a boy who is fighting with Katniss goes to the Capital and gets pushed into a habit ring to fight other people to the death. They must know how to survive…will they or will they not?” (Bailey) “If you read this book you will never put it down. I am not going to tell you the ending so you better find out by reading it!” (Samantha)