The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (374 pages)
In Panem, two boys and two girls from each of the 12 districts are chosen from a random drawing to be the contestants in the annual Hunger Games. The 24 contestants are taken to the Capitol and groomed, trained, and prepared for the Games. Once the televised Games begin, the 24 contestants are stranded in an arena with only their strength and wits to save them. They are expected to fight to the death, with the last person standing declared the winner. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdene and her male counterpart, Peeta, son of the breadmaker, begin an unlikely romance in the Games. The question is: Is the romance real or is it created to please the sponsors and the tv audience? Equal parts heartbreaking and scary, the first in this series will make you think long and hard about what our future may become.
Miss Simer’s Rating: ***1/2
In Life as We Knew It, the reader got to meet Miranda and experience what it was like in her small town when the moon was hit by an asteroid, moved closer to Earth, and completely destroyed millions of lives. In this novel, the reader gets to experience the same event, but this time, it is from seventeen-year-old Alex’s perspective. He lives in an apartment building in New York City with his parents and two sisters. His parents are among the missing from day one, leaving Alex to care for his 15 and 12-year-old sisters Bri and Julie. The kids rely on their church and school to help them get food, but soon most people begin leaving the city. Hungry and desperate, Alex goes “body shopping” to get items he can barter for cans of food. With supplies dwindling, Alex knows he must find a way to get his sisters out of the city, but how?? I recommend reading this book in tandem with Life as We Knew It to see what Miranda and Alex are facing at the same time, but in different parts of the country. Very fascinating, but scary story!
In this futuristic society, Miri, along with the other fifteen-year-olds, is expected to showcase her Talent before she can be Masked. However, Miri has not yet discovered her true Talent, and the Masker allows Miri to have an extra year to find her Talent. Miri sneaks into the Masking ceremony and watches as her friends’ talents are taken by the Masker and their life’s energy is drained to dullness. The Masker finds Miri and instantly decides she has seen too much and must be Masked as a house servant, the lowest job of the society. Before she can be Masked as a house servant, Miri escapes to the surrounding Deadlands and discovers the Secret Valley. Here she finds instruments, singing, beautiful landscapes, and the truth behind Masking and the Masker. Can she return to her society to save her people from being puppets for the Master? If you like The Giver, you will love this book!
Seventeen-year-old Hunter is aptly named - he is a cool hunter, sent out by a shoe corporation to find the newest ideas. His finds become the trends you see on TV and in fashion. With his innovative friend Jen at his side, the two find themselves in trouble when they stumble upon a collection of the coolest shoes ever created - and they were created by a company who is in direct competition with Hunter’s. When Mandy, Hunter’s boss, goes missing, foul play is suspected and Hunter and Jen set out to find the people responsible. Filled with trendy references and big-business conspiracies, this novel takes the reader on quite a ride.
In a not-so-distant future, the battle between pro-life and pro-choice has finally been won. Abortions are illegal and mothers of newborn babies have the opportunity to “stork” their baby by leaving it on anyone’s doorstep. The person that finds the baby legally becomes its parent. Another option given to parents in this society is to have their child “unwound.” Unwinding is a process in which all of a person’s body parts are harvested and given to the highest bidder. The pro-life leaders believe this ensures the person still lives on, just in pieces. Sentenced to be unwound are sixteen-year-old Connor, whose temper tantrums and fighting led his parents to their decision, and fifteen-year-old Risa, who is part of a “teen cleanout” at the state home for orphans. The two manage to escape the juvy cops assigned to take them to harvest camp and soon find themselves being passed from safe home to safe home along with several other runaway Unwinds. Both creepy and thought-provoking, this novel gives the reader a look into a bleak future, and it will definitely please fans of Shusterman’s Everlost or Margaret Peterson Haddix’s Shadow Children series.
Sequel to The City of Ember 