Mockingjay (Hunger Games #3)

Mockingjay is the final book in the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. In my opinion this is one of the best dystopian series ever written.

It is difficult to describe the storyline of Mockingjay without giving away spoilers from the first two books - so this entry will be more about the overall series and feel of the novel.

Katniss Everdeen of District 12 in Paneem is a character who will give her life to save her sister, she will battle foes to the death, she will learn to love, and she will be the face of a revolution.

The Hunger Games were devised by the Capitol to keep the 12 districts in line. Each year two tributes, a teen boy and girl, are chosen to represent their district in a fight to the death on live television. In book one when her sister is chosen, Katniss volunteers to take her place. Through an amazing turn of events and circumstances, Katniss survives the Hunger Games.

In the second book, Catching Fire, because it is a 25th anniversary of the Games and the rebellion they are meant to remind people of, there is a twist. Contestants who won in the past will be put back in the arena to fight again. But the games do not end the way that the Capitol has written.

In Mockingjay, the rebellion that the games are meant to keep suppressed can no longer be contained. By the end, either the rebels will be forced back into their near-slave roles they have been assigned, or they will take over the whole of Panem and create a new government.

Suzanne Collins is a genius. This series is amazing. Readers who like suspense, action, great writing, compelling characters, and more would do well to run to the bookstore or library right now and start reading the series!

Collins, Suzanne. (2010). Mockingjay. New York: Scholastic.

Catching Fire (Hunger Games #2)

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins is the second book in the Hunger Games.

This sequel is a fast-paced thrill from cover to cover - each chapter leaving the reader more tense than the last. Unfortunately, I cannot say much about it without spoiling the ending of the first book. So, if you have not read The Hunger Games do so before reading this post!


It has been almost a year since the last Hunger Games. Life in District 12 is back to normal for most, for Katniss and Peeta it is better. They have the money to provide for their families. Due to the winner being from 12, each family in the district gets a care package of food and supplies each month - so really, all are better off.

Katniss is not looking forward to the upcoming tour she is required to do as winner. She does not miss all of the make up, clothing, and fuss she has to be subjected to.

This year, being the 75th year of the Games, which commemorate the failed uprising of the people and their reliance on the Capital, is an even bigger year for the contestants. Each quarter of a century there is a Quarter Quell instead of the regular (still brutal) Games.

When the rules for the Quell are announced, everyone is shocked that the Capital could be so cruel. It may be that the leaders have gone too far this time. Will there be a revolution? If so, how will it help those trapped in the Quell, fighting to the death?

Collins, Suzanne. (2009). Catching Fire. New York: Scholastic.

The Hunger Games (book #1)

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a book you will not be able to put down.

In this dystopian future, after the current countries have failed, Panem is the civilization that exists where the US is now. It is made of one Capital City and 12 supporting districts that support it. There were thirteen districts but one was destroyed with the citizen tried to revolt.

Now The Hunger Games are played each year to remind all citizens of the power the government holds over them.
In each district two tributes are chosen - one male and one female - between the ages of 12 and 18. These contestants fight each other to the death in the ultimate reality television show.

In District 12 the day participants are chosen is a day of fear for all families. This is the first year that Prim is entered into the drawing. The odds are in her favor with only one slip of paper with her name - names that are not drawn stay in the bowl for the next year - but she is chosen none the less. In an act of bravery her sister Katniss volunteers to go in her place.

Now Katniss must fight twenty-three other tributes to stay alive - including Peeta, the boy who gave her family food when they were on the verge of starving to death.

This first book in the series is sure to grab your attention and not let go until the end and leave you waiting impatiently for the next installment ...

Collins, Suzanne. (2008). The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic.