Happy Hunger Games...

...And may the odds be ever in your favor!

If you haven't been living under a rock these days then you've probably heard about some books called The Hunger Games trilogy.  I was first introduced to these books while student teaching.  The students just could not put them down!  I finally got a hold of them this past December and finished them all in a couple weeks.  The first book is definitely my favorite!  Although they are made for young adults and have a lot of violence, they also have an interesting theme of what happens when government gets too big and controlling. 

I won't tell you what happens in the second and third book so as not to give away any spoilers of the first book.  I will give you a brief synopsis of the book to try to sell it to you though ;o)

The books take place in the United States in the future.  The United States as we know it was destroyed by natural disasters and rebellion.  Now there are 12 "Districts" left around the country.  Each one has a niche - seafood, mining, electronics, agriculture, etc.  These Districts are controlled by the President in the Capitol, a giant city in the Rocky Mountains.  President Snow rules the country (now called Panem) with an iron fist.  To protect the country against another rebellion, he makes sure everyone knows who is in charge.  One way he does this is by having the Hunger Games every year. 

Each year, one boy and one girl ages 12 through 18 are chosen to represent each District in the Hunger Games as "tributes".  The Hunger Games are kind of a big deal.  There are stylists, sponsors, etc for each of the different District tributes.  The teens must fight to the death in a specially constructed arena in order the protect themselves.  Anything goes in the arena - there are even some surprises that the Game makers throw in.  The last person standing is the winner of the Hunger Games and as a reward is given a new house and an unlimited supply of food.  It is also their job to train the tributes from their District in future Hunger Games. 

If this plot doesn't sound interesting enough then check out the trailer for the movie that comes out in March!  It will do a better job at peaking your interest in the books I'm sure:

It looks good, doesn't it?!  Plus it has some good cast members - Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, and Lenny Kravitz.  Comment below and tell me if you would read the books or see the movie.  If you have already read them, what do you think?