The Hunger Games

 I saved the very best book for last! For my last blog, I decided to read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I remember sitting in the back of my middle school science classroom secretly reading this book. The main character is named Katniss Everdeen, and she lives with her little sister Prim and her mom. To help feed her family, she has to illegally hunt. What she catches she sells or eats at home. Katniss lives in a world where North America has collapsed, and the country of Panem has risen up and taken over. The Capitol decided to split everyone into 12 districts. Every year each district has a drawing that makes one man and one woman as a tribute to play in the Hunger Games. The tributes go into a televised arena and fight to the death. When the drawing happens, Katniss's sister is picked. Katniss decides to volunteer and take her place. The boy is chosen, and it is Peeta Mellark. Peeta and Katniss have a bond because Peeta saved her life. When Katniss was on the bridge of starvation, Peeta gave her some bread that saved her life. When the games start going Katniss is quick to hide, and near the end of the game, she finds Peeta. The two fall in love and risks their lives to win the game.
     I absolutely love this book because of all the themes that are hidden in it. One that I noticed was the inequality between the rich and the poor. In the Hunger Games, the Capitol is considered rich. They get all of the food and clothes. Most of the higher numbered districts are poor. They have to fight for food and wear rags as clothes. Another example from the book is the picking of the tributes. The poor and the higher number of the district is most likely to be put in the picking pot more than the rich or lower district. In the parts where getting food is not likey children can exchange extra rations for putting their names into the pickings. The wealthier districts train the children to take part in the Games and usually volunteer to do so. This is just one of the many hidden themes that make this book amazing. The Hunger Games is a book that everyone should read, and it will forever be on my bookshelf.