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The Hunger Games

The North American first edition cover.
Author	Suzanne Collins
Cover artist	Tim O'Brien
Language	English
Series	The Hunger Games trilogy
Genre	Science fiction/ Young adult/ Adventure / dystopian
Publisher	Scholastic
Publication date	September 14, 2008
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (Hardback)
Pages	374
ISBN	0439023483
OCLC	181516677
LC Class	PZ7.C6837 Hun 2008
Followed by	Catching Fire

The Hunger Games is a young adult novel written by Suzanne Collins. It was originally published in hardcover on September 14, 2008, by Scholastic. It is written in first person and introduces sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in a post-apocalyptic world in the country of Panem where the countries of North America once existed. The Capitol, a highly advanced metropolis, holds absolute power over the rest of the nation. The Hunger Games are an annual event in which one boy and one girl aged 12 to 18 from each of the 12 districts surrounding the Capitol are selected by lottery to compete in a televised battle in which only one person can survive.

The book has been released as a paperback and also an audiobook and e-book. The Hunger Games had an initial print of 200,000 – twice doubled from the original 50,000. Since its initial release, the novel has been translated into 26 different languages and rights of production have been sold in 38 countries. The book received mostly positive reviews from major reviewers and authors. The Hunger Games is the first novel in The Hunger Games trilogy, followed by Catching Fire, published on September 1, 2009, and Mockingjay, published on August 24, 2010.

A film adaptation, written and produced by Collins herself and directed by Gary Ross, will be released March 23, 2012 in the United States. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta, and Liam Hemsworth as Gale.

Inspiration and origins

Collins says that the inspiration to write The Hunger Games came from channel surfing on television. On one channel she observed people competing on a reality show.

Plot

The Hunger Games takes place after the destruction of North America, in a nation known as Panem. Panem consists of a wealthy Capitol and twelve surrounding, poorer districts. District 12, where the book begins, is located in the coal-rich region that was formerly Appalachia.

As punishment for a previous rebellion against the Capitol in which a 13th district was destroyed, one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 from each district are selected by annual lottery to participate in the Hunger Games, a televised event in which the participants (or "tributes") must fight to the death in a dangerous outdoor arena controlled by the Capitol, until only one remains. The story follows 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, a girl from District 12 who volunteers for the 74th annual Hunger Games in place of her younger sister, Primrose. Also selected from District 12 is Peeta Mellark, a baker's son whom Katniss knows from school, who once gave her bread when her family was starving.

Katniss and Peeta are taken to the Capitol where their drunken mentor, Haymitch Abernathy, victor of the 50th Hunger Games, instructs them to watch and learn the talents of the other tributes. They are then publicly displayed to the Capitol audience in a televised session with interviewer Caesar Flickerman. During this time, Peeta reveals on-air his long-time unrequited love for Katniss. Katniss believes this to be a ploy to gain audience support for the Games, which can be crucial for survival, as audience members are encouraged to send gifts like food, medicine, and tools to favored tributes during the Games. The Games begin with 11 of the 24 tributes dying in the first day, while Katniss relies on her well-practiced hunting and outdoor skills to survive. As the games continue, the tribute death toll increases. A few days later, Katniss develops an alliance with Rue, a 12-year-old girl from the agricultural District 11 who reminds Katniss of her sister Prim. The alliance is short-lived: Rue is killed by another tribute, whom Katniss shoots through the neck with an arrow before comforting Rue as she dies. At Rue's request Katniss sings to her, then spreads flowers over her body as a sign of respect--and of disgust towards the Capitol.

Supposedly due to Katniss and Peeta's beloved image in the minds of the audience as "star-crossed lovers", a rule change is announced midway through the Games, stating that two tributes from the same district can win the Hunger Games as a pair. Upon hearing this, Katniss searches for Peeta and eventually finds him wounded. As she nurses him back to health, she acts the part of a young girl falling in love to gain more favor with the audience and, consequently, gifts from her sponsors. When the couple are finally the last two tributes, the Gamemakers reverse the rule change in an attempt to force them into a dramatic finale, where one must kill the other to win. Katniss, in the hopes that the Gamemakers would rather have two victors than none, retrieves highly poisonous berries known as "nightlock" from her pouch and offers some to Peeta. Upon realizing that Katniss and Peeta intend to commit suicide, the Gamemakers announce that both will be the victors of the 74th Hunger Games.

Although she survives the ordeal in the arena and is treated to a hero's welcome in the Capitol, Katniss is warned by Haymitch that she has now become a political target after defying her society's authoritarian leaders so publicly. Afterwards, Peeta is heartbroken when he learns that Katniss' actions in the arena were part of a calculated ploy to earn sympathy from the audience. However, Katniss is unsure of her own feelings, and realizes that she is dreading the moment when she and Peeta will go their separate ways.

Main characters

Katniss Everdeen is the 16-year-old protagonist. She lives in a region of District 12 known as the Seam, which is the poorest area of the district. She lives with her mother and sister, Primrose, whom she calls simply "Prim". Her father died before the beginning of the story in a mining accident. She is described as having dark hair, olive skin, and gray eyes. She is best friends with Gale Hawthorne. She makes a living by illegally hunting with Gale in the forest borders of her district and selling her catch in the Hob, District 12's black market. She volunteers to be a tribute in the Games in order to save her sister, Primrose Everdeen, who was originally chosen and has blond hair and blue eyes. She must enter the Games along with Peeta Mellark and have the mentorship of Haymitch Abernathy. Katniss has mixed feelings for both Peeta and Gale.

Peeta Mellark is 16 years old as well, and was born in the richer part of the district to a baker. He has wavy blonde hair and blue eyes, a physical indicator of the wealthier people who were born in town, and is described as being very strong. He is the chosen male tribute to represent District 12. He saves Katniss' life multiple times, and has had a crush on her since he first saw her at age 5 at school but never had the courage to reveal it until the Games.

Haymitch Abernathy is the mentor of Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen, and is the tribute winner of the 50th Hunger Games. Haunted by the nightmares of the Games he was in, he is rarely sober throughout the book. At first he does not bother to protect Peeta and Katniss from the doom awaiting them in the Games, but after they prove their strength he guides them through the Games.

Gale Hawthorne is 18 in the first book of the trilogy, and is Katniss's best friend. They've met up in the woods for years prior to the beginning of the novel and since then became best friends and hunting partners. Gale's appearance is similar to Katniss', as is true of most people who live in their area. Gale became head of the Hawthorne family after his father was killed along with Katniss' father in the same mine explosion. Katniss mentions that Gale is, "the only person with whom I can be myself."

Themes

In an interview with Collins, it was noted that the books " issues like severe poverty, starvation, oppression, and the effects of war among others". The book deals with the struggle for self-preservation that the people of Panem face in their districts and the Hunger Games in which they must participate. The starvation and need for resources that the citizens encounter both in and outside of the arena create an atmosphere of helplessness that the main characters try to overcome in their fight for survival. Katniss's proficiency with the bow and arrow stems from her need to hunt in order to provide food for her family—this necessity results in the development of skills that are useful to her in the Games, and represents her rejection of the Capitol's rules in the face of life-threatening situations.

The tributes build a personality they want the audience to see throughout the Games. Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) names the major themes of The Hunger Games as "government control, 'big brother', and personal independence". ref name="forbes" /> The theme of power and downfall, similar to that of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, was pointed out by Scholastic.

Publication history

The Hunger Games was first published as a hardcover in the US on September 14, 2008. An audiobook version was released in December 2008, and is read by Carolyn McCormick. A trade paperback edition of the book was released on July 6, 2010.

Audiobook

An audiobook version of The Hunger Games was released in December 2008, is read by Carolyn McCormick, and runs at about eleven hours, ten minutes. The magazine AudioFile said: "Carolyn McCormick gives a detailed and attentive narration. However, she may rely too much on the strength of the prose without providing the drama young adult listeners often enjoy." School Library Journal also praised her performance: "Carolyn McCormick ably voices the action-packed sequences and Katniss's every fear and strength shines through, along with her doomed growing attraction to one of her fellow Tributes."

Sales

After writing the novel, Collins signed a six-figure deal for three books with Scholastic in 2006. The first book originally had a 50,000 first printing, which was then bumped up twice to 200,000 copies. By February 11, 2010, The Hunger Games had sold 800,000 copies and 26 foreign editions. Rights to the novel have been sold in 38 territories, and there are over 2.9 million copies in print. The book is a USA Today and The New York Times Best Seller. It was on The New York Times list for over 100 consecutive weeks as of September 2010.

The Hunger Games trilogy has sold exceptionally well in ebook format. Suzanne Collins is the first children’s or young adult author to sell over one million Kindle ebooks, making her the sixth author to join the “Kindle Million Club”, which recognizes authors who have sold over 1 million paid units in the Amazon Kindle store.

Cover

The cover of The Hunger Games is black, featuring a gold mockingjay, a bird born from genetically engineered stock, with an arrow inscribed in a circle. This is an image of the pin given to Katniss by the District 12 mayor's daughter, Madge Undersee, which Katniss wears in the arena. The image matches the description of the pin that is given in the book, except for the arrow: "It's as if someone fashioned a small golden bird and then attached a ring around it. The bird is connected to the ring only by its wing tips."

Critical reception

The review also called it one of the best books of 2008. Booklist also gave a positive review, praising the character romance involved in the book. In a review for The New York Times, John Green wrote that the novel was "brilliantly plotted and perfectly paced", and that "the considerable strength of the novel comes in Collins's convincingly detailed world-building and her memorably complex and fascinating heroine." However, he also noted that sometimes the book does not realize the allegorical potential that the plot has to offer and that the writing "described the action and little else". 

Kirkus Reviews gave a positive review, praising the action and world-building, but pointed out that "poor copyediting in the first printing will distract careful readers—a crying shame".web|first=Lev|last=Grossman|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1919156-2,00.html%7Ctitle=Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins|work = Time |date=September 7, 2009|accessdate=December 7, 2010web|url=http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/%7Ctitle=Home — Suzanne Collins|last=Riordan|first=Rick|accessdate=July 12, 2010}}</ref> Stephenie Meyer (author of the Twilight series) endorsed the book on her website, saying, "I was so obsessed with this book....The Hunger Games is amazing."

Awards

The Hunger Games received a number of awards and honors. It was named one of Publishers Weekly's "Best Books of the Year" in 2008 and a The New York Times "Notable Children's Book of 2008". Winners|publisher=GoldenDuckAwards.com|date=November 27, 2010|accessdate=December 16, 2010}}</ref> The Hunger Games was also a "2008 Cybil Winner" for fantasy and science-fiction books along with The Graveyard Book. It also one of School Library Journal's "Best Books 2008" and a "Booklist Editors' Choice" in 2008. In 2011, the book won the California Young Reader Medal. In the 2012 edition of Scholastic's Parent and Child magazine, The Hunger Games was listed as the 33rd best book for children, with the award for "Most Exciting Ending".

Film adaptation

Lions Gate Entertainment acquired worldwide distribution rights to a film adaptation of The Hunger Games, which is being produced by Nina Jacobson's production company Color Force. Collins adapted the novel for film herself, and her script was reviewed by screenwriter Billy Ray. Collins wrote the script and intended the film to have a PG-13 rating.

The film will be directed by Gary Ross with Jennifer Lawrence in the role of Katniss, Josh Hutcherson in the role of Peeta, and Liam Hemsworth in the role of Gale. The filmmakers went into production in late Spring 2011 with an anticipated release date of March 23, 2012. A sequel is due to be released on November 22, 2013.

See also

• Series 7: The Contenders
• The Condemned

References

1. Stephen King (September 8, 2008). "Book Review: The Hunger Games". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
2. Collins, Suzanne. "Planning the Trilogy" (Video) (Interview). Retrieved December 14, 2008. {{cite interview}}: Unknown parameter |program= ignored (help)
3. "The Hunger Games". Scholastic. Retrieved March 9, 2009.
4. Keith Staskiewicz (February 11, 2010). "Final 'Hunger Games' novel has been given a title and a cover". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 11, 2010.
5. Collins, Suzanne (2008). The Hunger Games. Scholastic. p. 41. ISBN 0-439-02348-3.. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
6. "Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3)". Powell's Books. Retrieved February 25, 2012.
7. Carnar, Alison (2009). "The Hunger Games (book review)". Scientific Commons. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
8. ^ Hartmann, Cristina. "What, If Anything, Does The Hunger Games Series Teach Us About Strategy?". Forbes. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
9. "Barnes & Noble, The Hunger Games (Editorial Reviews)". Retrieved July 28, 2010.
10. "The Hunger Games trilogy Discussion Guide" (PDF). Scholastic. Retrieved January 2, 2010.
11. ^ "The Hunger Games audiobook". Audible.com. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
12. "Suzanne Collins's Third Book in The Hunger Games Trilogy to be Published on August 24, 2010". Scholastic. December 3, 2009. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
13. "AudioFile audiobook review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Read by Carolyn McCormick". AudioFile. December 2008. Retrieved 2010-12-07.
14. Osborne, Charli (April 1, 2009). "Multimedia Review". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2010-07-22.
15. ^ Cite error: The named reference Dark Horse was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
16. ^ Roback, Diane (February 11, 2010). "'Mockingjay' to Conclude the Hunger Games Trilogy". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
17. Roback, Diane (January 22, 2009). "'Hunger Games 2': A First Look". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on January 25, 2009. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
18. Jordan, Tina (December 9, 2010). "Suzanne Collins on writing a 'Hunger Games' movie: 'You have to let things go'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 9, 2010.
19. "Best-Selling Books Database". USA Today. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
20. "Children's Best Sellers: Chapter Books: Sunday, November 2, 2008". The New York Times. November 2, 2008. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
21. "Children's Chapter Books". The New York Times. September 5, 2010. Retrieved September 5, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
22. Colby, Edward B (June 6, 2011). "Hunger Games joins Amazon Kindle Million Club". International Business Times. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
23. Weiss, Sabrina Rojas (February 11, 2010). "'Mockingjay': We're Judging 'Hunger Games' Book Three By Its Cover". Hollywood Crush. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
24. Collins, Suzanne (2008). The Hunger Games. Scholastic. p. 42. ISBN 0-439-02348-3.
25. Bird, Elizabeth. "Review of the Day: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins". {{cite web}}: |archive-date= requires |archive-url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help); Text "/http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1790000379/post/90029009.html" ignored (help)
26. Goldsmith, Francisca (September 1, 2008). "The Hunger Games". Booklist. Retrieved December 29, 2008.
27. Green, John (November 7, 2008). "Scary New World". The New York Times. Retrieved December 29, 2008.
28. Meyer, Stephanie (September 17, 2008). "September 17, 2008". The Offical Website of Stephanie Meyer. Archived from the original on 26 October 2008. Retrieved February 25, 2012.
29. "PW's Best Books of the Year". Publishers Weekly. November 3, 2008. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
30. "Notable Children's Books of 2008". The New York Times. November 28, 2008. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
31. "Cybils: The 2008 Cybils Winners". Cybils.com. February 14, 2009. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
32. "School Library Journal's Best Books 2008". School Library Journal. December 1, 2008. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
33. "Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth, 2008". Booklist. January 1, 2009. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
34. "Winners". California Young Reader Medal. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
35. "100 Greatest Books for Kids". Scholastic. Retrieved February 19, 2012.
36. Lee, Stephan (February 15, 2012). "'Charlotte's Web' tops list of '100 great books for kids'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 19, 2012.
37. John A. Sellers (March 12, 2009). "Hungry? The Latest on 'The Hunger Games'". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved March 14, 2009.
38. ^ "Lionsgate picks up 'Hunger Games'". The Hollywood Reporter. March 17, 2009. Retrieved March 18, 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)
39. Springen, Karen (August 5, 2010). "Marketing 'Mockingjay'". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
40. Hopkinson, Deborah. "Suzanne Collins Interview-Catching Fire". BookPage. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
41. Joshua L. Weinstein (March 16, 2011). "Exclusive: Jennifer Lawrence Gets Lead Role in 'The Hunger Games'". The Wrap. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
42. Sperling, Nicole (April 4, 2011). "'The Hunger Games': Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth complete the love triangle". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 25, 2012.
43. Valby, Karen (January 6, 2011). "'Hunger Games' exclusive: Why Gary Ross got the coveted job, and who suggested Megan Fox for the lead role". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
44. Valby, Karen (January 25, 2011). "'The Hunger Games' gets release date". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
45. Terri Schwartz (November 17, 2011). ""The Hunger Games" sequel eyes a new screenwriter, director Gary Ross will return". IFC News. Retrieved December 2, 2011.

External links

• Suzanne Collins' official website
• Scholastic Official Site
• The Hunger Games at the Hunger Games Wiki.
• The Hunger Games on Google Books

v t e Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games
Novel series	The Hunger Games (2008) Catching Fire (2009) Mockingjay (2010) The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020) Sunrise on the Reaping (2025)
Film series	The Hunger Games (2012) Catching Fire (2013) Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014) Part 2 (2015) The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023) Accolades
Characters	Katniss Everdeen Peeta Mellark Coriolanus Snow
Music	The Hunger Games soundtrack "Safe & Sound" "Eyes Open" score Catching Fire soundtrack "Atlas" "Elastic Heart" "We Remain" "Who We Are" score Mockingjay – Part 1 soundtrack "Meltdown" "All My Love" "Yellow Flicker Beat" "The Hanging Tree" score Mockingjay – Part 2 score The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes soundtrack "Can't Catch Me Now" score
Parodies	The Hunger Pains The Starving Games The Hungover Games "The Hunger Games Musical" "Treehouse of Horror XXVII"
Category

• 2008 novels
• The Hunger Games
• American post-apocalyptic novels
• American science fiction novels
• American young adult novels
• Children's science fiction novels