It has been a while since I have done a book review and this time I’ll just say I liked this one… to a point. You see at my school there is the “Reader’s Wall of Fame” which one has their picture added to if they have read at least 20 of the Young Hoosier Book Award nominated books for the year.  This book is on the list and having read Gregor the Overlander another book by Collins I decided to give this one a shot.  First off it has no vampires that turn into disco balls, which to me was a plus.

Set in the future, something has gone wrong with the United States and after a failed civil war (Captain America was shot and Norma Osborn took over) the country is divided into 13 Districts (the 13th has been turned into a nuclear wasteland) each district provides unique things for the Capital.  Each year each District must also provide two children a boy & a girl for tribute to fight to the death in the Hunger Games.  The story follows Katniss a girl from District 12 (Appalachia) as she deals with the injustice of the world she lives in.

I really don’t want to give anything away (unlike Twilight) since this is a well written story with only a few parts that made me go “huh?”  This is a sub genre of Science Fiction that I have read before including The Prize of Peril by Robert Sheckley and The Running Man by Stephen King (writing as Richard Bachman).  All these stories share some basics especially: a game show in which the contestants face death to win valuable prizes or in some cases their lives & freedom.  The Hunger Games has it all- Action, adventure, death defying death defying… and of course “romance” since no story with a female protagonist written for tween girls is allowed to miss out on the romance part.  Which I guess for me was the only part that made me go “huh?” (being a guy) I just don’t get how authors portray girls… then again since both authors I am thinking about are women, maybe I’m the one who is thick headed.  I guess I was hoping for a conclusion to the relationship piece (but then again there is book 2 & book 3 & book…)  All said I do recommend the story it’s a good rainy day read.  All I can say is read it before it gets turned into a movie- (IMDB says that’ll be 2013)

If you want something by the same author with a male protagonist and no romance (at least in the first book) I would suggest the aforementioned Gregor the Overlander, a book I read to class each year (When we last left Gregor he was about to be devoured by giant rats.) and even bought a copy of for my nephew who promptly asked his mom if she would buy him something else that had pictures in it.