The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. 1st Edition Paperback.  New York, NY: Scholastic Press, 2008.
ISBN 978-0-439023528 $8.99 374 pages  Ages 12 & up
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror, Fantasy, Romance, Adventure

Awards: 

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

#1 USA TODAY BESTSELLER

WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BESTSELLER

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY'S BEST BOOKS OF 2008: CHILDREN'S FICTION

NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE CHILDREN'S BOOK OF 2008

AN AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION 

TOP TEN BEST BOOKS FOR YOUNG ADULTS SELECTION

AN ALA NOTABLE CHILDREN'S BOOK

2009 ALA AMELIA BLOOMER PROJECT LIST 

#1 ON WINTER '08/​'09 CHILDREN'S INDIE NEXT LIST

INDIES CHOICE--BEST INDIE YOUNG ADULT BUZZ BOOK HONOR

2008 CYBIL AWARD--FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION

2009 CHILDREN'S CHOICE BOOK AWARD TEEN CHOICE BOOK OF THE YEAR FINALIST YALSA'S TEENS' TOP TEN, 2009

NYPL “STUFF FOR THE TEEN AGE” LIST, 2009 

CCBC CHOICES 2009

A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS' CHOICE 

A KIRKUS BEST BOOK OF 2008

A HORN BOOK FANFARE

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOKS Of 2008

A BOOKLIST EDITORS' CHOICE, 2008

LA TIMES FAVORITE CHILDREN'S BOOKS, 2008

BARNES & NOBLE BEST BOOKS OF 2008 FOR TEENS AND KIDS

BORDERS BEST BOOKS OF 2008: TEENS

AMAZON BEST BOOKS OF 2008: TOP 100 EDITORS' PICK

TOP 10 BOOKS: TEENS (copied from Collin's website)

Summary:     Katniss Everdeen is a poor girl from District 12, one of the dozen of districts that surround the Capitol of Panem. Life is harsh for the sixteen year old but she makes do with her hunting skills and her friend, Gale.  When the annual Hunger Games threatens to take the one thing Katniss loves, her sister Prim, Katniss finds herself as a contender in a battle-to-the-death survival game produced each year for the Capitol's amusement.  
Pros & more pros-than-cons:      For those of you that are immune to the hype of this bestseller-turned-blockbuster, slap yourself!  This book is simply amazing and the hype well-deserved. Some moments are overly gruesome and the author's disdain towards popular Survivor show is apparent. I'm not as in love with the sequels but would certainly recommend this particular book to anyone over the age of 12 that ever wondered about the human spirit at its rawest form.    
Author interview here: 

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