In The Hunger Games there are 12 Districts. The Capital, which exists outside of these Districts, maintains control of the Districts by having the Districts play a game called The Hunger Games. Every District is forced to choose one boy and one girl to play this twisted game in which 24 people enter an arena—and they have to fight until there is only one winner left standing.

The Hunger Games is one of the first chapter books I ever read, and I fell in love with it! This book is one of the reasons I am a bookworm. The book is very balanced and does not overwhelm the reader. You get attached to the characters easily, which is something I hate because they are all going to be thrown into an arena to kill one another and only leave one survivor. You cannot even compare the movie to the book. The book is 10 times better than the movie.

My favorite character is Rue. Rue is innocent, and she is a symbol of what humans want—peace. What I also like about this book is the character development. In the beginning, you see the main character, Katniss, not wanting to kill anyone. As you progress in the story, she still does not want to kill anyone, but she accepts her fate of being a contender in The Hunger Games.

The book starts slow, but it picks up speed quickly. Once you get to the action, you will not be able to stop until you finish it. I recommend this book. It is worth reading; I promise!

Review by: Lauren

Lauren is a teen volunteer at the Granada Hills Branch Library who is a senior in high school from the San Fernando Valley area.

—Rachael Zak, Young Adult Librarian, Granada Hills Branch Library