The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
(Scholastic, R121)
The apocalypse has come and gone, and the worst has already happened.
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen lives in North America, but not the version we know. In her country, called Panem, a rich metropolis known as the Capitol is the harsh ruler of 12 poor districts spread over the continent, all of which had the misfortune of losing a rebellion against this authoritarian overlord.
As punishment for the uprising, every year each district must send a boy and a girl between the ages of 12 and 18 to the Capitol to take part in a televised battle to the death, known as the Hunger Games.
There can be only one winner.
Katniss, who has been taking care of her family – her mother and little sister Primrose – in District 12 since her father died, must be one of the toughest heroines young-adult literature has ever seen.
A hunter and poacher since the age of 11, she has very little use for sentimentality.
Her only Achilles heel seems to be her feelings for her little sister Prim and her friend Gale, a boy a few years older than her.
When Prim is picked for the 74th annual Hunger Games, Katniss volunteers to go in her place, knowing this means almost certain death.
She is dismayed to find that the boy selected from District 12 is Peeta Mellark, who she believes had saved her life when she was starving, years ago. Now she will probably be forced to kill him.
The two young “tributes” from District 12 are taken to the Capitol, where they come under the mentorship of Haymitch Abernathy, an alcoholic former winner of the Games. After some preparation and various attempts to get sponsors, they and the other tributes, 24 in all, are released in a huge outdoor arena where their every move is televised.
Here the real horror begins.
Teenagers have to scavenge for food and water, trying to stay alive as the stronger contenders start picking them off, one after the other.
Katniss, a born survivor, knows how to take care of herself, but her priorities become confused when Peeta, who has confessed to having been in love with her since she was a little girl, saves her life once again, at great cost to himself.
And then there is Rue, a 12-year-old girl from District 11, who reminds Katniss so much of her little sister that they form an alliance.
All of these bonds are tested to the limit in the harsh reality of the Games, and Katniss finds herself playing a game where the rules can change without warning and the heart can be its own worst enemy.
The Hunger Games shot to the top of the bestseller lists in the US when it was released in 2008 and the movie version is due to be released here in mid-April.
The reason for its popularity is clear: this is a great adventure story with compelling characters, and the action never lets up.