Talk to me about "The Hunger Games"

[HSinNH]

I have been hearing more about this trilogy and understand that other children DD10's age are reading these books. The plot seems rather gruesome, but since they get such high reviews on this forum, I assume there must be more to the books than simple gratuitous violence. It seems from the summaries that I read (I have not read the books, yet, but will do so before I let DD10 read them) that the violence IS the story, rather than adding to the story.

 

Can someone please tell me there is more to them.....a moral perhaps? Life lesson? There must be something since The Hive seems to like them!

 

Thank you!

[Stacia]

Well, I personally could not make it through the first book. I didn't find it terribly well-written, but my main problem was the gruesome concept that is the basis for the books (chidren killing children for public entertainment). I have a problem w/ such a horrific concept for a story; I can't read stuff like that.

 

(That said, my teen dd wanted to read the series because many of her friends had recommended it. She read the first two over a year ago, but has never gotten around to the third one. She says she will probably read the third, but she didn't find the story compelling enough to rush right out & read them all in a row.)

 

I realize this series is wildly popular & many, many people (pre-teens through adults) love the books, but I am not in that group. I know I'm in the minority, though.

[Laurie4b]

They are in the dystopia genre, with the main characters rebelling against the political control that was partially manifested in something the equivalent of a reality TV show with real violence in it . Like the story of the Minator, each district had to send two youths to the games. Only one of all those could survive. I wouldn't recommend them for a 10 year old, but perhaps others may. I tend to see dystopia themes as more appropriate for teens and older. And in this case, the violence is integral to the story.

 

They are entertainment, imo, not good literature. I read them and liked them in a way, though I tend to like happy endings in my literature now that I'm older. As always, if you're unsure, read them yourself before offering them to your kids.

[Hen]

I loved the books, even though I like happy ending type books, usually.

 

But, yeah, the subject is truly horrific...I only kept reading because I was hoping for a mass uprising and a happy-ish ending.

 

I will not let my 12 year old boy read them yet- the subject is just too hard, imho. I did let my 16 and 15 year old girls read them, I was a bit iffy on the 15 year old...

[stripe]

You might find this interesting

http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2012/02/08/hunger-games-teaching

It's an interview with a college professor about her use of the book in her class

[Samiam]

On the surface, it is gruesome and violent.

 

It's one of those books that you can't really take "on the surface". You've got to read into it, study it, understand the "parallels to real life". I am missing the big, literature terms on this...I know there are labels for this kind of comparision, but my mind is blank.

 

It's like reading Animal Farm, or Lord of the Flies. If you just take at surface level, well its' just animal talking, or boys being somewhat crazy. But there's so much more, that message that you take when you dig below the surface.

 

That being said, I can't see 8-11 year olds reading this and getting that. Frankly, with the amount of kissing and se#ual tension, I wouldn't let my children that age read it.

Edited February 13, 2012 by Samiam

[SueinNC]

:

 

Well, I personally could not make it through the first book. I didn't find it terribly well-written, but my main problem was the gruesome concept that is the basis for the books (chidren killing children for public entertainment). I have a problem w/ such a horrific concept for a story; I can't read stuff like that.

 

 

 

:iagree: Though I haven't even read the book for the reasons you mentioned above. Gruesome. Gruesome.

 

That said, I am allowing my dd to read the trilogy. She just finished reading the first book and has started the second one. She said the first book, though violent, was really good. The second book is not as good as the first so far. The first book she couldn't set down. Her public school friends have all read the books with parents' consent. Not so for her homeschool friends. I have been admonished by hs moms for allowing her to read the books especially since I did not read them first. They were just as shocked to learn I allowed her to read The Help. Some of the filming for HG was done in our neck of the woods so there is a lot of hype around here. Originally, we (the locals) were told "they" were filming a movie called Artemis. But, before filming even started, a member of the town council let the real title slip.

 

And I certainly will not see the movie but I will let my dd (if dh will sit through it) though she may change her mind once/if she finishes the series. The second book is not holding her interest.

 

I really don't understand how such a gruesome topic does not give dd nightmares but LillyD does. :tongue_smilie:

Edited February 13, 2012 by Caledonia Academy

[redsquirrel]

I don't think it was ever intended for 10 year olds. I think this is one of those 'just because the character is a young person doesn't mean the book is written for children' situations. I loved the series, but I wouldn't let my almost 12 year old read it. We don't even have a TV, I can't imagine trying to explain to him what a stylist is, much less "Survivor."

 

Now, both my boys adore the author's series Gregor the Underlander. That is for kids who are 10. Actually, that has been a big hit with the whole family.

[Carrie75]

:iagree: Though I haven't even read the book for the reasons you mentioned above. Gruesome. Gruesome.

 

That said, I am allowing my dd to read the trilogy. She just finished reading the first book and has started the second one. She said the first book, though violent, was really good. The second book is not as good as the first so far. The first book she couldn't set down. Her public school friends have all read the books with parents' consent. Not so for her homeschool friends. I have been admonished by hs moms for allowing her to read the books especially since I did not read them first. They were just as shocked to learn I allowed her to read The Help. Some of the filming for HG was done in our neck of the woods so there is a lot of hype around here. Originally, we (the locals) were told "they" were filming a movie called Artemis. But, before filming even started, a member of the town council let the real title slip.

 

And I certainly will not see the movie but I will let my dd (if dh will sit through it) though she may change her mind once/if she finishes the series. The second book is not holding her interest.

 

I really don't understand how such a gruesome topic does not give dd nightmares but LillyD does. :tongue_smilie:

 

 

I am surprised to read that you let your daughter read them even though you would not. It's an interesting perspective you have!

 

I would not let my child read HG before high school age. My 11 year old niece just finished them and she liked them. HG is too violent for a kid her age, imo.

[Stacia]

I am surprised to read that you let your daughter read them even though you would not.

 

I let my dd read them too, even though I couldn't get past the horrific concept myself....

[Vanna]

They are in the dystopia genre, with the main characters rebelling against the political control that was partially manifested in something the equivalent of a reality TV show with real violence in it . Like the story of the Minator, each district had to send two youths to the games.

These two story/tv show concepts were the inspiration for the author to write the Hunger Games.

 

...Only one of all those could survive. I wouldn't recommend them for a 10 year old, but perhaps others may. I tend to see dystopia themes as more appropriate for teens and older. And in this case, the violence is integral to the story...

:iagree: I would say this book series is definitely not for a 10 y.o. (my almost 10 has already asked and I told him no). The "muttations" in the first book were disturbing enough for me to loose sleep over. Not the kind of thing my youngest is ready for.

 

I'm no expert on good literature. I read mostly by recommendations (and to catch up on classics I didn't appreciate in high school). So, with that said, I loved the Hunger Games and thought that the characters had a lot of redeeming qualities that I wanted to my teen and tween to learn about. ;)

[mommaduck]

The subject is horrific, but the descriptions are not graphic. I'm almost done with the first book. My oldest is in the middle of the second book. It's really not terrible given the background the plot is set up against and that, yes, it's fabricated around the myths of the Minotaur. I'm of the twelve years and up on it though. I believe my twelve year old has started reading the first book also (he asked permission). There is a lot about self-sacrifice to protect and support those around the characters. Children in this world often have jobs and have to find ways of helping to put food on the family's table.

Edited February 13, 2012 by mommaduck

[SueinNC]

I am surprised to read that you let your daughter read them even though you would not. It's an interesting perspective you have!

 

I would not let my child read HG before high school age. My 11 year old niece just finished them and she liked them. HG is too violent for a kid her age, imo.

 

You would have to know my dd to understand why I allow it. That said, I have an "adoptive" daughter (she lives with her grandparents who we consider family) the same age as my dd, and I know she is not ready to read such subject matter.

[funschooler5]

IMO it wasn't gruesome enough. Not that I wanted it to depict details of the violence, but I think the seriousness of the subject matter was skirted over by the author. Katniss(sp?,) the protagonist, starts out fine...she's a tough, compassionate character who takes place in the games so her sister doesn't have to go. The first chapter depicts the sense of danger and terrible things that will happen.

 

After that, IMO it turns into a typical teen novel. The participants are dressed and made-up for the show and somehow the point of the games is forgotten as we get pages of Katniss' transformation from dirty poor girl into a beautiful girl (she was *beautiful* under all of that dirt? What a shock!) Yeah, I get that this is a dig at reality TV, but for once I was hoping for a strong female protagonist who doesn't care about appearances. And does she have to be beautiful? Really? Considering what she is about to experience, are her looks that important?

 

And then, during the games, where people are getting killed, they actually hint around at a love triangle. :glare: Is that really what

would be going on in this character's mind as she struggles to kill or be killed?

 

I just found the whole thing annoying. I didn't even read the second book.

[laughing lioness]

It's based on the Roman games, with a technological twist. I thought it was great dysopian lit and just had a fabulous disucssion about it with my high school writing class. My 17 ds read it right after I did when it first came out.

No way would I let a 10 yo read it- or my 12 yo.

[Word Nerd]

For a 10-year-old, I'd recommend Collins' Underland Chronicles books (Gregor the Overlander), which deal with some similar themes about war, rising against injustice, etc. but are more age-appropriate.

 

FWIW, I wouldn't call the characters who have to fight in the Hunger Games "children" (with the possible exception of Rue). That makes it sound like they're 7 instead of 17.

Edited February 13, 2012 by WordGirl

[BigMamaBird]

The subject is horrific, but the descriptions are not graphic. I'm almost done with the first book. My oldest is in the middle of the second book. It's really not terrible given the background the plot is set up against and that, yes, it's fabricated around the myths of the Minotaur. I'm of the twelve years and up on it though. I believe my twelve year old has started reading the first book also (he asked permission). There is a lot about self-sacrifice to protect and support those around the characters. Children in this world often have jobs and have to find ways of helping to put food on the family's table.

 

:iagree: But there was one death that was very sad and emotional, I rarely cry at books but it made me tear up a bit.

[Paige]

I read the trilogy and won't let my 10yr old read it. He doesn't want to read it anyway. I thought the first book was tame and although it might have been a little hard for DS to read it, I would have been ok with it if he wanted to read it. Books 2 and 3 become more sadistic in the violence, IMO. The violence becomes more personal and designed to torture Katniss. It also has more sexual innuendo and situations that I didn't want DS to read. I'm glad he didn't read the first one before I read the whole thing.

[Desert Rat]

I loved the series. My ds11 is reading the last book now. I let him read it because he's the kind of kid who could handle it. I don't think all 11 yos would be ready to read it. He's very mature in his thinking patterns. I don't know if I would let ds8 read it at 11. Each kid is different. I try not to have set age limits for what kids can read when. We make judgements based on that child at that age.

[MamaT]

I read them and liked them okay, but I wouldn't let a 10yo read them. My 15yo dd read the first one, but didn't care about reading the 2nd or 3rd. I think she only read the first because of the hype she heard from her friends. Some of them are extras in the movie.

[tntgoodwin]

I read the first one, and somewhat enjoyed it. I have heard the second one is better, as far as the writing goes. I liked the story (big fan of dystopian, rise up against the government type stories), but felt maybe they would have been better had someone else written them from an outline Collins created.

As far as gruesome-ness, it wasn't terrible from my POV, but I probably would hesitate to let a 10 yr old read them. Maybe 12, if they aren't very sensitive.

 

If you want a solid review of the trilogy that I mostly agree with, check out http://dorkmanscott.wordpress.com/2011/03/19/book-series-review-the-hunger-games-trilogy/

[Heidi @ Mt Hope]

I read the trilogy. I think they are deceptively simple. There were so many layers I thought about for days, weeks, months, and even almost two years later.... more so than the majority of books I've read. I have every intention of having my boys read them and cannot wait to discuss the series with them. I reviewed them on my blog here. That said, I would absolutely recommend a parent pre-reading them and thinking about when and if their child is mature enough to read them. I probably won't have my boys read them until 8th grade or above.

[Joker]

I read all three and thought I hated them but they grew on me. I found myself thinking about them for a long time after I read them. I have told my 12 year dd she can read them but after I gave her some background information she has decided to wait a while.

[Kirch]

I would personally say 14 or 15 would be the youngest I'd let my kids read them. Yes, the premise is horrific, but that's the point. It shows the depths to which the ruling society has sunk; the contrasts between the people of the capital and those in the districts sharply delineates the complete absence of morality in the people in the capital as well as the results that domination and rule via fear has had with the masses in the districts. It's social commentary--you can clearly see the warnings about the results of out-of-control materialism, shallowness, and selfishness on a societal scale, and it isn't hard to see strong parallels with our culture today. It's definitely a warning about how easy it is for a society to slowly slide down the slippery slope to the unthinkable--definite parallels with both ancient Rome and WW II Germany.

 

And then contrasted with that is the portrayal of individuals striving and struggling, first to just survive, but then also grappling with decisions about what to do in the situations where they find themselves: do I protect myself and my loved ones, or do I take the opportunity before me to try to make a difference on a much wider scale, even if it hurts me/my loved ones? I think this is one thing I like so much about these books--Katniss really, really struggles with this. She's not a one-dimensional heroine who will just automatically do the right thing just because it's the right thing. She faces those decisions again and again, big and small. And she doesn't always do the "right" thing--and sometimes it's hard to figure out what the right thing is anyway (which I think is typical for dystopian lit). And sometimes she ends up doing the right thing, but maybe not for the "right" reasons. Lots of fodder for thought and discussion.

 

So yes, it's disturbing. But it's not gratuitous, and I think it's worth grappling with the issues the books raise.

[Word Nerd]

I disagree that they are not well written. Nothing wrong with her storytelling.

[HeidiKC]

The sixth grade class at my kids' school (same class my homeschooled dc would have been in this year) is reading The Hunger Games. They are studying it for literature. I have not read the series, but just from what I've heard about it, I was rather surprised. Seems like 8th grade might be better, given the number of parents here and elsewhere that seem to think mid-teens is a better age for reading it. And I didn't know about the kissing and "tension" a pp mentioned. That would bug me to have my 6th grader reading about that. He is not at all interested in that, and I'm not keen on introducing it at this age.

[joannqn]

Myself, Dh, DD12, and DS10 have all read the trilogy. We all loved them. (Dystopian is one of my favorite genres.)

 

I can see why most people have said that they wouldn't consider the book for kids in the range that mine are in. Many kids that age wouldn't handle the subject matter well and wouldn't get the underlying politics and themes. I doubt my son got all that, but he enjoyed the story. My daughter definitely understood a lot of the politics. She gets that kind of stuff.

 

That said, we will be rereading the books together and doing a bunch of projects to go along with them. We've already done an art project that they really enjoyed. We'll be doing a character study via Fakebook. We'll be researching names used and how they may be significant. The third book has a lot of numbers, some of which appear to be chosen on purpose. I'm also hoping to discuss the politics of the books.

 

Here's a high school teacher who uses the trilogy in her 9th grade English 1 class. I've gotten most of my project ideas from her website. She also sells a complete lesson plan package for all three books.

[Dolphin]

I enjoyed reading them, but no way am I go to see the movies. Think of a cross between Lord of the Flies and 1984.

 

My ds is very sensitive and I probably won't let him read them until the summer before High school. My daughter is a different kid and she will probably be allowed around 12.

 

I agree that she is a good story teller.

[Hen]

I disagree with the comparison to 1984 - I hated that book, wanted to throw it across the room when I was done.

 

These books have hope, beauty in humanity, and the uprising you hope for. I found myself thinking about them, and about the characters months later.

 

my 2 youngest are not allowed to read them yet, but I am looking forward to sharing them with them when they reach high school age.

 

I thought the subject matter was horrific, but the author managed to depict it, for the most part, without reveling in gore, and I think the tension would go over some kids heads, pretty tame really compared to some of the popular teen lit out.

[Vida Winter]

I read them and think they are more appropriate for mid teens (15 or 16) on up. My 17yo dd read them and agrees.

[Heidi @ Mt Hope]

I disagree with the comparison to 1984 - I hated that book, wanted to throw it across the room when I was done.

 

These books have hope, beauty in humanity, and the uprising you hope for. I found myself thinking about them, and about the characters months later.

 

my 2 youngest are not allowed to read them yet, but I am looking forward to sharing them with them when they reach high school age.

 

I thought the subject matter was horrific, but the author managed to depict it, for the most part, without reveling in gore, and I think the tension would go over some kids heads, pretty tame really compared to some of the popular teen lit out.

 

:iagree: I also detested 1984 but loved The Hunger Games. I agree. The books have hope and beauty in humanity. That is a lovely way to state it! (There was not a glimmer of hope in 1984...)

[nmoira]

IMO it wasn't gruesome enough. Not that I wanted it to depict details of the violence, but I think the seriousness of the subject matter was skirted over by the author. Katniss(sp?,) the protagonist, starts out fine...she's a tough, compassionate character who takes place in the games so her sister doesn't have to go. The first chapter depicts the sense of danger and terrible things that will happen.

 

After that, IMO it turns into a typical teen novel. The participants are dressed and made-up for the show and somehow the point of the games is forgotten as we get pages of Katniss' transformation from dirty poor girl into a beautiful girl (she was *beautiful* under all of that dirt? What a shock!) Yeah, I get that this is a dig at reality TV, but for once I was hoping for a strong female protagonist who doesn't care about appearances. And does she have to be beautiful? Really? Considering what she is about to experience, are her looks that important?

 

And then, during the games, where people are getting killed, they actually hint around at a love triangle. :glare: Is that really what

would be going on in this character's mind as she struggles to kill or be killed?

 

I just found the whole thing annoying. I didn't even read the second book.

Wow. It doesn't feel like we even read the same book. Of course they got caught up in the show... that was the point: The tributes were stripped of any personal identity other than that manufactured for them as a gross stereotype of the district from which they originated. They were made beautiful (if that was part of the desired image), but in a manufactured sense... exfoliated, stylized, their humanity lost from sight under the veneer and the finery. This is the only way the "entertainment" could be simultaneously palatable in the Capitol and horrific and cowing to the people in the districts, to those who actually knew the tributes and their families. There's no love triangle. Love is a luxury Katniss can ill afford and she knows it, she beats those feelings down. It's a show, playing the bigger game, trying to control their destiny by shaping their own narrative, which is as big and exaggerated and as little like their own reality as the images manufactured by their handlers.

[nmoira]

:iagree: I also detested 1984 but loved The Hunger Games. I agree. The books have hope and beauty in humanity. That is a lovely way to state it! (There was not a glimmer of hope in 1984...)

I didn't see much hope. Only a brief respite, perhaps for a generation or two. I admire Collins for ending it the way she did.

[funschooler5]

Wow. It doesn't feel like we even read the same book. Of course they got caught up in the show... that was the point: The tributes were stripped of any personal identity other than that manufactured for them as a gross stereotype of the district from which they originated. They were made beautiful (if that was part of the desired image), but in a manufactured sense... exfoliated, stylized, their humanity lost from sight under the veneer and the finery. This is the only way the "entertainment" could be simultaneously palatable in the Capitol and horrific and cowing to the people in the districts, to those who actually knew the tributes and their families. There's no love triangle. Love is a luxury Katniss can ill afford and she knows it, she beats those feelings down. It's a show, playing the bigger game, trying to control their destiny by shaping their own narrative, which is as big and exaggerated and as little like their own reality as the images manufactured by their handlers.

 

Hmm...I don't read a lot of dystopian themed books, so I probably missed something there. It's been awhile since I read it, but I just remember going from liking Katniss in the first chapter to being annoyed by her shallowness in the makeover sections and after. To me, it felt like her character went through a major personality change. I also don't remember her being particularly horrified about what was to come during those parts. I thought the first chapter(s?) did show that, especially when she takes her sister's place. That part was very moving, and I was frightened for her. But when it came to the actual games...it didn't "feel" as horrifying as I thought it would.

[Kirch]

Hmm...I don't read a lot of dystopian themed books, so I probably missed something there. It's been awhile since I read it, but I just remember going from liking Katniss in the first chapter to being annoyed by her shallowness in the makeover sections and after. To me, it felt like her character went through a major personality change. I also don't remember her being particularly horrified about what was to come during those parts. I thought the first chapter(s?) did show that, especially when she takes her sister's place. That part was very moving, and I was frightened for her. But when it came to the actual games...it didn't "feel" as horrifying as I thought it would.

 

I never got the impression that she was shallow during the makeover sections. It felt to me like it was a whirlwind where she had no say really in what was going on and was stunned every time she turned around by the things that were going on. I really got the impression that she was not at all comfortable or happy with the changes that were made with her appearance, etc.

 

I can kind of see what you mean about things not being as horrifying as you thought they would be, but I think that's because the story is seen from Katniss' POV. She's a survivor. She's so used to rolling with whatever comes her way and doing what is necessary to get through it that each thing she faces is just another hurdle to overcome--she can't let herself get caught up in it. Until Rue, anyway. And she realizes that her survivalist attitude may not be a completely good thing as evidenced by her discussion w/ Peeta about remaining true to oneself and dying on one's own terms--she realizes that this kind of thinking is totally foreign to her. I think she just refuses to really think deeply about it all and tries not to let it touch her heart until Rue's death.

Edited February 13, 2012 by Kirch

[Donna]

My oldest ds read them...the first for school when he was in 8th grade for an honors literature class. He then asked for the others and I read all of them as well.

 

I agree with a couple other posters that you cannot read them as a story without looking at the meaning behind the story otherwise it is just children killing children. I will not let my dd read them until she is in her teens. I don't think she needs to read about that much violence and I don't think her life experiences/knowledge would allow her to understand the meaning behind the basic storyline. So, they are books better saved for an older age.

[Heather in Neverland]

I liked them a lot and my 13yo ds read them and really liked them as well.

[JFSinIL]

 

It's like reading Animal Farm, or Lord of the Flies. If you just take at surface level, well its' just animal talking, or boys being somewhat crazy. But there's so much more, that message that you take when you dig below the surface.

 

.

 

You took the words right out of my mouth, er, off my keyboard.

[Melinda in VT]

My oldest son read the books at 14 and my twins read them at 10. I can understand people who wait until their kids are older, but I read them before the 10 year olds and felt comfortable handing them over. My kids all loved the books and were disturbed by them at the appropriate level. My kids tend to like dystopian novels and had already read the author's Gregor the Overlander series.

 

I did not feel there was a lot of sexual tension in the books. (In contrast, the Twilight books are still forbidden at our house, and the kids are now 16 and 12. Well, I'd probably let the 16 yo read them if he wanted to, but he thinks they are stupid.)

[Janie Grace]

Well, I personally could not make it through the first book. I didn't find it terribly well-written, but my main problem was the gruesome concept that is the basis for the books (chidren killing children for public entertainment). I have a problem w/ such a horrific concept for a story; I can't read stuff like that.

 

I realize this series is wildly popular & many, many people (pre-teens through adults) love the books, but I am not in that group. I know I'm in the minority, though.

 

:iagree: I could have written that post. Two thumbs down for me. YUCK.

[mommaduck]

Katniss is a pragmatist. She's practical. She's had to be head of her family in many ways and now she has to survive. She's not shallow and there was no personality change. She slowly let's us into her head...slowly, because she doesn't like showing her thoughts or feelings to others.

[catz]

Katniss is a pragmatist. She's practical. She's had to be head of her family in many ways and now she has to survive. She's not shallow and there was no personality change. She slowly let's us into her head...slowly, because she doesn't like showing her thoughts or feelings to others.

 

:iagree: My 11 year old read the books and I'm still finishing them. Maybe they wouldn't be appropriate for every 11 year old but for mine it was fine and has actually led to some really good discussions. My 11 year old is cognitively quite ahead so YMMV.

[Farrar]

I agree with others who've said they're complex and layered. The violence isn't graphic in most places. While the setting is completely fantastic, she's asking questions about war and violence - especially about the consequences of them - and about people's need for things to look rather than to be a certain way. I do think most kids 10+ could be made to understand the underlying messages. And I personally would not keep this book from a 10 yo who wanted to read it, though I also might not suggest it quite yet either. And like other works of literature that use shock to get their messages across, it's not for everyone.

 

I wanted to point out that Suzanne Collins has another series, a wonderful series that in some ways is more nuanced than The Hunger Games - Gregor the Overlander. It deals with the same themes but in a completely different way. The story is much more fantasy oriented. Many of the characters are animals and bugs so that, while she is writing about some horrific themes (at one point in the series, genocide is committed against a group of characters - the mice) there is a sense that it's removed from us and it's easier to see it as allegory. That series is definitely for younger readers and I wouldn't hesitate to suggest it to a child 8 and up unless they were especially sensitive.

[stripe]

I didn't see much hope. Only a brief respite, perhaps for a generation or two. I admire Collins for ending it the way she did.

 

I loved 1984 and think Orwell is a genius. Reading Finding George Orwell in Burma was fascinating because the Burmese people apparently find his insights into their own society very deep indeed. (He lived there during British colonial rule and also imagined societies very close to how they now live.)

 

I thought the flaw of The Hunger Games is the purpose of the games. I never got it. I never even understood the veneer of justification for them, except in some North Korean obedience mode.

 

I thought it best at skewering reality tv. And the idea of sending kids to fight our wars. The government seemed incoherant.

[Jenny in Florida]

I read them all about a year ago. At the time, I couldn't honestly say I "enjoyed" reading them, but I'm very glad I did. Like much dystopian fiction, they take themes and ideas from our current world and spin them out to conclusions that are intentionally upsetting. I thought these did that very effectively, encouraging readers to think about big questions because we see them through the eyes of characters we learn to care about.

 

My son, who was then 12 or just 13, wanted to read them. He had devoured the author's Gregor series and thought the premise of these sounded interesting. I decided not to allow him to read them at that point. I was concerned he was not yet mature enough to understand the purpose of the violence in the story.

 

My daughter, knowing she often has trouble with some of the themes she had heard were in the novels, opted not to read them, either.

 

Here we are a year or more later, and my daughter decided it was time for her to start reading the books. My son begged, and, after talking to him about some of my concerns, I let him read, too.

 

Then, because they kept discussing what they were reading and it had been a while for me, I started re-reading.

 

They have provided much fodder for talking about big things here. They are also, for my son, a gateway to classic dystopian fiction I want to study with him next year.

 

I don't think I would encourage just any 10 year old to read them, though. My daughter, when she was that age, might have been okay, but would probably not have liked them. There is no way I would have allowed my son to read them then. They are shelved in the YA section for good reasons, I think.

[Melinda in VT]

They are shelved in the YA section for good reasons, I think.

 

One of the local libraries here shelves The Hunger Games in the juvenile section and the Gregor the Overlander series by the same author in the YA section.

 

I told the librarian that they should flip them, but she did some research and decided to leave them where they were. :001_huh:

[Jenny in Florida]

FWIW, I wouldn't call the characters who have to fight in the Hunger Games "children" (with the possible exception of Rue). That makes it sound like they're 7 instead of 17.

 

That's how they are referred to consistently in the books.

[Jenny in Florida]

I never got the impression that she was shallow during the makeover sections. It felt to me like it was a whirlwind where she had no say really in what was going on and was stunned every time she turned around by the things that were going on. I really got the impression that she was not at all comfortable or happy with the changes that were made with her appearance, etc.

 

Also, remember, she knows her mother and sister depend on her. She desperately wants to get back home to take care of them, which means she needs to win the Games. She understands that her stylists are trying to help her (as much for their own advancement and fame as anything) and is willing to go along because she thinks it will give her a better chance to survive and go back home to her family.

[leeannpal]

Well, I personally could not make it through the first book. I didn't find it terribly well-written, but my main problem was the gruesome concept that is the basis for the books (chidren killing children for public entertainment). I have a problem w/ such a horrific concept for a story; I can't read stuff like that.

 

(That said, my teen dd wanted to read the series because many of her friends had recommended it. She read the first two over a year ago, but has never gotten around to the third one. She says she will probably read the third, but she didn't find the story compelling enough to rush right out & read them all in a row.)

 

I realize this series is wildly popular & many, many people (pre-teens through adults) love the books, but I am not in that group. I know I'm in the minority, though.

 

I feel this way. I did read the first book, and I was appalled at the killing of kids by other kids with no real message about it being wrong or even remorse by the ones who kill. It does bother me that elementary aged kids are reading this book, and my 9 year old will not be reading it any time soon!

[Jenny in Florida]

One of the local libraries here shelves The Hunger Games in the juvenile section and the Gregor the Overlander series by the same author in the YA section.

 

I told the librarian that they should flip them, but she did some research and decided to leave them where they were. :001_huh:

 

 

 

I can't imagine where she researched this. Here are the product details from the first Gregor book on B&N's website:

• ISBN-13: 9780756934804
  
• Publisher: Scholastic HRDerbacks
  
• Publication date: 8/28/2004
  
• Pages: 311
  
• Sales rank: 286,060
  
• Age range: 9 - 12 Years
  
• Lexile: 0630L (what's this?)
  
• Series:Underland Chronicles Series, #1
  
• Product dimensions: 5.30 (w) x 7.60 (h) x 1.00 (d)
  

And for The Hunger Games:

• ISBN-13: 9780439023528
  
• Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
  
• Publication date: 7/1/2010
  
• Pages: 384
  
• Sales rank:
  
• Age range: 12 - 17 Years
  
• Lexile: 0810L (what's this?)
  
• Series:Hunger Games Series, #1
  
• Product dimensions: 8.14 (w) x 5.40 (h) x 0.76 (d)

Edited February 13, 2012 by Jenny in Florida