The Hunger Games

My niece, Alexa, suggested that I read this book on my last visit home. She offered to let me borrow it (she's the best). I had heard great things about it, but I had put it a bit back on my cue list in trying to get through the books that are very VERY rapidly piling up to read at the house.  I took a sneak peak at the first chapter on my flight back to St Louis, and I got hooked.  And I mean, I got hooked HARD!!  I finished the book in just over a month, but it took that long because school work and readings got in my way.  If I had no other responsibilities, I would have finished it in a week. 
So the basic plot-line follows a girl named Katniss Everdeen.  She lives in a future time after North America has been destroyed, in a nation called Panem.  There is a Capitol running all of Panem, and then it is broken into 12 different districts.  Every year, the Capitol enforces a national tournament between the 12 districts where they must each send two tributes to compete against each other in a fight to the death.  The entire competition is televised throughout the entire nation and as tributes are daring or wise or show bravery, their supporters can send in needed supplies to aid them in winning.  The final winner brings much money to their district, which all are struggling and just getting by with food rations.  The tournament was originally devised after many districts were rebelling against the Capitol, so the "Games" are the Capitol's way of reminding the districts who is in supreme control as well as the price they must not pay for the previous rebellions.
Katniss becomes very close with the boy tribute from her district, Peeta Melark, as well as another girl tribute, Rue, who is younger and reminds Katniss of her sister back home.  The plot follows through the entire hunger games, all the struggles and fears and strategies are quite intriguing.  You become attached to the characters and I found myself cheering for them to succeed.  There are few action-packed, intense moments that I don't want to give away, but just make me look back and appreciate the book even more.
The author does an amazing job of gripping you into the book and then not allowing you to let go.  Her explanations are so vivid, it's as though you are a part of their world and right there in the action with Katniss.  This is the first of three books in the series, and I cannnot wait until this semester of school is over so that I can start in on the next one.  I also can't wait for the movies to start rolling out!!  It's going to be great in the theater!