The Hunger Games

Fantastic book! A true page turner. America, in this novel, has been reorganized such that there is a central capitol surrounded by 12 districts. Apparently, at some point in the past, there was a violent rebellion and to remind all of the citizens to stay in line, the government created the yearly Hunger Games, in which 2 children from each of the 12 districts (ages 12-18) are picked by a lottery and sent to the capitol to battle each other to the death until there is but one remaining survivor. The surviving child's district then recieves extra food and that child's family is made wealthy for life. The best way to think of this book is American Idol meets the Roman gladiators. While the book does have some violence, none of us thought it was gratuitous and we are all eagerly awaiting the next book in the series. (The PHS Book Club)