The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
- Series
- 3 books and 2 prequels
- Genre
- Dystopia for teenagers
- Age
- ages 12 and up
About the series
In the nation of Panem, the Capitol rules over twelve poor districts. Every year, each district must send one boy and one girl to the Hunger Games, where they fight to the death on live television. When Katniss Everdeen’s little sister Prim is drawn in District 12, Katniss volunteers to take her place.
Together with Peeta, the baker’s son, she is sent to the Capitol, dressed up, interviewed and turned into entertainment before she has to survive in the arena. Katniss is a hunter and used to looking after herself, but the Games are as much about winning over the audience as they are about staying alive.
The series is dystopia rather than fantasy, but it belongs with anyone who likes strong main characters and high stakes.
The books in the series
- The Hunger Games (2008)
- Catching Fire (2009)
- Mockingjay (2010)
- The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020) (prequel)
- Sunrise on the Reaping (2025) (prequel)
The list is in publication order. The two prequels take place many years before The Hunger Games.
My thoughts
What holds the series together is Katniss. She is tough because she has had to be, and you understand her all the way through, even when she makes choices you wouldn’t make yourself.