Cathing Fire
The Hunger Games Trilogy
Fantasy/Thriller
Schoolastic Corperation
September 14, 2008
374
In the book, “Catching Fire”, by Suzanne Collins, a brave girl named Katniss Everdeen is portrayed as a symbol of hope and rebellion. The story shows the conflict of person versus society throughout the story. Katniss and the other contender from her district, Peeta, mayed the president of the Hunger Games, President Snow, let both of them win by threatening to suicide in the first Hunger Games so that there will not be a winner. The Capitol took this very negatively and has looked at Katniss as a threat ever since, and President Snow visits Katniss to warn her. Many riots break out, and Katniss’s signature pin of a mockingjay is used as a symbol of rebellion. Katniss and Peeta must continue to fake their love and they marry just to make sure that everyone thinks that their love is real. Katniss is chosen along with Peeta to participate in another Hunger Games. When in the arena Katniss and Peeta form an alliance with three other contestants. The alliance escapes many dangers such as poison gas and killer squirrels. One of the allis finds a way to explode the force field surrounding the arena, but needs Katniss to shoot an arrow wrapped with coil at the force field. The plan works and the arena explodes. Katniss becomes unconscious and when she wakes up she is in a plane with, Plutarch, Haymitch, and Gale. The book ends with a cliffhanger leaving the reader wanting to read the next book.
MY OPINION:
In my opinion the book, “Catching Fire”, is great and a good sequel to the first book, “The Hunger Games”. This book is action packed and has a fantastic plot line. Throughout the novel the author uses great vocabulary and word choices. The author uses words such as subdued, deter, and ambiguous. Many of her words we were tested on. I would recommend this book to anyone older than twelve, do to mild language and “adult” topics. If I could go back in time, and I have already read the first book, than I would definitely read, “Catching Fire”, again. This book had many strengths. Although, sometimes I found it confusing as to where the characters actually were. The author was very creative and descriptive. I especially liked how the author infused many clever and imaginative threats in the arena. If I had to rate this book I would give it an 8.5 out of 10, mainly because it was not as good as the first “Hunger Games” book.
STUDY QUESTIONS AND VOCABULARY FIRST SECTION:
1. Who is Katniss hunting for and why? (4)
1a. Katniss is hunting for Gale because his dad died so Gale and his family are very poor and refuse to accept money from Katniss.
2. Why did the guards kill the old man from district 11? (63)
2a. The guards killed the man because he was the first person to hum Rue’s song during Katniss’s speech and they felt that he was trying to start an uproar.
3. Why is it so important for Peeta and Katniss to fake being in love with each other even if Peeta knows that Katniss does not love him back? (68)
3a. If Katniss and Peeta do not put on a show for the people of all the destricts and do not make them believe that Katniss and Peeta are truly in love than President Snow will kill Katniss’s and Peeta’s families.
4. Why is district 8 rebelling? (80)
4a. They are rebelling because they know that Katniss’s love for Peeta is fake and because Katniss killed both of district 8’s contestants from last year.
5. Why does Katniss not want to continue to visit Gale on Sundays. (90)
5a. She knows that if she continues to see him then President Snow will kill Gale’s and Katniss’s families.
Definitions:
Loathe (4)
Treasonous (24)
Cloying (64)
Omit (65)
Urn (80)
STUDY QUESTIONS AND VOCABULARY MIDDLE SECTION:
6. Who are the two girls that intrude on Katniss? (143)
6a. They are runaways from District 8, Twill and Bonnie.
7.Why is Katniss helping Bonnie and Twill? (153)
7a. She wants answeres about district 13 from them.
8. Why is it such a big deal that the gate around District 12 is electrified? (180)
8a. No one knows that Katniss is at the gate and she can not get back to her family.
9. Why are two peacekeepers waiting for Katniss at her house? (200)
9a. They wanted to make sure she was electricuted by the fence, but when they see her alive they tell her the fence has power now.
10. Why does Twill and Bonnie think that there might be another district called district 13?
10a. They see a mokingjay fly in the background each time the capitol shows the, “updated video”.
Definitions:
Imminent (139)
Malnourished (147)
Earnestly (158)
Infantile (160)
Contrite (181)
STUDY QUESTIONS AND VOCABULARY LAST SECTION:
11. Why does one of the announcers at the reaping start to cry? (200)
11a. He feels that the odds will never be in favor of Katniss and is a freind of hers.
12. What is Katniss’s recuring dream? (220)
12a. She dreams that the lady from district 4 trunes into a rat and eats her.
13. Why does Katniss and Peeta feel that watching Haymitch’s tape of when he was in the hunger games rude? (241)
13a. They feel like it would be an invasion of privacy and they know that Haymitch does not want them to see it.
14. Why has President Snow decided to make this years hunger games victors only? (253)
14a. He sees it as an opurtunity to get rid of Katniss.
15. Why does Haymitch want Katniss and Peeta to team up with other contestants? (274)
15a. He knows that Peeta and Katniss alone can not win.
Definitions:
Devoid (191)
Gooseflesh (220)
Azure (242)
Picturesque (249)
Vie (301)