The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games
Fiction
Scholastic
September 14, 2008
374
THE STORY:
Katniss Everdeen prepares for the reaping for the Hunger Games, a game watched on live television where one boy and one girl from each district who are twelve to eighteen years old are forced to participate to battle to the death until one person remains in an arena created by the Gamemakers. Primrose, Katniss’ sister, is chosen as the female tribute for the Hunger Games. Katniss volunteers to replace Primrose in the games, and Peeta Mellark is selected as the male tribute which upsets Katniss, because he gave her free loaves of bread when her family was about to die of starvation a few years ago, so she would have a hard time killing him in the arena. They are transported to the Capitol in a train, and then they are prepared for the interview before the Hunger Games. The day after the interview, the Hunger Games start, and the twenty-four tributes are sent to the arena. Many are killed on the first day, but Katniss survives along with Peeta and eleven others. She encounters many situations that put her life on the line, but she survives. Soon, she realizes that the Hunger Games is not the only thing that may kill her.
MY OPINION:
Once I started to read this book, I found it hard to stop and close the book. The plot is fast-paced, and there is never a moment in the book where you question yourself about reading the book. The Hunger Games has strong vocabulary that is well-suited for eighth grade. It is hard for me to connect to this book, since I was never in a life-threatening situation or a time when a member of my family was about to be taken away from me. Some parts of the book are very unexpected, and it shapes the story in a unique way. I have never read a book similar to this, so The Hunger Games interested me. It is a popular book so I decided to try the book. I would recommend this book for people ages thirteen to eighteen because of the violence and the romance. I would rate this book ten out of ten stars.
STUDY QUESTIONS AND VOCABULARY:
FIRST SECTION:
1. Why does Katniss take Primrose’s place in the Hunger Games?
1a. Primrose is the only person that Katniss loves. (22)
2. Why did Katniss think that the odds were not in her favor when Peeta Mellark was chosen as the male tribute?
2a. Peeta had given her break before when Katniss and her family were starving to death. Katniss would have a hard time killing Peeta in the Hunger Games, since he saved her life. (31)
3. What does Katniss wear from her district to the arena?
3a. She wears a gold pin from Madge with a mockingjay in the center. (38)
4. Why does Katniss not trust her mother?
4a. After her father had died, her mother shut herself out and did not care from Primrose and Katniss. Katniss thought that her mother would disappear again. (27)
5. Why does Katniss shoot towards the Gamemakers in her private session?
5a. The Gamemakers were not paying attention to Katniss and were focusing on the roast pig. (102)
deterrent (4)
verve (8)
teeming (9)
terse (17)
flamboyant (64)
MIDDLE SECTION:
6. Why is Katniss angry at Peeta after the interview?
6a. Peeta said that he loved Katniss on TV, and Katniss thought that he made her look weak. (134)
7. What is Katniss’ first problem after the Hunger Games start and she leaves the Cornucopia?
7a. Katniss cannot find a water source and becomes dehydrated. (165)
8. How does Katniss kill Glimmer and a girl from District 2?
8a. Katniss saws off a branch above a tracker-jacker nest that attacks the Careers and kills the girls. (190)
9. Why does Katniss want Rue for an ally?
9a. Rue reminds Katniss of Prim, and Katniss trusts her. (201)
10. How does Katniss destroy the Careers’ supplies?
10a. She tears open a sack of apples with her arrows which causes the land mines protecting the supplies to explode. (220)
banter (126)
ruminating (142)
catacombs (143)
botched (151)
arbitrary (153)
LAST SECTION:
11. What is the hidden message in the gift that Haymitch sends to Katniss?
11a. The message is that one kiss for Peeta equals one pot of broth. (261)
12. How is Katniss able to go to the fest to get Peeta the cure for his wound even though Peeta objects?
12a. Katniss gets a vial of sleep syrup from Haymitch and tricks Peeta into eating it with berries. The syrup makes Peeta fall asleep for a full day so that Katniss can get the cure for Peeta. (277)
13. Why does Thresh decide to not kill Katniss during the feast?
13a. Katniss tells him that she teamed up with Rue, killed the boy who killed Rue, buried her in flowers, and sang her to death. (288)
14. Why is the interview after the Hunger Games the most dangerous part of the games?
14a. If the audience finds out that Peeta and Katniss were lying about being in love, they will die. Also, if the audience does not believe that the only reason why Katniss and Peeta were going to eat poisonous berries at the end of the games so that there would be no victor was because they were madly in love with each other, they will die. (358)
15. How come the Capitol did not like it when Katniss and Peeta were about to eat the poisonous berries so that there would be no victor for the Hunger Games?
15a. When they were about to eat the berries, it seemed too rebellious toward the Capitol. (372)
alleviate (254)
caliber (257)
deluge (299)
doubly (323)
insidious (365)