The Hunger Games

When I was in 2nd grade, my class read a short story from our textbook called The Lottery by Shirley Jackson. To the best of my remembrance ... In a small village, every year, they held a lottery. Each resident draws a pebble from a bag. The person who draws THE pebble, the marked one, is then stoned by the rest of the community. I believe the idea centered around the death of one for the sake of the many. Of course the narrator of the story ended up winning the lottery that year. I remember be stunned, shocked, by the outcome. It left an impression upon me that has lasted over 30 years. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is The Lottery to the millionth power. OK, maybe not that much, but you get the picture.

This is from the same author who brought us the absolutely wonderful series Gregor the Overlander. From the minute I read the reviews of this book, I new I'd love it. Multiple times I tried to order this book for the Children's Department. Alas, it is still only in Young Adult. I was told it was too brutal. I was told I better read it first and I would change my mind. Maybe the Caudill nomination will help my cause. Not saying I'd recommend it to a 6th-grader, but I want it available to the mature, high reading comprehension crowd of 8th-graders.

The setting is post apocolyptic America. The country is divided into 13 districts, well, 12 still remain. #13 was annihilated by the government for an uprising. Every year, all children age 12 - 18 are entered into a lottery. One boy's name AND one girl's name is drawn from each district for a total of 24 contestants. The winners are wisked away where they will train while the country gets to know them. Then all 24 kids are placed in a controlled environment of the government's choosing and operation. And they are forced to fend for themselve and kill each other off until there is only 1 left standing. That ONE will be given a life of luxury for the rest of their days to share with their family.

If this isn't bad enough; if you're not already thinking I'm crazy for wanting it in the Children's Department, it actually gets worse. Most of the districts live in poverty. To acquire more food for her family to survive for the year, a kid can actually add her name MORE times into the lottery in exchange for food. So one of the few privileged children might only be entered once, but a child from a desperate family might be forced to enter his name a dozen times. The heroine of this story, Katniss, is one such person. Unfortunately, although Katniss' name is NOT drawn, her younger sister's name is. Katniss volunteers to take her place. This is allowed, but rarely ever happens.

But wait, there's more. The games are televised to the entire country. If the games are not exciting enough for the viewers, the government can intervene, maybe release some rabid dogs or poisonous gases. And kids from the richer districts can actually be trained from an early age to survive in such conditions. Kids born and bred to be contestants in these games.They receive economic support as well. Not to mention they are generally healthier and better fed than the contestants from the poor districts. So the contest isn't evenly matched to begin with.

So what are my reasons for recommending this brutal book? It's not for everyone, but it is my personal favorite of all the Caudill nominees this year. It is original and well-written. It's hard to put down. It's inspiring. It's about love. Love for family, friends, community. It's about taking a stand for what is right when no one else will.

I often say there is a book that everyone needs to read or a movie that everyone should see. For instance, it might be about World War II and I think everyone should have a good understanding of what our soldiers did for our country. What they lived through or died for. Or it might be a book like The Giver that might demonstrate how an idea, remove all pain, can adversely affect a community/society. We NEED pain and suffering to experience JOY!

One librarian said that this book was particularly painful because she can see where our current culture is heading. It's perhaps too close to the truth. I think it is no more brutal than the other nominee, Chains, where slaves are routinely beaten and maimed, and that actually happened in our world. In a world where we might be more sensitized to violence through movies, television, and video games, I see this book as a warning to just how bad things could get if the "haves" control the "have-nots."

This is the 1st book in a trilogy. The 2nd book, Catching Fire, is already available and just as thought-provoking. The 3rd, Mockingjay, is scheduled to be published August of this year. The 1st book has violence and murder. In the 2nd book, although it doesn't have any sex whatsoever to speak of, a rumor is made that Katniss is pregnant to gain sympathy for her cause.

In a world where 5th graders are already reading Young Adult books because their reading level is so high. OR every 6th grader wants to snag a copy of Twilight because it has a cult following among the older sisters. OR the 8th grader wants permission to check out Young Adult books knowing that sex, drugs and violence are just a signature away. Here is one of those books that is borderline ... 7th thru 12 grade. I'd rather make it available than forbidden. For the right child. It is just a truly marvelous, thought-provoking book. We have it TOO easy in America. We don't know real pain anymore. Only boredom.