So, here goes.
I will admit to having read the Hunger Games. I'll also admit that I enjoyed them. However, I will not stoop to the level of others by throwing out false claims that they are the "greatest series EVER! omg, like, yeah, etc."
They're a pretty solid series. Love, familial ties, loyalty, fire, fights, crazy scientific and technological advancements, a dystopian society with a dysfunctional tyrant of a President. This of course, is the perfect recipe for a teenage abyss of obsession. Minus, of course, vampires and werewolves. It's just so realistic! Like, my mom is TOTES President Snow.
Seriously though. The Hunger Games is a great series. It evokes plenty of emotion, is an incredibly quick, thorough, intricate read, and offers plenty of "afterthought". That's my personal favorite. You know what I mean; when you're finished with a book and you still think about all the nooks and crannies of it even weeks after you've slid out your favorite bookmark and moved into another literary world.
Now, this is for the kids. Make sure, when you've finished the books you don't just stop there. Find other fantasy series, such as the Giver and it's accomplices (by the incredible Lois Lowry) or even other series by Suzanne Collins. There are plenty of other fantasy novels set in a futuristic world. There's the Uglies, Percy Jackson (for strong female characters), Peak, Birthmarked, Maximum Ride, and of course The City of Ember. Learn from the book; stand up for what's right, protect the innocent, love unconditionally, give of your talents and gifts for a better world. Also, do me a favor and talk to your friends and parents and other adults. Show them that reading is fun, and you might even re-ignite some other person's passion for it.
Parents, please either research, read before, or read the series with your kids. Don't let the idea that it's a movie and popular book allow you to believe that it's actually a good fit for your kid. Some kids are actually emotionally ready for it, but I think a lot of people have forgotten that it's actually written at a Lexile Level of 810, or a Grade Level Equivalent of 5.3. This means that the actually words in the book are of an appropriate readability for the typical mid-year 5th grader. The actual book itself, however is not. There are pretty graphic depictions of people being murdered; children specifically. There are no "steam scenes", just a lot of kissing and ponderings of said kissing as to whether it was emotionally or intentionally driven. Please understand that I am not trying to push you away. I feel that a lot of parents have very little idea what their kids are reading. I was spoiled with a mom who was not only an avid reader, but slightly overprotective. If I was reading it, so was she. It ended up turning me into an obsessive reader because I knew that I could talk to her about what was going on, working out thoughts and ideas as well as having bonding moments when we were probably supposed to be in the violent throes of teenage angst and anger. We ended up never really hitting that phase....
On a final note, let the Hunger Games be a launching pad. Ask your local librarian, teacher, bookstore owner, Barnes and Noble employee, friend, neighbor, SOMEONE, about other great suggestions for books. If you check it out and don't like it that's cool. Find another one. Give it a shot. Put down the remote, the Wiimote and the iPod. Pick up a book and check out of our current world for a while.
"I cannot live without books!"
- Thomas Jefferson
