Slowly step away from the pretty vampire

I wish more kids would look past the glossy vampire book covers and find something different to read. Like, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, for instance. I finished it yesterday and have decided that I like it. I am currently plotting the acquisition of Catching Fire.

The story is set in Panem, a nation that formed on the ruins of what was once North America. It is governed by The Capitol, a powerful city bounded by districts. According to the country's history, thirteen districts rebelled and were defeated, the thirteenth district completely destroyed. As punishment, each of the twelve remaining districts must send one boy and one girl from the ages of twelve to eighteen to compete in an annual blood contest called The Hunger Games. These "tributes" are pitted against one another in a brutal game of survival, which is broadcasted live. The main character, Katniss Everdeen, is from the coal-mining District 12 where life is lived from one meal to the next. She joins the seventy-fourth Hunger Games under unusual circumstances and finds herself in an arena where twenty-three other tributes plan to kill her. In the Hunger Games, "losing means death."

Katniss hunts in order to provide for her family, but she must do so quietly because hunting is forbidden by law. Hunger and poverty have sharpened her instincts to survive. She is practical and efficient, clever in ways that count in the real world. I love smart characters.

It is a Young Adult novel, so expect a love story to crop up along the way. I feel a love triangle brewing. Eat s**t, Edward.