Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press; 1 edition (September 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0439023491

Series: The Hunger Games
Book 1: The Hunger Games
Book 2: Catching Fire
Book 3: Mockingjay Book 4: WARNING: SPOILERS ahead. Do not read on if you have not finished the first installment. Reader's Annotation: The long-awaited sequel to the stunning Hunger Games,

Catching Fires takes off where Katniss has won the Hunger Games against all odds.
Now, she and Peeta should be happy. But the Capitol isn't happy with what's happened at all, and they may not let it go.

From School Library Journal: Starred Review. Gr 7 Up--Every year in Panem, the dystopic

nation that exists where the U.S. used to be, the

Capitol holds a televised tournament in which two teen "tributes" from each of the surrounding districts fight a gruesome
battle to the death. In The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, the tributes from impoverished District Twelve, thwarted the Gamemakers, forcing them to let both teens survive. In this rabidly anticipated sequel, Katniss, again the
narrator, returns home to find herself more the center of attention than ever. The sinister President Snow surprises her with a visit, and
Katniss’s fear when Snow meets with her alone is both palpable and justified. Catching Fire is divided into three parts: Katniss and Peeta’s mandatory Victory Tour through the districts, preparations for the 75th Annual Hunger Games, and a truncated version of the Games
themselves. Slower paced than its predecessor, this sequel explores the nation of Panem: its power structure, rumors of a secret district, and a spreading rebellion, ignited by Katniss and Peeta’s subversive victory. Katniss also deepens as a character. Though initially bewildered by the attention paid to her, she comes almost to embrace her status as the rebels’ symbolic leader. Though more of the story
takes place outside the arena than within, this sequel has enough action to please Hunger Games fans and leaves enough questions tantalizingly
unanswered for readers to be desperate for the next installment. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Official Website: http://www.scholastic.com/thehungergames/

Official Trailer:

The Hunger Games, By Suzanne Collins

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press (September 14, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439023483

Reader's Annotation: In a dystopian future where a reigning government reminds the people of their place in society (and discouraging uprisings) by hosting a reality based TV show meets roman gladiator ring where two tributes (one boy and one girl) from each of the 12 districts are chosen by lottery to fight to the death on camera. Katniss, a black market hunter in district 12, volunteers for the games to replace her young sister. But, will her game hunting background really be enough to keep her alive in the ring?

Summary: "In a not-too-distant future, the United States of America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war, to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year, two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts, the televised games are broadcasted throughout Panem as the 24 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. When 16-year-old KatnissÆs young sister, Prim, is selected as the mining districts female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart, Peeta, the son of the town baker who seems to have all the fighting skills of a lump of bread dough, will be pitted against bigger, stronger representatives who have trained for this their whole lives. CollinsÆs characters are completely realistic and sympathetic as they form alliances and friendships in the face of overwhelming odds; the plot is tense, dramatic, and engrossing. This book will definitely resonate with the generation raised on reality shows like Survivor and American Gladiator. Book one of a planned trilogy." ~Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK 

UnLibrarian's Opinion: I absolutely loved loved this novel. I would go so far as to say it is one of the finest YA novels out there. I can't wait to read the next installment. Evoking the classical lust for blood in a roman arena while feeding off the current state of the iraqi war, 24-hours news coverage, and reality TV, Ms. Collins pulls out all the stops with this pertinent roller coaster ride that is both relatable and fantastic. A MUST READ. 

Extras: Official Trilogy Website http://www.scholastic.com/thehungergames/

Suzanne Collins Official Website: http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/

Interview via Borders Media with Suzanne Collins (Hunger Games/Catching Fire)! Part One Below. Visit Link for the Continuation.

 

Lionsgate acquires rights to the film adaptation due out in 2011! 

Via Wikipedia: Lionsgate Entertainmenthas acquired worldwide distribution rights to a film adaptation of The Hunger Games, which will be produced by Nina Jacobson's Color Force production company. Collins will adapt the novel for film herself. IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1392170/

Awards- Via Wikipedia The Hunger Games has also received a number of awards and honors, including being a USA Today and New York Times Best Seller, and being named one of Publishers Weekly's "Best Books of the Year" in 2008 and a New York Times "Notable Children's Book of 2008".

Other authors speak out on why they love the Hunger Games: 

"[The Hunger Games] is a violent, jarring, speed-rap of a novel that generates nearly constant suspense...I couldn't stop reading."

--Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly Review

Read Full EW Review:
http:/​/​www.ew.com/​ew/​article/​0,,20223443,00.html

"I was so obsessed with this book I had to take it with me out to dinner and hide it under the edge of the table so I wouldn't have to stop reading. The story kept me up for several nights in a row, because even after I was finished, I just lay in bed wide awake thinking about it...The Hunger Games is amazing."

--Stephenie Meyer, author of The Twilight Saga

"The Hunger Games is as close to perfect an adventure novel as I've ever read. I could not put it down. Collins has transformed the ancient Labyrinth myth into a terrifyingly believable tale of future America. Readers will be hungry for more."

--Rick Riordan, author of The Percy Jackson Series and The 39 Clues

Trailers: 

Official 
Watch The Hunger Games: Suzanne Collins in Entertainment | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Fan Made and Incredible!  

 

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Specials (Uglies Trilogy, Bk.3), By Scott Westerfeld

By: Scott Westerfeld

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse 
• Publishing Date: September 11, 2007
• ISBN-10: 0439025664

Classification: Fiction
Genre: Science Fiction
Series Title: The Uglies Trilogy

Uglies

Pretties

Specials

Extras 

Subjects: beauty, dystopian society, fitting in, super-heros, body image, love

Reader's Annotation: In book three of the Uglies Trilogy Tally Youngblood returns with a special new purpose. But is this just another doomed twist in her journey for truth or is she finally on top of the game?

Synopsis: After being betrayed in a heartbreaking twist at the end of the Pretties, Tally Youngblood seems to have come out on top. The intended finale to the trilogy, Westerfeld explores the darkest nature of body image and supremacy in this final installment of the adventures of Tally Youngblood. Finally she is the one in charge, and it is clear that her skills are closer to a super hero then the ugly young girl we met in Uglies. But Tally can't let go of the past, even if everything has been rewired for her. Once again Tally follows her inner instinct to take on the powers that be and to reclaim the life that has been stolen from her. And who knows, maybe in the end, she may have some say in the way her world is run. 

Notes: Do not read this book if you haven't read the first two books. This is not a stand alone story. That being said, it is a powerful ending to the Uglies and the Pretties! The issues being raised leave great room for poignant discussion, as all Westerfeld's books do. I think the series as a whole is a strong choice (in line with Little Brother, By Doctorow) for YA in the classroom.

Stars: 5

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1, By: Alan Moore

By: Alan Moore

Illustrated By: Kevin O'Neill

Publisher: America's Best Comics; 1st edition 
Publish Date: October 1, 2002
ISBN: 1563898586
Page #:
Classification: Fiction
Genre: Graphic Novel
Age Level: Older Teen/Adult

Series Title: 

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen VOL. 1

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: VOL. 2

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century 1910

Subjects: Literary References, 19th Century England, Steampunk, Graphic Novels, Superheros

Reader's Annotation: Introducing Mina Murray and Alan Quatermain and a host of other literary characters as they fight evil in the sky in 19th Century London. Alan Moore, Creator of the Watchmen and Kevin O'Neill illustrating, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen pays tribute to the league of the imagination.

Synopsis:  According to Moore the League is to start a "Justice League of Victorian England" but as his work progressed it became something more. Moore said, in relation to literary characters and the importance of imagination, that "The planet of the imagination is as old as we are. It has been humanity's constant companion with all of its fictional locations, like Mount Olympus and the gods, and since we first came down from the trees, basically. It seems very important, otherwise, we wouldn't have it." In the league of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Moore create an ode to that world. He introduces us to a cast of literary characters/heros. Meet Alan Quatermain, (the main character of H. Rider Haggard's King Solomon's Mines), Mina Murray (the heroine of Stoker's Dracula, now divorced and dishonored by her unfortunate undead adventures with the prince of darkness & now donning her independent unmarried name Murray instead of Harker), Captain Nemo (Captain Nemo from Jules Verne's novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island) , Henry Jekyll (and his beastly alter personality) and Hawley Griffin (the Invisible Man), and Professor James Moriarty  the nemesis of  Sherlock Holmes in the work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Together they fight the Fu Manchu (threatening a potential evil in the sky as they strive to create the ultimate airship) of which London alone doesn't have the ability to protect itself from. 

Notes: Although not well received, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was made into a film in 2003.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0311429/ 

Stars: 5

Extras: Author Fan Site: http://www.alanmoorefansite.com/

Article on CENTURY: 1910 http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=20197

The Watchmen Movie Official http://watchmenmovie.warnerbros.com/ 

(Extreme Content Warning)

Trailer for LXG movie (For a justice league theme, I don't believe the film does it "justice"):  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VS10s8l-Eg