The Hunger Games

[October 2011]

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The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
number of voters: 7
percentage of voters who finished the book: 100
highest rating: 9.75
lowest rating: 5
average rating: 8.43

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I could see the pipe cleaners on the far side of the cornucopia. There would only be a moment for me to decide: Could I make it there in time, before someone else got there first… or got to me first.
“GO!”
No more thinking about it, I had to move. I dove for the bag of pipe cleaners, but they were snatched from my fingers by the girl from District 7. Quickly I scanned the area for something else I could grab, anything of use. Legos… gone. Scrabble tiles… gone. A roll of toilet paper and a crayon… it would have to do. Now, to create something from these meager items…. something that represented the book and how I felt about it.

The girl from District 7 made a bow and arrow with the pipe cleaners. She said she loved the book, that the social commentary was interesting, that she liked the characters.

The girl from District 10 made word art with the Scrabble tiles. Peeta, Cinna, Capital, Mockingjay. Well played, District 10! She loved the author’s words and pace. She liked the whole concept, but she wanted more info about the minor characters.

The District 12 girl made word art too, but with cards and clothes pins. She had numbers from the districts and a card that said “vote.” I was impressed with what she could do with so little. She loved loved loved the books, how they were easy to read but so visual. I thought she was so brave to admit she didn’t love the ending (was that the best-case-scenario), even though she was so passionate about the story.

The girl from District 5 had crepe paper. What could anyone do with that? A parachute! Brilliant! Why didn’t I think of that? She thought the book was captivating. She was entertained but it also made her think. How would I survive amidst such tough competition?

The girl from District 3 had the coveted Legos. She was surprised that she did NOT like the book because she liked the idea of it, and yet it was just too hard to read about kids killing each other. With her Legos she fashioned a noose around a reader’s neck, signifying how she felt while reading.

The girl from District 9 had a bag of buttons. She made a beautiful tribute to Rue. She had loved the books and Katniss and Cinna and the hope that everyone saw in the Girl on Fire.

It was up to me now, what could I do with my toilet paper and crayon? Could I represent District 2? I had drawn the entire series on the roll of toilet paper, square by unending square. In every scene, Katniss is sad and confused. What can I say? I liked the book, but I thought Katniss was tedious.

In the end, the Gamemaker decided we all would live to tell others about The Hunger Games, to recommend it to our friends. But not before hosting possibly the best book club meeting ever.

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