The Hunger Games

Story

Games are fun! Unless you’re competing to the death to be pronounced the winner against 11 other kids your own age in front of a crowd of spectators from the hated Capital. When her little sister is picked for the games, Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her place. Travelling to the capital, the competitors meet each other and try not to form strong bonds. There can only be one winner and there is only one way to win the game; survive.

Why we chose it

A dystopian young adult story about survival and the nature of freedom.

The Hunger Games was one of the books chosen by a group of teenagers who planned and put on a weekend event at the museum in 2015.

Where it came from

In interviews, Suzanne Collins said she modelled her Hunger Games on a mix of reality television, war, the Roman gladiator games, and Greek mythology. Additionally, she said that she used her own experience of grief after the death of her father to add to Katniss’ story.

Where it went next

The Hunger Games is the first in a trilogy and went on to become a movie franchise. The book has won numerous awards, such as the California Young Reader Medal and the Hal Clement Award, as well as being on the New York Times Best Seller list for over 100 consecutive weeks.

Associated stories

The final two books in the trilogy are Catching Fire (2009) and Mockingjay (2010). Each book went on to became a film. A prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is set in the early years of the contests. Suzanne Collins is also the author of The Underland Chronicles which is a series of 5 books published from 2003-20 which tell the story of a subterranean world beneath New York City.