The Hunger Games is a dystopia set in a future North America, which is now made up of only one country, Panem, with a society strictly controlled by the government. Each year, the twelve districts that make up Panem are required to send two tributes, a boy and a girl between the ages of 12 and 18, to participate in the Hunger Games, a competition that pits the tributes against each other as gladiators fighting to the death until only one remains alive. The ultimate in reality television, the event is required viewing for the people of Panem, some of whom see participation as an honor, while many others recognize the games as barbaric. Katniss, 16, a resident of District 12 who hunts and poaches to provide food for her widowed mother and younger sister, volunteers to take her sister’s place when the younger girl’s name is drawn in the lottery that determines who will be the tributes from each district. Katniss’s hunting and tracking skills will serve her well in the games, but she will also need to be smart, cunning, and willing to both form alliances and set aside her feelings toward others if she is to survive. The Hunger Games, the first book of a trilogy, is one that cannot be put down. It also easily won the People's Choice Poll , determined by readers like you. The second book is due out later this year.All of the books in the competition are winners, great books published in 2008. If you are looking for an absorbing read, this list is a good place to start.
