The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I read this book because so many people had recommended it to me.  Was I disappointed?  Not really.  I thought it was an interesting book that easily held my attention although I probably didn't love it quite as much as some people have.  On a scale of 1-10 I would give it at least a 7. 

The story is set in a futuristic world that at first glance seems very different from the one we live in.  The heroine, Katniss Everdeen, and her family just manage to survive the hardship of life in their world, where a few people live in luxury and the rest face the threat of starvation.  The story begins on the day of the "reaping"  where the names of two teenagers from each of the 12 districts will be drawn as contestants in the "hunger games".  These young people will be thrown into an arena where they must battle each other to the death.  The games are televised and the whole world watches until one of the contestants "wins" by killing all the others.  When the name of Katniss's younger sister is drawn, she volunteers to take her place, along with the other candidate from District 12, a boy named Peeta.  The rest of the book follows their participation in the games and the relationship that develops between Katniss and Peeta as they try to survive.

I found this book interesting and disturbing at the same time.  The idea of young people brutally killing each other for the entertainment of the viewing public is horrific.  However, the "love triangle" created between Katniss and Peeta and Gale is classic romance - it reminded me of the Bella-Jake-Edward triangle in Twilight.  I personally think that The Hunger Games is a better book than Twilight for lots of reasons:  Katniss is a much stronger heroine than Bella; there is more action; the pace is faster and the The Hunger Games is clearly meant to make us think about the issues in our own world.  Unlike Twilight, I liked The Hunger Games enough to read the sequel.                       Ms. Comer