ST. MONICA JUNIOR HIGH BOOK CLUB

We've started our first Book Club at St. Monica School and the chosen book is the hugely popular: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Our first book club doesn't have a lot of members, five (four junior high students and myself) of us to be exact, but we're off to a great start with this very exciting book.

Katniss Everdeen

To learn more about The Hunger Games, click here to read an interview with the author of this book that was published in the School Library Journal.

The Library Journal posted this review about the book:

Library Journal Review

In a far-future United States, a cruel Capitol keeps order by demanding an annual tribute for its Hunger Games, in which two contestants, a boy and a girl, are chosen by lottery from each of 12 districts to fight to the death in an event televised from an arena. Katniss Everdeen lives in what used to be Appalachia and is now called the Seam-a dirt-poor district without much hope of success in the games. Katniss volunteers in her sister's place and may just have the smarts to win. Then Peeta, the soft baker's son chosen from her same district, does something surprising. He declares his undying affection for Katniss just before they enter the arena. Is there room for friendship, loyalty, or even love when survival is on the line? Why It Is a Best: Collins's prose is merely serviceable, but she writes compelling characters and spins one terrific yarn. The premise is good to begin with, and the surprises keep coming. Why It Is for Us: In this fight to the death, the book's violence is cringe-worthy by even the most jaded standards. The exploitation of the desperate and impoverished for the entertainment of the wealthy and powerful is a theme reminiscent of Stephen King's The Long Walk or The Running Man. King himself makes the comparison in his Entertainment Weekly review of the book, saying "I couldn't stop reading."

(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.   

Our timing is great, because The Hunger Games movie is due out in March! Check out the movie trailer at: The Hunger Games Movie. (for Grade 7 and up)

If you haven't read it yet, give it a shot.  It is an exciting, futuristic read, I would recommend for Grades 7 and up as there are some more complicated issues in this book.

I'll update the "MonaBlog"  after our next book club meeting and publish  some of the comments our students (with their permission of course) in Book Club have made.


Mrs. Meakin
Librarian