Saturday, March 12, 2011

Book Review - Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins



Review: This book started out with a shock and it just kept going that way. Everything that happened seemed worse than the last thing. Katniss had survived and now she was on tour only to find she was some sort of hero and leader. She didn’t want that, she wanted to be at home with her family. Everything she loved about home was being taken from her and now she was being forced back into the games. Back to the games, how could anyone survive that? She had won and yet here she was again. What would become of her? Of Peeta, of Gale? Who will she choose, or will she go it alone? Who does she really need?
This is a story of survival, friendship and love. I love the way I can see the whole story unfold, the new playing field, the other contestants. Katniss is their new hero and they will do everything possible to help her survive. People she cares for are killed to distract her from the goal, but she presses on knowing the sacrifices they are making. Everyone wants a better world and are willing to risk their lives to get it.
Read this, of course if you read Hunger Games you won’t be able to not read this. The ending is not my favorite, but it is the center of a trilogy. I will be buying the next one. I do not have the patience to wait for it at the library. Read this series, it is great for any age.
Publisher: September 1st 2009 by Scholastic Press
ISBN: 0439023491
Copyright: 2009
Pages: 391
Quick Review: 4 stars (out of 5)
Why I Read It: I read the Hunger Games and couldn’t get this one fast enough.
Where I Obtained the Book: Our local library.
Synopsis: Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark won the annual competition described in Hunger Games, but the aftermath leaves these victors with no sense of triumph. Instead, they have become the poster boys for a rebellion that they never planned to lead. That new, unwanted status puts them in the bull's-eye for merciless revenge by The Capitol.


Author Biography: Since 1991, Suzanne Collins has been busy writing for children’s television. She has worked on the staffs of several Nickelodeon shows, including the Emmy-nominated hit Clarissa Explains it All and The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo. For preschool viewers, she penned multiple stories for the Emmy-nominated Little Bear and Oswald. She also co-wrote the critically acclaimed Rankin/Bass Christmas special, Santa, Baby! Most recently she was the Head Writer for Scholastic Entertainment’s Clifford’s Puppy Days.
While working on a Kids WB show called Generation O! she met children’s author James Proimos, who talked her into giving children’s books a try.
Thinking one day about Alice in Wonderland, she was struck by how pastoral the setting must seem to kids who, like her own, lived in urban surroundings. In New York City, you’re much more likely to fall down a manhole than a rabbit hole and, if you do, you’re not going to find a tea party. What you might find...? Well, that’s the story of Gregor the Overlander, the first book in her five-part series, The Underland Chronicles.
Suzanne also has a rhyming picture book illustrated by Mike Lester entitled When Charlie McButton Lost Power.
She currently lives in Connecticut with her family and a pair of feral kittens they adopted from their backyard.
The books she is most successful for in teenage eyes are the Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay. These books have won several awards, including the GA Peach Award
Other Reviews:

2 comments:

  1. Great review!
    I read Catching Fire some time ago, I enjoyed it a lot, even tho there were moments that it was pretty frustrating to read it hahah (especially the ending made me a bit angry!).
    It gets even more frustrating in the third book, but I think you will enjoy reading it a lot!

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  2. I was frustrated, but the next book wasn't out yet and that was more frustrating. I love this series, I hope they don't ruin it when they make it into a movie.

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