The Hunger Games

“You don’t forget the face of the person who was your last hope” (Collins 2008)

To finish out the 20 Book Challenge, I decided to end the semester with one of my all-time favorite books, The Hunger Games. I remember when this book first came out. I was in middle school, and my librarian told one of my classes about it. We all rushed to check it out, and I was one of the lucky people who got to read one of the first copies. I immediately fell in love with the book and finished the entire series as it came out, as well as the movie adaptations. This book will forever be one of my favorites.

After an uprising of citizens, the 12 Districts of Panem must each send 2 teenagers to fight to the death in the annual Hunger Games, a brutal deathmatch that takes place in the Capitol. In District 12, Katniss Everdeen volunteers for her sister, whose name is drawn at the ceremony. Peeta Melark is also drawn, and he and Katniss know each other. The two travel to the Capitol and take place in the ritualistic training, interviews, and dinners. On the night before the games, Peeta confesses his love for Katniss during an interview. This changes everything, and all the citizens of the Capitol are now rooting for the star-crossed lovers. As the games begin, the tributes slowly die one by one. It is then announced that there may be two winners, as long as they are from the same district. This causes Peeta and Katniss to reunite and play up their "lover" appearance. The two ultimately end up as the last two survivors, but the Gamemakers then announce they are revoking the new rule. Katniss and Peeta decide to both eat poisonous berries to end the games. Before they can eat them, the Gamemakers quickly take back their change and announce the two as the winners. They travel back home, and Katniss questions whether or not she truly loves Peeta.

As I said before, this book is one of my favorites. It has everything you could ever want in a book: action, romance, comedy, and tragedy. I feel that this book would be perfect to include within your classroom, especially to teach it. It has several different themes that you could teach to your students, such as poverty, sacrifice, and war.  I feel that this book would be a great way to liven up your reading time. One fun idea would be to set up your own Panem in the classroom, minus the brutal killings and economic divides. Each district would be in charge of a certain resource, just like the book. Everyone can work together to create an ideal society, far from the one seen in the book. You can also use this book to teach literary concepts, such as foreshadowing and imagery.

If you haven't read this book yet, I highly recommend you do. It has everything you could want in a book, and I know I will forever have a love for it. I will definitely be using this book inside my classroom. 

Speak

“Art without emotion is like chocolate cake without sugar. It makes you gag” (Anderson 2018)

The 20 Book Challenge is coming to a close, so I am trying to fit in the last of my books within the next couple of weeks. This week, I wanted to read another graphic novel. I really enjoyed Hey, Kiddo, which I have made a previous post about. I decided on Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. I have read the original version before and really enjoyed it, but I think I liked the graphic novel version better.

This book deals with very serious subject matter. In the summer of her freshman year, Melinda decides to attend a party, where she meets a boy named Andy, who is a senior. Andy rapes Melinda, who is left in shock. She tries to call the police, but she finds herself unable to speak. This event causes Melinda to become completely mute with no way of expressing her feelings. She turns to art to express how she is feeling. She becomes weighed down with trauma and becomes even more withdrawn and depressed. By the end of the book, Melinda is able to tell her ex-best friend about the incident. Andy tries to attack Melinda, but she is able to fight back and get help. The truth spreads around the school, and the students become more understanding towards Melinda. 

While the topics within the book are difficult to discuss, I believe it could help some students. Melinda deals with post-traumatic stress disorder, something that many people have to deal with. Some students may benefit from reading about a character who is going through similar things as them. This book, whether it be the original or graphic novel version, can help students find their own voices, just as Melinda found hers. 

One more week to go! Check-in next week for my last book post!