The Hunger Games

Suzanne Collins, an American writer, published the dystopian young adult novel The Hunger Games in 2008. Katniss Everdeen, sixteen years old, is the narrator; she lives in Panem, a post-apocalyptic nation in North America. It is the first book of a trilogy, followed by Catching Fire and Mockingjay.

Panem is a wealthy Capitol surrounded by twelve poorer districts, which it exploits for their resources and labour. After a failed rebellion, each district is required to send two children every year to take part in the Games, which are fought in an arena and broadcast until one survivor is left. The reaping that selects the tributes is public, and the whole event is staged as entertainment.

Katniss has been keeping her mother and sister alive since her father died, which is why she is good with a bow, and when her sister's name comes out of the reaping bowl she takes her place. Her fellow tribute is the baker's son who once gave her bread. The Games have a betting market, sponsors and rules that can change while they are running, and Katniss understands early that the audience is part of how the arena works.

Collins writes the novel in the first person, present tense, so the reader is inside the arena with her. The trilogy continues with the two later volumes, and the first book sets out Panem, the Games and the rebellion that the later books widen.