Catching Fire

Suzanne Collins. 2009. New York: Scholastic Books. 400 pages. ISBN 978-0-439-02349-8

Plot Summary: Catching Fire begins where the Hunger Games ends. Katniss and Peeta have won and returned to District 12, they and their families have plenty to eat and don’t have to work. But this isn’t the end of the story. The President of the Capitol does not like how Katniss manipulated the game to allow two winners, and there’s rebellion in the provinces with Katniss as the symbolic figure head. In the next Hunger Games there are new rules and Katniss and Peeta must fight again, and this time Katniss vows that it is Peeta who must be kept alive at all costs.

Critical Summary: In many ways this book is even better than the first. Katniss has gained in sophistication and her insights in the situation and the rebellions are insightful. The picture of rebellion spreading throughout the provinces is compelling and disturbing. Catching Fire is just as action filled as the previous book, but with more insight into the political situation within the districts. The reader, however, is left with no answers at the end of the book due to the forthcoming sequel.

Reader’s Annotation: With Katniss a symbol of the rebellion spreading through the provinces, what will happen in the Hunger Games?

About the Author: Suzanne Collins has written for children, tweens and young adults. She began writing in children's television and then wrote a series for middle-school children entitled "The Underland Chronicles" about an alternate world under the streets of New York. The Hunger Games is the first part of a planned trilogy.

Her father was in the military when she was a child and his influence can be seen both in the Underland Chronicles and the Hunger Game. The Underland Chronicles are basically a war story with fantastical elements while The Hunger Games tackes such serious issues as hunger, war and corrupt governments. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, two children and cats. Learn more at http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/


Genre: Science fiction, dystopian, adventure

Curriculum ties: N/A

Reading Level/Interest Age: 15 and up.

Booktalking Ideas: Do you think Katniss and Peeta should have escaped when they had a chance? Will the Capitol be able to squash the rebellion?

Challenge Issues: Violence. I would recommend this book for older teens, though, arguably they see worse violence on television and in video games.

Why chosen: After reading the Hunger Games there’s no way one cannot read Catching Fire!