The Hunger Games (novel)

{{Infobox book

| name = The Hunger Games

| image = The Hunger Games.jpg

| alt = Cover of the novel, showing the title in white text on a black and grey background, above a depiction of a gold pin featuring a bird in flight, its wings spread and an arrow clasped in its beak.

| caption = North American first edition cover

| author = Suzanne Collins

| series = {{nowrap|The Hunger Games trilogy}}

| cover_artist = Tim O'Brien

| country = United States

| language = English

| genre = Adventure
Science fiction{{cite news|url=http://io9.com/5622825/the-hunger-games-saga-is-an-important-work-of-science-fiction-that-everyone-must-read|title=Mockingjay proves the Hunger Games is must-read literature|date=August 26, 2010|work=io9|access-date=February 12, 2013|archive-date=July 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130709154356/http://io9.com/5622825/the-hunger-games-saga-is-an-important-work-of-science-fiction-that-everyone-must-read|url-status=dead}}

| published = September 14, 2008 (Scholastic Press)

| media_type = Print (hardcover, paperback)

| pages = 374

| isbn = 978-0-439-02352-8

| congress = PZ7.C6837 Hun 2008

| oclc = 181516677

| preceded_by = Sunrise on the Reaping

| followed_by = Catching Fire

}}

The Hunger Games is a 2008 dystopian young adult novel by the American writer Suzanne Collins. It is written in the perspective of 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in the future, post-apocalyptic nation of Panem in North America. The Capitol, a highly advanced metropolis, exercises political control over the rest of the nation. The Hunger Games is an annual event in which one boy and one girl aged 12–18 from each of the twelve districts surrounding the Capitol are selected by lottery to compete in a televised battle royale to the death.

The book received critical acclaim from major reviewers and authors. It was praised for its plot and character development. In writing The Hunger Games, Collins drew upon Greek mythology, Roman gladiatorial games, and contemporary reality television for thematic content. The novel won many awards, including the California Young Reader Medal, and was named one of Publishers Weekly{{'}}s "Best Books of the Year" in 2008.

The Hunger Games was first published in hardcover on September 14, 2008, by Scholastic, featuring a cover designed by Tim O'Brien. It has since been released in paperback and also as an audiobook and ebook. After an initial print of 200,000, the book had sold 800,000 copies by February 2010. Since its release, The Hunger Games has been translated into 26 languages, and publishing rights have been sold in 38 territories. The novel is the first in The Hunger Games trilogy, followed by Catching Fire (2009) and Mockingjay (2010). A film adaptation, directed by Gary Ross and co-written and co-produced by Collins herself, was released in 2012.

Background

Collins has said that the inspiration for The Hunger Games came from channel surfing on television. On one channel she observed people competing on a reality show and on another she saw footage of the invasion of Iraq. The two "began to blur in this very unsettling way" and the idea for the book was formed.{{cite news|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20080609/9915-a-dark-horse-breaks-out.html|title=A dark horse breaks out: the buzz is on for Suzanne Collins's YA series debut.|last=Sellers|first=John A.|date=June 9, 2008|work=Publishers Weekly |access-date=July 12, 2010}} The Greek myth of Theseus served as a major basis for the story, with Collins describing Katniss as a futuristic Theseus, and Roman gladiatorial games provided the framework. The sense of loss that Collins developed through her father's service in the Vietnam War was also an influence on the story, with Katniss having lost her father at age 11, five years before the story begins.{{cite web|last=Margolis|first=Rick|title=A Killer Story: An Interview with Suzanne Collins, Author of 'The Hunger Games'|url=http://www.slj.com/2008/09/authors-illustrators/a-killer-story-an-interview-with-suzanne-collins-author-of-the-hunger-games/|publisher=School Library Journal|date=September 1, 2008|access-date=October 16, 2010}} Collins stated that the deaths of young characters and other "dark passages" were the most difficult parts of the book to write, but that she had accepted that passages such as these were necessary to the story.{{cite web|url=http://www.scholastic.com/thehungergames/videos/the-most-difficult-part.htm|title=The Most Difficult Part|format=Video|publisher=Scholastic|access-date=February 25, 2012}} She considered the moments where Katniss reflects on happier moments in her past to be more enjoyable.

Plot

In the nation of Panem, established in the remains of North America after an apocalyptic event, the wealthy Capitol exploits the twelve surrounding districts for their natural resources and labor.Blasingame, James. "The Hunger Games." Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, vol. 52, no. 8, 2009, p. 724+. Academic OneFile, Accessed 6 Dec. 2016. As punishment for a past failed rebellion against the Capitol, which resulted in the obliteration of District 13, one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 from each of the remaining districts are selected by an annual lottery to participate in the Hunger Games, a contest in which the "tributes" must fight to the death in an outdoor arena until only one remains.

16-year-old Katniss Everdeen from District 12, a coal-rich region, volunteers for the 74th Hunger Games in place of her 12-year-old sister, Primrose. The male tribute is Peeta Mellark, a former schoolmate of Katniss who once gave her bread from his family's bakery when her family was starving. In the days leading up to the Games in the Capitol, they are advised by their drunken mentor, Haymitch Abernathy, the sole living District 12 victor of the Games; chaperone Effie Trinket; and various stylists to enhance their public perception to get potential sponsors, who might later send potentially life-saving gifts. Katniss's stylist, Cinna, designs costumes for Katniss and Peeta that set them apart from the tributes when introduced to the public. During their evaluation by the Gamemakers, Katniss gets the highest score among the tributes. Meanwhile, Rue, the petite 12-year-old girl tribute from District 11, follows Katniss and Peeta around during the training sessions. On the day before the games, in a televised interview, Peeta reveals his long-unrequited love for Katniss. Shocked, Katniss believes this is a ploy to gain sponsors, but later accepts this as sincere. Haymitch promotes their image as "star-crossed lovers".

The Games begin, and nearly half the tributes are killed at the start whilst fighting over weapons and supplies in an area in the center of the arena known as the Cornucopia. Katniss disregards Haymitch's earlier advice to flee immediately and nearly dies but uses her well-practiced hunting and survival skills to hide in the woods. Days later, an artificial fire drives Katniss toward the others. She is spotted and chased up a tree by the "Career tributes", tributes who are trained from childhood to compete in the Games, from Districts 1, 2, and 4, and Peeta, who seems to have allied with them. Rue, hiding in a nearby tree, alerts Katniss to a “tracker jacker” nest. Katniss cuts it down, releasing the flying insects, which are genetically modified to track whoever disturbs their nest and have venom that targets the section of their victims’ minds that houses fear. Their venom kills two of the Careers and drives the others away, but Katniss is stung and begins hallucinating. Peeta returns, but instead of killing her, tells her to run away. Katniss later allies with Rue, who is fatally wounded by a tribute from District 1 while Katniss destroys the careers' supplies. Katniss murders Rue's killer with an arrow and accompanies Rue as she dies. She spreads flowers over Rue's body to show her defiance against the Capitol. In gratitude, Rue's district sends Katniss a loaf of bread.

A rule change is announced, allowing the tributes from the same district to win as a pair. Katniss finds Peeta (who only allied with the Careers to protect Katniss) camouflaged into a riverbank, having been injured by Cato, one of the Careers. She nurses Peeta back to health as best she can, but he is still gravely injured. Katniss pretends to be madly in love with Peeta in an attempt to gain gifts from sponsors. When the Gamemakers send a delivery of what each contestant needs most, Katniss risks her life to obtain medicine for Peeta. She is intercepted by Career Tribute Clove, who gloats over Rue's death and tries to kill Katniss, but is killed by Thresh, the male District 11 tribute, who spares Katniss for Rue's sake. The medicine saves Peeta's life.

Thresh is later killed by Cato and another tribute, nicknamed Foxface, dies after consuming toxic berries. Genetically modified wolves are then released into the arena that kill Cato. Once Katniss and Peeta become the last two survivors, the Gamemakers revoke the rule change to force one to kill the other for a dramatic finale. In defiance, Katniss prepares to consume poisonous "nightlock" berries with Peeta. Realizing that they intend to commit suicide so that there will not be a victor for the Games, the Gamemakers declare Katniss and Peeta the victors. Although both of them receive a hero's welcome as a couple, Katniss is warned by Haymitch that the Capitol may take action against her for her defiance. Along the way back to District 12, Peeta is heartbroken to learn that Katniss's actions were part of a calculated ploy to gain sympathy. Katniss, however, is unsure of her own feelings and her future.

Themes

File:Suzanne Collins David Shankbone 2010.jpg

In an interview with Collins, it was noted that the novel "tackles issues like severe poverty, starvation, oppression, and the effects of war among others."{{cite web|url=http://www.powells.com/biblio?show=HARDCOVER:SALE:9780439023511:12.59&page=authorqa|title=Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3)|publisher=Powell's Books|access-date=February 25, 2012}} The novel deals with the struggle for self-preservation that the people of Panem face in their districts and the Hunger Games in which they must participate. The citizens' starvation and their need for resources, both in and outside of the arena, create an atmosphere of helplessness that the main characters try to overcome in their fight for survival. Katniss needs to hunt to provide food for her family, resulting in the development of skills that are useful to her in the Games (such as her proficiency with the bow and arrow), and represents her rejection of the Capitol's rules in the face of life-threatening situations.{{cite news|first=Cristina|last=Hartmann|title= What, If Anything, Does The Hunger Games Series Teach Us About Strategy?|access-date=January 11, 2012|date=October 21, 2011|url= https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2011/10/21/what-if-anything-does-the-hunger-games-series-teach-us-about-strategy/|work=Forbes}} On the subject of the Games' parallels with popular culture, Darren Franich of Entertainment Weekly writes that the book "is an incisive satire of reality television shows", and that the character of Cinna "almost seems like a contestant on a fascist version of Project Runway, using Katniss' outfits as a vehicle to express potentially dangerous ideas."{{cite magazine |url=http://shelf-life.ew.com/2010/10/06/the-hunger-games-how-reality-tv-explains-the-ya-sensation |title='The Hunger Games': How reality TV explains the YA sensation |last=Franich |first=Darren |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=October 6, 2010 |access-date=September 10, 2012}}

The choices the characters make and the strategies they use are often morally complex. The tributes build a personality they want the audience to see throughout the Games. Library journal Voice of Youth Advocates names the major themes of The Hunger Games as "government control, 'big brother', and personal independence."{{cite web|url=http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hunger-games-suzanne-collins/1100171585?ean=9780439023481|title=Barnes & Noble, The Hunger Games (Editorial Reviews)|access-date=September 1, 2012}} The trilogy's theme of power and downfall, similar to that of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, was pointed out by its publisher Scholastic.{{cite web|url=http://www2.scholastic.com/content/collateral_resources/pdf/h/HungerGamesTrilogyDiscussionGuide.pdf|title=The Hunger Games trilogy Discussion Guide|publisher=Scholastic|access-date=January 2, 2010|archive-date=January 13, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110113170217/http://www2.scholastic.com/content/collateral_resources/pdf/h/HungerGamesTrilogyDiscussionGuide.pdf|url-status=dead}} Laura Miller of The New Yorker finds the author's stated premise of the Games –an exercise in propaganda and a "humiliating as well as torturous [...] punishment" for a failed uprising against the Capitol many years earlier– to be unconvincing. "You don't demoralize and dehumanize a subject people by turning them into celebrities and coaching them on how to craft an appealing persona for a mass audience." But the story works much better if the theme is vicissitudes of high school and "the adolescent social experience". Miller writes:

"The rules are arbitrary, unfathomable, and subject to sudden change. A brutal social hierarchy prevails, with the rich, the good-looking, and the athletic lording their advantages over everyone else. To survive you have to be totally fake. Adults don't seem to understand how high the stakes are; your whole life could be over, and they act like it's just some "phase"! Everyone's always watching you, scrutinizing your clothes or your friends and obsessing over whether you're having sex or taking drugs or getting good enough grades, but no one cares who you really are or how you really feel about anything."{{cite magazine |url=http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2010/06/14/100614crat_atlarge_miller?currentPage=2 |last=Miller |first=Laura |title=Fresh Hell: What's behind the boom in dystopian fiction for young readers? |magazine=The New Yorker |date=June 14, 2010 |access-date=September 3, 2012}}

Donald Brake from The Washington Times and pastor Andy Langford state that the story has Christian themes, such as that of self-sacrifice, which is found in Katniss' substitution for her younger sister, analogous to the sacrifice of Jesus as a substitute for the atonement of sins.{{cite web|url=http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/worlds-best-selling-book/2012/mar/31/religious-and-political-overtones-hunger-games/|title=The religious and political overtones of Hunger Games|last=Brake|first=Donald|date=March 31, 2012|work=The Washington Times|access-date=April 1, 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www2.independenttribune.com/lifestyles/2012/mar/21/pastors-find-religious-themes-hunger-games-ar-2071082/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121021074918/http://www2.independenttribune.com/lifestyles/2012/mar/21/pastors-find-religious-themes-hunger-games-ar-2071082/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 21, 2012 |title=Pastors find religious themes in 'Hunger Games' |last=Groover |first=Jessica |date=March 21, 2012 |work=Independent Tribune |access-date=December 11, 2013 }} Brake, as well as another reviewer, Amy Simpson, both find that the story also revolves around the theme of hope, which is exemplified in the "incorruptible goodness of Katniss' sister, Primrose."{{cite web|url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2012/marchweb-only/hungergamesa.html|title=Jesus in 'The Hunger Games'|last=Simpson|first=Amy|date=March 22, 2012|work=Christianity Today|access-date=September 1, 2012}} Simpson also points to events similar to the Passion of Jesus; in the Games, "Christ figure" Peeta Mellark is stabbed after warning Katniss to flee for her life, and is then buried in the ground and placed in a cave for three days before emerging with a new lease on life. Further, she finds that the Christian image of the Bread of Life is used throughout The Hunger Games; in the story, Peeta gives Katniss a loaf of bread, saving the girl and her family from starvation.

Publication history

After writing the novel, Collins signed a six-figure deal for three books with Scholastic. First published as a hardcover in the United States on September 14, 2008, The Hunger Games had a first printing of 50,000 copies, which was bumped up twice to 200,000 copies. By February 2010, the book had sold 800,000 copies,{{cite news|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/42030-mockingjay-to-conclude-the-hunger-games-trilogy-.html|title='Mockingjay' to Conclude the Hunger Games Trilogy|last=Roback|first=Diane|date=February 11, 2010|work=Publishers Weekly|access-date=July 12, 2010}} and rights to the novel had been sold in 38 territories worldwide. A few months later, in July, the book was released in paperback.{{cite web |url=http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/node/270 |title=Suzanne Collins's Third Book in The Hunger Games Trilogy to be Published on August 24, 2010| publisher=Scholastic |date=December 3, 2009|access-date=January 1, 2010}} The Hunger Games entered the New York Times Best Seller list in November 2008,{{cite news | title=Children's Best Sellers: Chapter Books: Sunday, November 2, 2008 | url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9405E6D7133AF931A35752C1A96E9C8B63 | newspaper=The New York Times | date=November 2, 2008 | access-date=December 30, 2008}} where it would feature for over 100 consecutive weeks.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/2010-09-05/chapter-books/list.html|title=Children's Chapter Books|work=The New York Times|date=September 5, 2010|access-date=September 5, 2010|first=Jennifer|last=Schuessler}} By the time the film adaptation of The Hunger Games was released in March 2012, the book had been on USA Today{{'}}s best-sellers list for 135 consecutive weeks and has sold over 17.5 million copies.{{cite news | title=USA TODAY's Best-Selling Books list | url=http://books.usatoday.com/list/index?date=2012-03-29 | newspaper=USA Today | access-date=March 30, 2012}}{{cite magazine|url=http://shelf-life.ew.com/2012/03/28/hunger-games-updated-sales/|title='Hunger Games' books: More than 36.5M in print in the U.S. alone|magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}

The novel is the first in The Hunger Games trilogy; it is followed by sequels Catching Fire (2009) and Mockingjay (2010). In March 2012, during the time of The Hunger Games film's release, Scholastic reported 26 million Hunger Games trilogy books in print, including movie tie-in books.{{cite news | first=Karen | last=Springen | title=The Hunger Games Franchise: The Odds Seem Ever in Its Favor | url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/51167-the-hunger-games-franchise-the-odds-seem-ever-in-its-favor.html | newspaper=Publishers Weekly | date=March 22, 2012 | access-date=April 11, 2012}} The Hunger Games (and its sequels) have sold exceptionally well in ebook format. Suzanne Collins is the first children's or young adult author to sell over one million Amazon Kindle ebooks, making her the sixth author to join the "Kindle Million Club".{{cite web|first=Edward B.|last=Colby|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/mockingjay-author-suzanne-collins-crosses-million-sales-mark-kindle-288747|title=Hunger Games joins Amazon Kindle Million Club|work=International Business Times|date=June 6, 2011|access-date=June 6, 2011}} In March 2012, Amazon announced that Collins had become the best-selling Kindle ebook author of all time.{{cite web|url=http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1673532&highlight=|title=Hungry for Hunger Games: Amazon.com Reveals the Top Cities in the U.S. Reading The Hunger Games Trilogy|access-date=March 16, 2012|archive-date=April 11, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411203757/http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1673532&highlight=|url-status=dead}}

An audiobook version of The Hunger Games was released in December 2008. Read by the actress Carolyn McCormick, it has a total running time of eleven hours and fourteen minutes.{{cite web|url=http://www.audible.com/pd/Teens/The-Hunger-Games-Audiobook/B002V8MA2A|title=The Hunger Games audiobook|publisher=Audible.com|access-date=December 7, 2010|archive-date=September 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130920033814/http://www.audible.com/pd/Teens/The-Hunger-Games-Audiobook/B002V8MA2A|url-status=dead}} The magazine AudioFile said: "Carolyn McCormick gives a detailed and attentive narration. However, she may rely too much on the strength of the prose without providing the drama young adult listeners often enjoy."{{cite news|url=http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/dbsearch/showreview.cfm?Num=40904|title=AudioFile audiobook review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Read by Carolyn McCormick|work=AudioFile |date=December 2008|access-date=December 8, 2010}} School Library Journal also praised the audiobook, stating that "McCormick ably voices the action-packed sequences and Katniss's every fear and strength shines through, along with her doomed growing attraction to one of her fellow Tributes."{{cite web|url=http://www.slj.com/slj/printissue/currentissue/857198-427/story.csp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716092245/http://www.slj.com/slj/printissue/currentissue/857198-427/story.csp|archive-date=July 16, 2011|title=Multimedia Review|last=Osborne|first=Charli|date=April 1, 2009|publisher=School Library Journal|access-date=September 1, 2012}}

The Tim O'Brien-designed cover features a gold "mockingjay" – a fictional bird in The Hunger Games born by crossbreeding female mockingbirds and genetically engineered male "jabberjays" – with an arrow engraved in a circle. This is a depiction of the pin worn by Katniss into the arena, given to her by the District 12 mayor's daughter, Madge Undersee.{{cite web|first=Sabrina Rojas|last=Weiss|url=http://hollywoodcrush.mtv.com/2010/02/11/mockingjay-were-judging-hunger-games-book-three-by-its-cover/|title='Mockingjay': We're Judging 'Hunger Games' Book Three By Its Cover|publisher=Hollywood Crush|date=February 11, 2010|access-date=December 16, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101225164218/http://hollywoodcrush.mtv.com/2010/02/11/mockingjay-were-judging-hunger-games-book-three-by-its-cover/|archive-date=December 25, 2010|df=mdy-all}} The image matches the description of the pin that is given in the novel, except for the arrow: "It's as if someone fashioned a small golden bird and then attached a ring around it. The bird is connected to the ring only by its wing tips."{{cite book |title=The Hunger Games |last=Collins |first=Suzanne |author-link=Suzanne Collins |year=2008 |publisher=Scholastic |isbn=978-0-439-02348-1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/hungergames00coll/page/42 42] |url=https://archive.org/details/hungergames00coll/page/42 }}

Critical reception

The Hunger Games has received critical acclaim.{{cite web|url=http://critics.gr/Product/Agones-peinas|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140511230404/http://www.critics.gr/Product/Agones-peinas|title=The Hunger Games|website=Critics|archivedate=11 May 2014|accessdate=1 March 2015|language=Greek}}{{Cite web |title=The Hunger Games|url=http://www.criticsandwriters.com/book/1302/Mockingjay|access-date=12 July 2024|website=Critics & Writers|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161109012609/http://www.criticsandwriters.com:80/book/1302/Mockingjay|archive-date=9 Nov 2016}} On The Omnivore, a British aggregator of press reviews, the book received an "omniscore" of 4.5 out of 5.{{Cite web |title=The Hunger Games |url=http://www.theomnivore.co.uk/Book/5505-The_Hunger_Games/default.aspx |access-date=12 July 2024|website=The Omnivore|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120905123302/http://www.theomnivore.co.uk:80/Book/5505-The_Hunger_Games/default.aspx |archive-date=5 Sep 2012}}

In a review for The New York Times, John Green wrote that the novel was "brilliantly plotted and perfectly paced", and that "the considerable strength of the novel comes in Collins's convincingly detailed world-building and her memorably complex and fascinating heroine." However, he also noted that, while allegorically rich, the book sometimes does not realize the allegorical potential that the plot has to offer and that the writing "described the action and little else."{{cite news | first=John |last=Green | title=Scary New World | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/09/books/review/Green-t.html | newspaper=The New York Times | date=November 7, 2008 | access-date=December 29, 2008 }} Time magazine's review was also positive, stating that it "is a chilling, bloody and thoroughly horrifying book" and praising what it called the "hypnotic" quality of the violence.{{cite magazine|first=Lev|last=Grossman|url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1919156-2,00.html|title=Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins|magazine=Time|date=September 7, 2009|access-date=December 7, 2010|archive-date=October 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030072620/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1919156-2,00.html|url-status=dead}} In Stephen King's review for Entertainment Weekly, he compared it to "shoot-it-if-it-moves videogames in the lobby of the local eightplex; you know it's not real, but you keep plugging in quarters anyway." However, he stated that there were "displays of authorial laziness that kids will accept more readily than adults" and that the love triangle was standard for the genre. He gave the book a B grade.{{cite magazine|author=King, Stephen|author-link=Stephen King|title=Book Review: The Hunger Games|url=https://ew.com/article/2008/09/08/hunger-games/|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=September 8, 2008|access-date=February 26, 2010|archive-date=April 21, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120421175105/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20223443,00.html|url-status=live}} Elizabeth Bird of School Library Journal praised the novel, saying it is "exciting, poignant, thoughtful, and breathtaking by turns", and called it one of the best books of 2008.{{cite web | first=Elizabeth|last= Bird | title=Review of the Day: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins | url=http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2008/06/28/review-of-the-day-the-hunger-games-by-suzanne-collins/ | work=School Library Journal | date=June 28, 2008 | access-date=December 11, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203035353/http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1790000379/post/90029009.html|archive-date=February 3, 2009}} Booklist also gave a positive review, praising the character violence and romance involved in the book.{{cite book | first=Francisca|last= Goldsmith | title=The Hunger Games | url=http://www.booklistonline.com/The-Hunger-Games-Suzanne-Collins/pid=2739783 | via=Booklist | date=September 1, 2008 | access-date=December 29, 2008}} Kirkus Reviews gave a positive review, praising the action and world-building, but pointed out that "poor copyediting in the first printing will distract careful readers–a crying shame".{{cite web|title=The Hunger Games: Editor Review|url=http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/suzanne-collins/the-hunger-games/|work=Kirkus Reviews |access-date=September 1, 2012}} Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, claims it is the "closest thing to a perfect adventure novel" he has ever read.{{cite web|url=http://www.becomegorgeous.com/entertainment/movies_and_tv/the_hunger_games_movie_to_be_released_in_2012-3673.html|title=Home – Suzanne Collins|last=Riordan|first=Rick|date=January 26, 2011|access-date=April 23, 2012}} Stephenie Meyer (author of the Twilight series) endorsed the book on her website, saying, "I was so obsessed with this book ...

The Hunger Games is amazing."{{cite web|first=Stephenie|last=Meyer|url=http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/|title=September 17, 2008|publisher=The Official Website of Stephenie Meyer|date=September 17, 2008|access-date=February 25, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081026033055/http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/|archive-date=October 26, 2008}}

The Hunger Games received many awards and honors. It was named one of Publishers Weekly{{'s}} "Best Books of the Year" in 2008{{cite web | title=PW's Best Books of the Year | url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20081103/11419-pw-s-best-books-of-the-year.html | work=Publishers Weekly | date=November 3, 2008 | access-date=December 11, 2013 }} and a New York Times "Notable Children's Book of 2008".{{cite news | title=Notable Children's Books of 2008 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/07/books/review/KidsNotable-t.html | newspaper=The New York Times | date=November 28, 2008 | access-date=December 30, 2008 }} It was the 2009 winner of the Golden Duck Award in the Young Adult Fiction Category.{{cite web|url=http://www.goldenduck.org/winners.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726123157/http://www.goldenduck.org/winners.html|archive-date=July 26, 2011|title=Golden Duck Past Winners|publisher=GoldenDuckAwards.com|date=November 27, 2010|access-date=December 16, 2010}} The Hunger Games was also a "2008 Cybil Winner" for fantasy and science-fiction books along with The Graveyard Book,{{cite web|url=http://www.cybils.com/2009/02/2009-cybils-winners.html|title=Cybils: The 2008 Cybils Winners|date=February 14, 2009|publisher=Cybils.com|access-date=July 13, 2010}} one of School Library Journal{{'}}s "Best Books 2008",{{cite web|url=http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6617203.html |title=School Library Journal's Best Books 2008 |date=December 1, 2008 |publisher=School Library Journal |access-date=December 11, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116054406/http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6617203.html |archive-date=January 16, 2013 }} and a "Booklist Editors' Choice" in 2008.{{cite book|url=http://www.booklistonline.com/ProductInfo.aspx?pid=3245317|title=Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth, 2008|date=January 1, 2009|publisher=Booklist|access-date=September 2, 2012}} In 2011, the book won the California Young Reader Medal.{{cite web|url=http://www.californiayoungreadermedal.org/winners.htm |title=Winners |publisher=California Young Reader Medal |access-date=May 21, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110527103102/http://www.californiayoungreadermedal.org/winners.htm |archive-date=May 27, 2011 }} In the 2012 edition of Scholastic's Parent and Child magazine, The Hunger Games was listed as the 33rd-best book for children, with the award for "Most Exciting Ending".{{cite web|url=http://www.scholastic.com/100books/|title=100 Greatest Books for Kids|publisher=Scholastic|access-date=February 19, 2012}}{{cite magazine|first=Stephan|last=Lee|url=http://shelf-life.ew.com/2012/02/15/100-great-books-for-kids-charlottes-web/|title='Charlotte's Web' tops list of '100 great books for kids'|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=February 15, 2012|access-date=February 19, 2012}} The novel is one of the top 5 best selling Kindle books of all time.{{cite web|last=Schwarze|first=Kelly|url=http://mashable.com/2012/11/20/top-kindle-books/|title=The 5 Best-Selling Kindle Books of All Time|publisher=Mashable|date=November 20, 2012|access-date=November 21, 2012}} However, the novel has also been controversial with parents;{{cite web|first=Lauren|last=Barak|url=http://www.slj.com/2010/10/censorship/new-hampshire-parent-challenges-the-hunger-games/|title=New Hampshire Parent Challenges 'The Hunger Games'|work=School Library Journal|date=October 19, 2010|access-date=March 13, 2012}} it ranked in fifth place on the American Library Association's list of frequently challenged books for 2010, with "unsuited to age group" and "violence" being among the reasons cited.{{cite web | url=http://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10#2010 | title=Top ten most frequently challenged books of 2010 | date=March 26, 2013 | publisher=American Library Association | access-date=December 11, 2013}}

Similarities of The Hunger Games to Koushun Takami's 1999 novel Battle Royale have been noted. Collins stated that she "had never heard of that book or that author until my book was turned in. At that point, it was mentioned to me, and I asked my editor if I should read it. He said: 'No, I don't want that world in your head. Just continue with what you're doing'." {{cite web|last1=Fujita|first1=Akiko|title='The Hunger Games,' a Japanese Original?|url=https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/03/the-hunger-games-a-japanese-original/|publisher=ABC News Internet Ventures|access-date=25 May 2016|date=22 March 2012}} Susan Dominus of The New York Times reports that "the parallels are striking enough that Collins's work has been savaged on the blogosphere as a baldfaced ripoff" of Battle Royale but argued that "there are enough possible sources for the plot line that the two authors might well have hit on the same basic setup independently."{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/10/magazine/mag-10collins-t.html?pagewanted=all|author=Dominus, Susan|title=Suzanne Collins's War Stories for Kids|date=April 8, 2011|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 14, 2011}} Stephen King noted that the reality TV "badlands" were similar to Battle Royale, as well as his own novels The Running Man and The Long Walk. The story has also been compared to the 1965 Italian cult film The 10th Victim by Elio Petri, based on Robert Sheckley's 1953 short story "Seventh Victim".{{cite news |author=Ricky |title=Essential Viewing for Fans of 'The Hunger Games': Part One |date=November 16, 2013 |url=http://www.popoptiq.com/12-great-movies-similar-to-the-hunger-games/ |work=PopOptic |access-date=May 16, 2016}}

Film adaptation

In March 2009, Lions Gate Entertainment entered into a co-production agreement for The Hunger Games with Nina Jacobson's production company Color Force, which had acquired worldwide distribution rights to the novel a few weeks earlier.{{cite news | title=Lionsgate picks up 'Hunger Games{{'-}} | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/2009/03/18/us-hunger-idUSTRE52H0LK20090318 | newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter | date=March 17, 2009 | access-date=September 4, 2012 | author=Jay A. Fernandez and Borys Kit | archive-date=October 23, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023080246/http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/03/18/us-hunger-idUSTRE52H0LK20090318 | url-status=dead }}{{cite news |url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/new-titles/adult-announcements/article/8359-hungry-the-latest-on-e2-80-98the-hunger-games-e2-80-99-.html |title=Hungry? The Latest on 'The Hunger Games{{'-}} |access-date=September 4, 2012 |first=John A. |last=Sellers |date=March 12, 2009 |work=Publishers Weekly}} The studio, which had not made a profit for five years, raided the budgets of other productions and sold assets to secure a budget of $88,000,000 – one of its largest ever{{cite web|url=http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/distributor/Lionsgate|title=Box Office History for Lionsgate Movies|access-date=April 25, 2012}} – for the film.{{cite news|url=http://www.newsweek.com/lions-gate-has-hit-hunger-games-can-it-turn-profit-63989|title=Lions Gate Has a Hit with 'Hunger Games.' Can It Turn a Profit?|date=April 2, 2012|access-date=September 4, 2012|publisher=The Daily Beast}}{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/lionsgate-hungergames-idUSL1E8QL2G320120323|date=March 23, 2012|access-date=September 4, 2012|publisher=Reuters|title=How Lions Gate won 'Hunger Games'}} Collins' agent Jason Dravis remarked that "they [Lionsgate] had everyone but the valet call us" to help secure the franchise. Intending the film to have a PG-13 rating,{{cite web|last=Hopkinson|first=Deborah|title=A riveting return to the world of 'The Hunger Games'|url=http://bookpage.com/interview/a-riveting-return-to-the-world-of-%E2%80%98the-hunger-games%E2%80%99|publisher=BookPage|date=September 2009|access-date=June 30, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121211115103/http://bookpage.com/interview/a-riveting-return-to-the-world-of-%E2%80%98the-hunger-games%E2%80%99|archive-date=December 11, 2012|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}} Collins adapted the novel for film herself, in collaboration with screenwriter Billy Ray and director Gary Ross.{{cite news|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/44062-marketing-mockingjay-.html|title=Marketing 'Mockingjay{{'-}}|first=Karen|last= Springen|date=August 5, 2010|work = Publishers Weekly |access-date=September 4, 2012}}{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2012-apr-12-la-fi-0412-ct-hunger-games-20120412-story.html|title=Hunger Games director Gary Ross bows out of sequel|work=Los Angeles Times|date=April 12, 2012|access-date=September 4, 2012|first1=Nicole|last1=Sperling|first2=Ben|last2=Fritz}} The screenplay remains extremely faithful to the original novel,{{cite web|url=http://www.wga.org/content/default.aspx?id=4831|title=A Game of Trust|publisher=Writers Guild of America|date=March 23, 2012|access-date=September 4, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006044319/http://wga.org/content/default.aspx?id=4831|archive-date=October 6, 2012|df=mdy-all}} with Ross saying he "felt the only way to make the film really successful was to be totally subjective" in its presentation of events, echoing Collins' use of first person present in the novel.{{cite news|url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/30/gary-ross-answers-reader-questions-about-the-hunger-games/|title=Gary Ross answers reader questions about 'The Hunger Games'|work=The New York Times|first=Mekado|last=Murphy|date=March 30, 2012|access-date=September 4, 2012}}

Twenty-year-old actress Jennifer Lawrence was chosen to play Katniss Everdeen.{{cite news | url=http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/jennifer-lawrence-gets-lead-role-hunger-games-25482 | title=Jennifer Lawrence Gets Lead Role in 'The Hunger Games{{'-}} | author=Joshua L. Weinstein | date=March 16, 2011 | access-date=September 4, 2012 | work=The Wrap | archive-date=May 24, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524024400/http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/jennifer-lawrence-gets-lead-role-hunger-games-25482 | url-status=dead }} Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth were later added to the cast, in the roles of Peeta and Gale, respectively.{{cite news | url=http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/jennifer-lawrence-gets-lead-role-hunger-games-25482 | title=Exclusive: Jennifer Lawrence Gets Lead Role in 'The Hunger Games' | author=Weinstein, Joshua L. | date=March 16, 2011 | access-date=March 17, 2011 | work=The Wrap | archive-date=May 24, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524024400/http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/jennifer-lawrence-gets-lead-role-hunger-games-25482 | url-status=dead }}{{cite news|first=Nicole|last=Sperling|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2011/04/the-hunger-games-josh-hutcherson-and-liam-hemsworth-complete-the-love-triangle.html|title='The Hunger Games': Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth complete the love triangle|work=The Los Angeles Times|date=April 4, 2011|access-date=February 25, 2012}} Production began in late spring 2011{{cite magazine|first=Karen|last=Valby|url=http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/01/06/hunger-games-exclusive-gary-ross/|title='Hunger Games' exclusive: Why Gary Ross got the coveted job, and who suggested Megan Fox for the lead role|magazine = Entertainment Weekly |date=January 6, 2011|access-date=January 8, 2011}} and the film was released on March 23, 2012.{{cite magazine|first=Karen|last=Valby|url=http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/01/25/hunger-games-release-date/|title='The Hunger Games' gets release date|magazine = Entertainment Weekly |date=January 25, 2011|access-date=January 25, 2011}} The film's opening weekend brought in a non-sequel record $152.5 million (USD) in North America.{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/26/movies/hunger-games-breaks-box-office-records.html |title=Hunger Games Ticket Sales Set Record |author=Barnes, Brook|date=March 25, 2012 |work=New York Times|access-date=March 25, 2012}} The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, based on the second novel in the series, was released the following year on November 22, 2013.{{cite web |url= http://www.ifc.com/fix/2011/11/hunger-games-catching-fire-sequel-writers |title="The Hunger Games" sequel eyes a new screenwriter, director Gary Ross will return |author=Schwartz, Terri|date=November 17, 2011 |publisher=IFC News |access-date=December 2, 2011}} The third novel of the series, Mockingjay, would later be adapted to film as two parts, with Part 1 being released on November 21, 2014, and Part 2 being released on November 20, 2015.{{Cite web |date=2012-07-11 |title=The Two-Part 'Hunger Games' Finale 'Mockingjay' Sets Release Dates {{!}} Movie News {{!}} Movies.com |url=http://www.movies.com/movie-news/the-hunger-games-mockingjay-release-dates/8685?wssac=164&wssaffid=news&_r=true |access-date=2023-08-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120711124247/http://www.movies.com/movie-news/the-hunger-games-mockingjay-release-dates/8685?wssac=164&wssaffid=news&_r=true |archive-date=July 11, 2012 }}