Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Joe and I have just finished reading Catching Fire, the sequel to Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I had a hard time imaging what Ms. Collins could spin out after reading the Hunger Games. The sequel is equaling compelling, adventurous, gripping, and romantic. Now Joe and I are wondering what we will do with our time waiting for the third book in this series to come out in September 2010? Any suggestions? (Perhaps Christopher Peollini will finally finish his Eragon series!)

Catching Fire

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press; 1 edition (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439023491
• ISBN-13: 978-0439023498

From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Gr 7 Up--Every year in Panem, the dystopic nation that exists where the U.S. used to be, the Capitol holds a televised tournament in which two teen "tributes" from each of the surrounding districts fight a gruesome battle to the death. In The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, the tributes from impoverished District Twelve, thwarted the Gamemakers, forcing them to let both teens survive. In this rabidly anticipated sequel, Katniss, again the narrator, returns home to find herself more the center of attention than ever. The sinister President Snow surprises her with a visit, and Katniss’s fear when Snow meets with her alone is both palpable and justified. Catching Fire is divided into three parts: Katniss and Peeta’s mandatory Victory Tour through the districts, preparations for the 75th Annual Hunger Games, and a truncated version of the Games themselves. Slower paced than its predecessor, this sequel explores the nation of Panem: its power structure, rumors of a secret district, and a spreading rebellion, ignited by Katniss and Peeta’s subversive victory. Katniss also deepens as a character. Though initially bewildered by the attention paid to her, she comes almost to embrace her status as the rebels’ symbolic leader. Though more of the story takes place outside the arena than within, this sequel has enough action to please Hunger Games fans and leaves enough questions tantalizingly unanswered for readers to be desperate for the next installment.
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