This is the first book in a great YA dystopian trilogy. The movie opens Friday! I taught this book to 7th graders last year who loved it. The author wrote for TV, so she has a knack for suspenseful endings to chapters. I know adults who've stayed up until 3am or fallen asleep on the sofa on "school nights" because of the suspense of this book.
Why I like this book:
Universal Themes
Good v. evil. Do good and evil exist-- or are they just cultural concepts?
Big v. little. Was Nietzsche right?
Friendship. What does friendship entail? Is there more to it than sharing secrets?
Family. A parent dies, and a child has to take charge. Roles shift. What are the givens and necessities in familial bonds?
Courage. What is courage? Where does courage live and thrive? What brings courage out in a person?
Survival. What gives humans the will to fight against seemingly insurmountable odds?
Love. What does love look like, feel like, act like? What does love mean? Who and what's worth loving?
Hope.
Liberty.
Role of government.
Kick-Ass Female Protagonist
Thank you, God, for giving teenager a girl worth emulating! Move over, Bella and Twilight. Bella is such spineless, whiney, soul-less, pointless protagonist. My heart sank every time I saw a 12 or 13 yo girl toting around one of the Twilight books.
Relevance
Reality television? Video games? Politics? Does any of this stuff impact our daily lives? Do we need to question this stuff's role in our lives?
Craftmanship
Poignant use of symbolism. Say, the dandelion. Bread.
Readability
It's a quick, fun read.
Movie tie-ins. It was shot in North Carolina. The Capitol scenes were shot in uptown Charlotte. A lot of the wilderness scenes were shot in Shelby.
I think there are going to be a lot of connections between this movie and Winter's Bone. Watch it and see for yourself.
May the odds ever be in your favor!
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