The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

12 districts. 24 tributes. 1 boy. 1 girl. One survivor.

After the Capital has put down all the rebellions, it reminds the 12 surrounding districts of its power with the Hunger Games. Each year it forces the districts to send 1 boy and 1 girl between the ages of 12 and 18 to the Capital. One of the 24 'tributes' will win The Hunger Games by being the last survivor. This not only includes staying alive in the wild, but also escaping unnatural disasters and killing off the other players.
When Katniss Everdeen, a hardy 16 year-old, hears her little sister's name read over the loud speaker as a tribute, her worst nightmare's come true. She immediately steps forward and volunteers to go in her sister's stead.
This imaginative story is an amazing edition to Young Adult fantasy. I believe it sits on that golden shelf with Tamora Perce's Lioness Rampant series, Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments, J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, and all the other old classics and new favorites. It's an absolutely gorgeous tale of one girl's struggle between humanity and life. Katniss is one of those characters you can't help, but love and admire and the ideas behind this book are fresh and exciting.
Recommended?YES!!