I read hunger games this week and while I enjoyed it, I couldn't help notice that it was pretty much Battle Royale being retold as American YA fiction. I had heard a lot of bad press about the violence in this book and I have to say that the violence is rather tame, especially compared to Battle Royale. My 10 year old is reading it and is enjoying it as well. She said it is about as violent as warriors, a book series about warring cat clans. Of course Hunger Games is kid on kid violence, but it was rather mild even compared to lord of the flies. I am talking graphic description and not amount of violence.
The are making this into a movie and are casting actors and actresses in their early twenties. This will really take something away from the story. The story doesn't have much merit, anyway, beyond the entertainment factor. I just don't see that the author really had an original idea or message that she was trying to get across.
Overall it was entertaining and appropriate for 10 up. I know I deviated from my normal template.
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4 comments:
That's almost exactly what I thought when I read Hunger Games. Of course, one of the main distinctions is that in Battle Royale, they had to kill their friends and classmates instead of a bunch of kids they'd never met before and some breadmaker named Peeta.
Still, I was entertained... which I believe was Collins' only real point. That, or "government is evil."
Nate- I didn't get the name Peeta until I said it out loud after I had read the book. Then it was groan worthy. I could almost go with government is evil, but she doesn't make connections with the current government. it was a page turner though.
I've got this one waiting on my shelf, my daughter gave up on it - she said it got slow. I'll be interested to see how it pans out.
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I have considered reading this for awhile. I appreciate the post. I think I will push it back a bit in my line up.
Love book reviews!
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