re: #388 Wash Rush’s mouth with a soap.

What are they about?

Takes place in a future North America which has been wiped out by floods, tornadoes, drought, etc. The coastlines are flooded. Eventually a new country emerges called Panem, which has a Capitol surrounded by thirteen districts. The Capitol exercises iron control over the Districts. Then there is a revolt, which the Capitol eventually crushes, including completely destroying District 13 (which was the most powerful District). As punishment for the rebellion, the Capitol institutes The Hunger Games. Each District must send two children, boy and girl ages 12 to 18, to the Capitol each year to compete in the Games, a nationally televised death match which only one can survive. The winner gets everything he or she needs for life, and his/her District gets lots of extra food and supplies (most of the Districts are very poor and many people in them are starving, hence The Hunger Games) for a year.

The books explore several themes including wealth gaps and the way electronic media is used to alter perceptions and manipulate opinion. Nothing truly new or groundbreaking, but unlike dystopian novels like 1984 or Brave New World, teens and young people really want to read these.