Mockingjay+1

Bri W Halkovic April 2011 //Mockingjay// – Suzanne Collins

//media type="youtube" key="qVaeXGBwB6Y?rel=0" height="349" width="560" align="right"Mockingjay// by Suzanne Collins is a riveting story with a twisted plot filled with suspense and wonder. It falls under a three major genres. Young adult, Science Fiction; they have hover ships and technology we have never seen before, and Dystopian; District 12 burnt down, District 13 was bombed, District 2’s mountains were bombed to create an avalanche, and the Capitol is under attack. Now, let’s talk about Suzanne Collins. She wrote two books prior //Mockingjay//; //The Hunger Games//, and //Catching Fire//. And she also created //Gregor the Overlander//. She now lives in Connecticut with her family. Let’s get back to the book. Katniss Everdeen, she should be dead. She escaped the arena once and was rescued by design the second time, the rebels got her out. She wasn’t supposed to survive. Now, she has agreed to be the Mockingjay which means that she is now the symbol of the rebellion against the Capitol. So, throughout the book she and her squad 451 (Her, Finnick, Boggs, Leeg 1 & 2, Homes, Jackson, Gale, Mitchell, and Peeta alternates in when Leeg 2 dies) are trying to deflect things that will kill them on their way to President Snow’s mansion located in the Capitol. Barbed nets, bombs, mutts, deadly fumes, and even a contraption called the Meat grinder are only a few.

Review: **Children's Literature** Another page-turner, the final book in the "Hunger Games" trilogy packs even more suspense and horror than the first two. This time the stakes are higher, as Katniss and the rebels in District 13 fight for their freedom from the evil Capitol forces that seek to annihilate them. Again Katniss finds herself in the position of reluctant leader, and due to a constant internal monologue, the reader knows what Katniss thinks and feels about the terrifying, bleak world in which she finds herself. Her single-minded goal is to rescue her dear friend, Peeta, who is imprisoned in the Capitol. Meanwhile, she continues to explore her feelings for Gale, a childhood friend who may become more to her. She struggles to navigate a world in which one adult after another seeks to use her for their own purposes, yet she finds ways to accomplish her own plans. More than the other volumes, this story is dark and horrifying, with some particularly gruesome scenes as the rebels infiltrate the Capitol and encounter several waves of grotesque weaponry. Powerful descriptions of the Capitol's excesses are a brilliant commentary on the decadence of society and the diminished value placed on human life—in Panem and in contemporary society as well. By the end, it is clear that everyone loses in war, even the winners. Bleakness competes with the seeds of hope, and ambiguity prevents a definitive reading of what measure of hope remains. In a high school classroom, this book could spark discussions about patriotism, materialism, vanity, self-sacrifice, loyalty, the influence of television and the media, human dignity, war and many other significant issues. Reviewer: Michele C. Hughes.

Rating: 4.5 Stars out of 5



media type="youtube" key="twCq84Bm-_8?rel=0" height="349" width="560" align="left" 5 Questions with Suzanne Collins