Hunger Games

The young adult book I'm recommending more than any other these days is Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Many young readers may be familiar with Suzanne's Gregor the Overlander series, a gentle fantasy more for a middle grade (ages 9-13) audience. Hunger Games is definitely more mature. Unfortunately this is one of those books that doesn't sound all that great when you tell people what it's about. I had the same reaction myself, its a future America that has become a military dictatorship controlled by a capital which seems to be around Denver somewhere. The rest of the country has been reduced to just 12 outlying districts who tried to throw off their yoke and were crashed. Now to keep them well and truly under their thumb's, they demand a tribute each year of 2 teenagers from each district.
These teenagers are summarily paraded out to a tv audience to be "sponsored" by a jaded and bloodthirsty public and dumped into an arena to fight to the death. Yeah I know it sounds awful. It's not. It's fabulous.
Everyone I've given it to loved it. My husband, my neighbor, the guy that cuts my hair, my son's girlfriend and every single staff member here at Books Etc. Heck Stephen King gave it a 2 page write up in Entertainment Weekly. Take my word for it, these are characters you will fall in love with and care deeply about. I can't remember feeling such a strong emotional attachment to characters in an action/sci-fic story since I read Ender's Game years ago.
I had the great pleasure of meeting Suzanne at the New England Booksellers Conference a few weeks ago and hearing her speak. It turns out her dad was a teacher at West Point and she grew up steeped in military history. (the 1st drive-in movie she got taken to was Paton & as a big treat for her 12th birthday he took her to Waterloo) So she's got the chops!
This book is high tension, pulse pounding adventure that keeps you white knuckled right up till the very end, but great action writing a side, it's the feelings you have for these kids that haunts you long after you set the book down.
Suzanne Collins Talks About Her Inspiration