by Suzanne Collins, 2008, Audiobook released 2018, narrated by Tatiana Maslany Scholastic Audio Books

We listened to this audiobook on our 3-day journey from Rhode Island to Florida this year. The reason we chose it is because our 12-year-old grandson and his mother are currently reading it and we wanted to check it out.

The book is a dystopian story about the country that succeeded the U.S. after it collapsed. The government is authoritarian and forces its districts to provide a girl and a boy, age 12 to 18, each year to participate in a game in which the object is to kill all the other contestants. The main character is a girl who offers herself as a substitute when her sister’s name is drawn.

The characters are well done but the plot is predictable. The audiobook actually seems somewhat drawn out. The movie with Jennifer Lawrence, might be more exciting.

The book is apparently targeted towards juvenile readers. There is no obscene language, which is refreshing, but we feel that the content might not be appropriate for younger readers because of the violence.