The Hunger Games is a great book series and a truly original work of art. But before you can understand the story, you’ll have to learn about how everybody got into this…situation. 

The background starts off in the remains of North America. After wars between the people and many storms devastating the lands, all the people left came together and decided to create a new, more functional society, soon to be called Panem. 

First came the capital, literally named the Capitol. After that came the 12 districts of Panem, built to support the nation of Panem, but mostly the Capitol. The districts provide resources to the Capitol in exchange for protection by and from the Capitol’s army of “Peacekeepers.” 

District 1 supplies Panem with luxury items, such as jewelry. It is also the wealthiest of the districts. District 2 supplies Panem with manufactured weapons and Peacekeepers. District 3 supplies Panem with technology. District 4 supplies Panem with seafood, as it is right by the sea. District 5 supplies Panem with power and electricity. District 6 supplies Panem with transportation. District 7 supplies Panem with lumber, paper, and other wood projects. District 8 is known for their work in the textiles industry. District 9 supplies Panem with grain. District 10 supplies Panem with livestock. District 11 supplies Panem with agriculture, and lastly, District 12 supplies coal.

There used to be a 13th district, but when the districts decided that the Capitol was taking too many liberties, they rebelled. Unfortunately, District 13 was destroyed. In the aftermath of the rebellion, the Capitol realized that they had to take extreme measures to make sure the districts always knew their place as the Capitol’s footrests. 

The Capitol decided on a permanent decision so nobody would forget who’s boss. They decided on the Hunger Games. Every year, one girl and one boy within the ages of 12-18 are chosen from each district to be thrown into some kind of wild landscape. They must figure out how to survive and fight to the death with people from other districts in order to win and come home. If you are poor and want food, you can add your name to the drawing more than once. Each additional entry allows every member of your family to get a very meager amount of tesserae and oil for about a year. 

Katniss Everdeen is a 16-year-old girl that lives in District 12. She lives with her younger sister, Prim, and her mom. Her dad died in a mine explosion five years ago, so she and her best friend Gale started hunting with their bow and arrows in the forest behind their homes in their free time to get by. They also sometimes traded some of the game they caught in town or in the Hob (the black market in District 12) for money or other resources that their families needed. 

But one day, the unthinkable happens. Gentle, fragile, lovable Prim gets chosen to become a tribute for the Games. In order to save her sister, Katniss volunteers to take her place. The male tribute is named Peeta Mellark, whom she has a history with. 

They go forward to the Capitol, where the arena for the Games is. Before the Games, time is allotted for the tribute’s family to say goodbye. In that interview, Prim asks Katniss if would really, really try to win, and she swore she would. But that meant she would have to overcome boys from other districts that were two times her size and girls who knew 20 different ways to kill you with a knife. Even though Peeta is very friendly and likable, Katniss soon realizes that, sooner or later, she is going to have to kill him in order to win. 

If you want to find out what happens next, we suggest that you read The Hunger Games. We don’t recommend reading it if you don’t like blood, death, or anything in that category. The Hunger Games is a trilogy, so there are three books. If you really like the books or just don’t like reading, there’s also the movies! We recommend reading the books first, though. The Hunger Games truly is an amazing book with lots of twists, turns, and action-packed moments. We hope that you will totally get hooked onto it, just as we did.

Lilly-Rose Madani ’27 & Chloe Dias ’27, Staff Writers