Jen Scott Curwood

I used to teach a science fiction course for high school students, and I’m always looking for great young adult science fiction.  My son Cole is now 10, and sci fi and fantasy are genres that really appeal to him too.  He’s worked his way through Orson Scott Card’s Ender series, Rick Riordan’s Lightning Thief series, the Chronicles of Narnia, and many more.

Over the winter, I read Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games.  It’s the first in a trilogy, and the second book, Catching Fire is due out in September.  I couldn’t put it down, and finished it in a couple days – I then handed it off to Cole and he did the same.  (We also managed to get our hands on Catching Fire before its release, but we promised not to reveal anything!)  The book is narrated by 16 year old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in a post-apopcalytic United States.  Following a series of uprisings and disasters, the Capitol seized control.  Originally, there were 13 districts, but when the thirteenth district rebelled and was obliterated, the Capitol designed the Hunger Games as punishment for the remaining 12 districts.

Each year, one boy and one girl from each district is selected for the Hunger Games, a televised event that is set in an outdoor arena.  The winner of the Hunger Games is the only one left alive at the end – it’s a fight to the death where speed and strength are as important as cunning and intelligence.  When Kat’s younger sister, Primrose, is called to be a tribute, Kat immediately volunteers in her place.  Along with the other tribute from her district, Peeta Mellark, Kat then journeys to the Capitol.  Each district is known for its produce or industry, and District 12, located in Appalachia, is known for its coal mining.  Given that background, their Capitol attendants outfit Kat and Peeta in gorgeous flaming costumes.

Soon, Kat and Peeta have caught the attention of the audience – and of the Gamemakers, who manipulate the arena to put them in harm’s way.  The plot is complicated by Peeta’s on-air confession of love for Kat, which leaves the reader (and Kat) wondering if it’s a strategic move or a desperate confession on his part.  But if the Hunger Games leaves only one winner, then either Kat or Peeta must die.  Or can these “star-crossed lovers” outsmart the Gamekeepers and defy the Capitol?  Read it and find out.

When I asked Cole what appealed to him about this book, he noted the alternate reality setting and the action.  For my part, I loved that the book featured a strong female protagonist and that it brought up issues of government control, media bias, and human rights.  But I also find it fascinating how reading a book no longer involves a simple exchange between text and reader.

For instance, he publisher, Scholastic, has created an interactive site that features message boards, videos, and games, and Lionsgate has already acquired the rights to the film.  But what I think is really interesting is how fans themselves have found ways to interact with the characters and plot lines – as well as other fans.  They’ve created unofficial fan forums with discussions, fan art, and much more.  They’ve used YouTube to create cast lists and seek others’ input.  They’ve written hundreds of stories on FanFiction.net, offered feedback on each other’s work, and extended the story in ways the author never imagined.

As an English teacher, I spent years trying to get students to interact with books in this way.  But I learned that books that are too difficult or irrelevant to students’ lives won’t work… worksheets, vocabulary drills, and multiple choice tests won’t work either.  Literacy doesn’t just involve rote memorization or the recall of minute details – it involves truly interacting with the text, the characters, and the themes.  It involves critical thinking, hands-on engagement, and collaboration.  As teachers, we need to create environments in the classroom which allow for this.  Not only does it involve adopting new texts – and The Hunger Games is a great example – it involves cultivating new literacies and designing new affinity spaces.

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