Friday, March 11, 2011

Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins, is the 2nd book in the Hunger Games Trilogy. Katniss Everdeen has survived the 74th Hunger Games with, for the first time, another victor. Katniss and Peeta Mellark have returned, victorious, to District 12, but at the price of 22 other kids' lives. While the haunts of the Hunger Games swirl around Katniss, she goes on the Victory Tour where she visits all twelve districts and the Capital. As she goes on these half-forced visits, she realizes that she might've started a rebellion. A rebellion was exactly what led to the Hunger Games. However, there seems to be no way to stop it from happening. On top of that, President Snow makes a horrifying announcement. For the 75th Hunger Games, better known as the Quarter Quell, victors from the other Games will be chosen to participate. That means that Katniss and Peeta are going into a bloodbath of countless lives. Again. Just as exciting as the first book in the series, Catching Fire tests Katniss and Peeta's abilities even further. Not against a bunch of scared kids, but a few handfuls of trained killers. It is recommended to anyone into action and science fiction. -Reviewed by JunHyung, grade 7.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Catching Fire is the second book out of the three book series written by Suzanne Collins. Katniss and Peeta have returned to District 12 after winning the 74th anual Hunger Games. But while they are taking their Victory tour President Snow addresses Katniss telling her that she has caused a rebellion by cheating in the 74th Hunger game. Now comes the time for the 75th hunger game where there will be a twist that forces 24 victors from other years to come and battle again. But there is a surprise awaiting for District 12 which will cause chaos throughout the rest of the story.

This book is an excellent addition to the story hunger games where the game gets many levels harder , as victors from different hunger games come together for the 75th hunger game. I enjoyed this book a little more than the first book of The Hunger series because the fights get better and more action takes place. Once again if you like a good fight and action this book would be great. But if you do not like people going against each other in battles and fighting till the death of each other I would not recommend this book. Other than that this book has a great flow and is very enjoyable to read.

Reviewed by Armand, grade 9
Central Library

Anonymous said...

Catching Fire is the sequel to the book "the Hunger Games". It is about what happens after Katniss Everdeen wins the Hunger games. She is forced to compete in the Quarter Quell against all the other victors of the Hunger Games.
I loved this especially because it continues after the Hunger Games. It is very interesting and if you have not read "the Hunger Games" do not read this book yet.

Reviewed by Frederick S., grade 9
Montrose Library

Anonymous said...

Katniss won the Hunger Games her and Peeta are still alive. They have returned to all their family and friends. But she is not happy Gale is keeping her distant, Peeta turned his back on her, and now there might be a rebellion against the Capitol and she might have created it. President Snow wants her dead so he puts her and a bunch of other victors into a new Hunger Games. She might not make it out again.

This book was just as good if not better than the first. I liked all of the action, the struggles, and all the rambled up emotions that you really feel when you read this. You feel what the characters feel so you might feel bad for them. If you read the first book you will really like this one two because it has a lot of the same features. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.

Reviewed by Christian W., grade 9
Montrose Library

Teen Speak said...

I thought that this book was a great addition to "The Hunger Games" series. If you have not read The Hunger Games do not read this book until you read it. I highly recommend this book to teens and young adults.

Reviewed by Frederick S., Montrose Library

Teen Speak said...

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins is the second book in the three part Hunger Games series. It continues the story with Katniss Everdeen. After Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark in the first book and now they are adjusting to their new lives. They have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But since it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol, things don't look too good for the two victors. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, are the faces of that rebellion. This angers The Capitol and it wants revenge which will be served in the annual Hunger Games.

After reading the first book I automatically had to continue the series and it did not disappoint. When you start reading you can't help but be hooked! The story of Katniss Everdeen and her struggles with the Capitol. The love triangle also encourages the reader to keep going. The ending leaves you hanging precariously off the edge of your seat, it's the type of ending that left me searching my book making sure there were no more pages! A must read for all teens! I recommend that you shouldn't read this book until you've read the first of the series and if you don't mind some violence.

Reviewed by Nayri T., grade 10
Casa Verdugo Library

Anonymous said...

In Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins, When Peeta and Katniss return to Panem upon their victory in the hunger games, they return to their home District 12. They get to stay in the victor village with their families until they go on their victory tour around the nation. During the the victory tour they go backwards to each district until they reach the Capitol. Before they leave on their victory tour President Snow visits Katniss because he is angry at her for breaking the rules during the hunger games. Snow also tells her she has now started a rebellion in the districts because of her act in the hunger games.
This is the second book in the series of the hunger games. If you haven't read the hunger games then you should because this book is a really good book to read. I liked this book because if gives a lot of detail to the story and it just keeps you on the edge of your seat. In this book you learn about how if you believe in something a lot don't stop because other people might have the same beliefs. If you like an action, thrilling, and interesting book then this book is definitely a really good book for you.
Reviewed by Kyle L., grade 9
Montrose Crescenta Branch

Anonymous said...

Its all about the aftermath of the hunger games. Its about how the previous hunger games affected the population and riled up the people of the various districts. its also about the 75th anniversary of the hunger games. every 25 years its something special, this year as a punishment and a way to show who is in charge they make all the previous champions of the hunger games no matter what their age compete in the hunger games, which means Katniss and Peeta are back in the ring, but the hunger games are different this year so will they make it ???
This book wasn't my favorite, it wasn't as good as the first. i think it was an excess of people who died and i didn't like all the bad stuff. it truly was as action packed as the first one. Your always worried about the characters. in the beginning it was surprising to hear about how everyone had turned out since we last heard about them, it was almost depressing but you cant just read the first one and not read this one, everyone is a lot more rebellious than the first book, now they know how corrupt their government is, its and okay book, and i would recommend it to people.

Reviewed by Anna K., grade 9
Montrose Crescenta Branch


Teen Speak said...

Katniss Everdeen has finished winning the hunger games, an annual event where two tributes from each district of the nation Panem get in an arena and fight to the death. she is then picked for the next hunger games and has to once again fight for her life as the Hunger games begins.

I really liked reading Catching Fire. The storyline was very interesting and i enjoyed reading it. If you have not yet read the first book in the series, i would recommend doing that, but if you have, you should definitely read this book.

John, grade 9
Montrose Crescenta Branch

Teen Speak said...

This is the second installment in the Hunger Games series. In this book, Katniss and Peeta get called to participate in the 75th Hunger Games along with other former tributes. Katniss and Peeta act like a couple on screen but Katniss doesn't really like Peeta. President Snow wants Katniss and Peeta dead because of the stunt they pulled in the former book. Katniss and Peeta make an alliance with some tributes. The games start and the fight for survival begins once again.

I liked Catching Fire more than the first one, I think it was because there was more action in the second one. I loved the part when Katniss met Johanna and Finnick and I just love the series overall. There was a part in the book that went by really slow but other than that nothing was wrong in my opinion. I would recommend this book to obviously those who read the first Hunger Games and enjoyed it.

Reviewed by Elen S., grade 9
Glendale Central Library

Teen Speak said...

Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark won the deadly Hunger Games, much to everyone's surprise. Not only did they win,but they won by defiance. Katniss and Peeta should be satisfied by the safety given to them. To their horror, a rebellion is brewing because of their little show at the Games. They are not just the faces of the rebellion,but the Capitol is angry and what they want is simple...revenge. President Snow's hatred towards Katniss oozed into his plans. Katniss has a lot on her shoulders; the rebellion, President Snow, keeping Peeta alive, and her mixed feelings towards Gale.

I think this book is a complete thriller. It makes you want to turn the page and learn all about the evil plans, love, and especially DRAMA. Its a jaw-dropping book that is amazing. It is astounding how well Collins put together this book, the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy. Also, it is fast-paced and entertaining, it always has something going on in it. Frankly, I love this book!

Reviewed By Riya S., grade 9
Montrose Crescenta Branch

Teen Speak said...

The second book to the series, "The Hunger Games," is "Catching Fire." In the first book when Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark were chosen and sent to the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is where two people from all twelve districts are sent to an arena where they have to fight for their lives. Although Katniss and Peeta barely one the first Hunger Game they were sent to, they are now being sent to another Hunger Game. This time, it is the seventy fifth Hunger Game, which is special. Therefore, only the best contestants that were in a previous Hunger Game is sent. So, there are people of a variety of ages. There can even be an old grandmother. This book, "Catching Fire" is very breathtaking and suspenseful.

"Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins in my opinion, is amazing. I really like that this book is not like the first. This time there is a whole new arena that the "contestants", is what I like to call them, fight in. In addition, I also think that the time zones in the arena that Suzanne Collins put in the book is very creative. I would say that the different time zones in the arena are like if you have sprinklers at your house, there are specific times that the sprinklers go off. If you like to read action and adventure, this is the book for you.

Reviewed by CK, Grade 9
Montrose Library

Teen Speak said...

Catching Fire is the second book of The Hunger Games series. Katniss and Peeta have won the Hunger Games. Katniss has returned home to her family and friends but nothing seems right anymore. Her friend Gale holds her friendship at a distance and Peeta no longer talks to her. Now she has to go on the victory tour where she finds out that her and Peeta have started an rebellion, a rebellion that may change the world she knows forever.

I really liked this book,to me it is my favorite of all the Hunger Game books. I has an amazing, mind-blowing plot. When I first read I couldn't put it down. This book would be good for people who love action and romance. It is a book for all reader's to enjoy. There are many good parts in this book but there are some bad parts. Whoever decides to read this book I do hope you enjoy it.

Reviewed by Emily V., Grade 9
Montrose Library

Teen Speak said...

Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins, was one of the most enjoyable books that I have ever read. In this second installment of the Hunger Games series, Katniss is once again put in the arena and forced to kill people. This is the most intriguing book of the three and because it had many questions left unanswered until the second book. This story kept me up all night long and was impossible to put down

This was my favorite book out of the three in the Hunger Games series. Suzanne Collins will take you on an adventure and will make you think and wonder about events to come in the next book. I love this book and would recommend it to everybody. However, due to violence and disturbing themes, children under 12 probably shouldn't be reading this novel. I found this novel to be one of my all time favorites.

Reviewed by Zack H., Grade 9
Montrose Library

Teen Speak said...

Catching Fire written by Suzanne Collins takes place after Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark has just won the annual Hunger Games. The story starts a couple of months after the games and Katniss Everdeen is now 17 years old. Katniss Everdeen is now trying to get used to her new life after winning the Hunger Games after spending 17 years of her life in poverty without much food or without a lot of shelter.

I didn't like Catching Fire written by Suzanne Collins very much. I didn't like Catching Fire because there wasn't much going on at the start of the story. However as the story keeps going it does pick up the pace and does become more interesting. I would recommend this book to people who like the first Hunger Games because they would want to continue the story but I However didn't enjoy this one as much as the first Hunger Games.

Reviewed AB, Grade 9
Grandview Library

Teen Speak said...

Going back to the first sequel of the Hunger Games, Katniss was one of the people who got sent to fight in the battle for her life and community, which was a success, so she is able to go back home and reunite with her family and friends. While heading home with her friend Peeta, they both realize that they are meant to be for each other but the trick is they need to prove it to the society's authorities. If they can't then they will have to suffer the negative consequences given to them since the main priority is to be strong and be a fighter so of course there isn't any time for intimate relationships in their world. This kind of authority has high expectations so they should expect that this is not going to be easy to prove effectively.

I'll just keep my word neutral about this book. I think it is not too good or too bad. Yes it is true that the Hunger Games can be a real long series persay and they may have very interesting plots in each sequel, there is but there isn't necessarily a good or bad side to it. Except maybe the fact the book is about love. If this is called the Hunger Games, then it should mostly be about fighting in many battles rather than place a touch of love here because it makes me lose some interest in it. And why does the cover have to look red orange? I get how the book's second sequel is called Catching Fire but why red orange? It should've been like vibrant golden yellow or flaring orange itself not a pinch of red in there. I'm also starting to wonder why there is a bird on the cover but I don't think I'm going to question that for now. I know everyone says in general this is a very good book so if that's what all the people say, then I guess I shall recommend this book to you all. Give it a look if you're into a mix of love and battle in a typical book because I think you'll like this one for sure.

Reviewed by Hannah R., Grade 10
Downtown Central

Renia said...

After winning the Hunger Games and saving Peeta, Katniss thinks that her life will be better, and she will have nothing more to do with the Capitol. But President Snow has other plans. Due to Katniss's defiance of the Hunger Games by refusing to kill Peeta and planning their double suicide instead, many of the Districts have taken her as a symbol of rebellion against Panem. Snow plans to use Katniss to tamp down the rebellions, and when that backfires, shows his control of Panem with a twist to the next Hunger Games - Katniss is going back into the arena.


I really enjoyed reading this suspenseful, tense book. It was a great continuation of the previous novel, and was very fun to read. The characters were all just as great as before, and it was interesting to see the larger scope of this novel - it showed other Districts and the people struggling to live in those Districts. The action was great, especially in the arena, and the idea of larger forces like Snow trying to use Katniss was portrayed well and made even the reader feel helpless. Overall, this was a great book and I would definitely recommend it to others.

Reviewed by NK, Grade 10
Montrose Library

Melissa said...

Their suicide trick angered President Snow and he warns Katniss that if she does not keep up the show of being in love with Peeta and convince the people of Panem she acted out of love and not resistance he will harm her family and friends. Katniss and Peeta along with their escort Effie and mentor Haymitch embark on the Victor's tour where the winners of the hunger games visit all the districts. President Snow decides for the next hunger games previous winners of the games will be chosen to compete again, Katniss is the only surviving female winner and Peeta volunteers from District 12. Katniss and Peeta find themselves competing for their lives once again, but there is a plot to end the games and begin a resistance (part of which Katniss knows and much of which she does not).

The book was very entertaining to me. The people who are interested in science fiction should read this. I liked how the book made the presentation of another year of Hunger Games but this time not just some plain old random one but a different type with more tributes, and the victors of the game were included. Making it an even challenging Hunger Games not just for Katniss, and Peeta but all the tributes as everyone participating is as experienced as them or even more experienced. Making this a challenge, so challenging that every single tribute had to be worried. All the tributes had thought that oh the games are over! Now we can live in peace with fame, richness. But no, you are being dragged back for another Hunger Games harder than the one before. And some of the tributes aren't even teenagers! So like... I mean they don't have much of a chance to fight against the other tributes who are much younger, and have better flexibility, speed, etc. So the concept of this made it unexpected, and entertaining. I mean I was expecting not another Hunger Games with the victors but like a story of a revolution where Katniss led but she didn't join another Hunger Games. So the addition of such a thing made it unexpected, unclear, and even more entertaining.

Reviewed by Ashsmith K., Grade 9
Glendale Central Library

Melissa said...

The book starts with Katniss in the woods right outside District 12. She has won the Hunger Games and managed to keep Peeta Mellark and herself alive(this was never done before). After the Games, nothing is the same for Katniss anymore. On one hand, Gale doesn't talk to her. On the other hand, Peeta's heartbroken because he found out that he didn't know that the romance between him and Katniss in the Games was just for the cameras for Katniss, he won't talk to her either. Katniss and Peeta have to go on the Victory Tour. When Katniss gets home President Snow is waiting for her. President Snow threatens to kill her and Gale's family if she doesn't convince all of Panem that she's madly in love with Peeta Mellark. She goes on the tour and since it's the seventy-fifth Hunger Games it's also the third Quarter Quell. President Snow reads the card and declares that in this Hunger Games, the tributes competing will be the male and female tributes from each and every district.

Honestly, I think the book was pretty good! I liked how Katniss toyed around with Peeta's emotions, yet at the same time, they got to be friends again. I think that teens would like this book because if you're not a teen it'll be a tough read and you'll struggle with the vocabulary. I felt inspired by reading about the hardships that Katniss had to go through, even though she had won the games. This book teaches us to guard our hearts and yet work with others to achieve great things. I think that the Quarter Quell was rigged so that Snow could get his revenge.

Reviewed E.Z., Grade 8
Glendale Central Library

Melissa said...

During the first volume of the hunger games, there were the actual hunger games, but in the second volume the hunger games are over. And now Katniss is very rich compared to how she was back then. One day, Katniss is at the woods, and when she returns from the woods to go home, she sees president snow waiting for her. Katniss has to keep pretending to be in love with Peeta because if she doesn’t, they would hurt Gale. So she had to marry Peet’s in the book, catching fire Volume 2 if the hunger games. And from there it gets a lot more interesting with what happens with Gale, Katniss and Peeta.

The book, catching fire, Volume 2 of the hunger games is an amazing book to read. I recommend this book to everyone because not only is it an amazing and action filled book to read, but also because you can learn new things by reading this book, it helps people learn. I absolutely love the heading and the cover of the book it is just as better as the actual writing. It is a really good book because most of the time when I am reading other books, I tend to have the feeling of wanting to stop, but while I am reading the hunger games, Catching fire volume 2, I just feel like wanting to keep on reading and never stop, because it is super interesting. Once again, I really recommend this book to everyone because of the message it brings to people.

Reviewed by Suren, Grade 8
Brand Library & Art Center

Melissa said...

The book starts with Katniss in the woods right outside District 12. She has won the Hunger Games and managed to keep Peeta Mellark and herself alive(this was never done before). After the Games, nothing is the same for Katniss anymore. On one hand, Gale doesn't talk to her. On the other hand, Peeta's heartbroken because he found out that he didn't know that the romance between him and Katniss in the Games was just for the cameras for Katniss, he won't talk to her either. Katniss and Peeta have to go on the Victory Tour. When Katniss gets home President Snow is waiting for her. President Snow threatens to kill her and Gale's family if she doesn't convince all of Panem that she's madly in love with Peeta Mellark. She goes on the tour and since it's the seventy-fifth Hunger Games it's also the third Quarter Quell. President Snow reads the card and declares that in this Hunger Games, the tributes competing will be the male and female tributes from each and every district.

Honestly, I think the book was pretty good! I liked how Katniss toyed around with Peeta's emotions, yet at the same time, they got to be friends again. I think that teens would like this book because if you're not a teen it'll be a tough read and you'll struggle with the vocabulary. I felt inspired by reading about the hardships that Katniss had to go through, even though she had won the games. This book teaches us to guard our hearts and yet work with others to achieve great things. I think that the Quarter Quell was rigged so that Snow could get his revenge.

Reviewed by E.Z., Grade 8
Glendale Public Library